Biological Sciences

This course introduces the basic principles underlying modern human genetics research through a combination of lectures presenting theoretical principles, practical exercises allowing students to apply these principles, and more research-focused lectures providing illustrative case-studies. Students are introduced to the approaches currently used to identify genetic factors in health and disease. They become familiar with concepts and methods such as complex traits, population studies, Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) and high through-put genome analysis. Case studies include the genetic basis of cancer, selected cardiovascular and psychiatric disorders, as well as genetic predisposition/resistance to infectious diseases.

This is an advanced course on cellular structure and function at the molecular level. This course integrates the disciplines of biochemistry, molecular biology, structural biology, and molecular genetics. Research approaches, practical techniques, and problem-based learning are emphasized in this course. Prerequisites in biochemistry, molecular biology or cell biology are highly recommended. 

This course provides research training for exchange students. Students work on a research project under the guidance of assigned faculty members. Through a full-time commitment, students improve their research skills by participating in the different phases of research, including development of research plans, proposals, data analysis, and presentation of research results. A pass/no pass grade is assigned based a progress report, self-evaluation, midterm report, presentation, and final report.

Evolutionary biology covers the history of life on our planet and the processes that produced the multiple life forms of Earth. Topics include: the origins of life, the eukaryotic cell, and multicellularity; the generation of genetic variation and the sorting of that variation through random processes and through natural and sexual selection; the origin of new traits, new life histories, and new species; the origins of sex, sociality, and altruism; the evolution of humans; and applications of evolutionary biology to solving modern-day problems.

The environment influences organisms profoundly. It affects their present-day ecology (determining where they live and how many can survive there) and, through natural selection acting over past generations, influences their form and adaptations. Present day human-induced changes to the environment are also responsible for endangering species and even driving them to extinction. This course introduces principles and applications of ecology at different levels of ecosystems (i.e. individual, population, community, ecosystem, regional and global scales). The ecological theories are illustrated with examples in order to enable better understanding of the links between the environment and organisms as well as the biological interactions and human-induced threats at each level of ecological organization. The course concludes with the introduction of biodiversity management, i.e. conservation, restoration and sustaining biodiversity, global ecological crisis, and the economical and socio-political dimensions of nature and environmental management. 

What most people think they know about Darwin, his life and his famous book ‘On the origin of species’ is wrong. This course provides a solid background for understanding how the theory of evolution unfolded. It covers the history of geology, paleontology and biology from the 1700s to the 20th century. The central focus is on the life and work of Charles Darwin and how biological evolution was uncovered, debated and accepted by the international scientific community in the 19th century, and beyond. 

On this course students explore the process by which an adult organism arises from a fertilized egg. They focus on how information in the genome is converted into the complex programs of cellular behavior and differentiation, shaping the morphology of the embryo and adult organism. Students study core concepts of embryology and genetics, emerging from both classical and modern studies of developmental processes in animals, as well as the implications for human health, fertility and disease. They also discover key experiments involving a wide-range of methodologies, and recent advances in stem cells, cloning, organoids, and assisted reproduction.