Biological Sciences

In this course, students are presented with a case study dealing with surface water that is suspected of being polluted. They are instructed in the composition of various environmental media, the nature of potential pollutants and guided through the selection of the media that need to be analyzed to identify the contaminants, sampling locations and the appropriate chemical analyses to address the problem posed. They then organize the collection of the relevant media (soil, water, etc.) and are trained in their chemical analyses in the Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, School of Biology & Environmental Science. The results generated are analyzed with respect to available thresholds/regulations for the various contaminants and students write a report on the full investigation process.

This course examines perspectives and practices of ecological restoration in diverse ecosystems worldwide. 

This course is about Nanomedicine and its practical applications. Topics include Future medicine-nanomedicine, Nanomedicine, Nanomedicine in diagnostics, Nanomedicine in drug delivery, Nanomedicine in medical device, and Safety issues in nanomedicne.

Assessment: Reports (10%), Mid-term (40%), Final (50%)

Prerequisite: Nanobiotechnology

This is the second in a series of three integrated courses in molecular cell biology. In this intermediate UCSCIBIO21 course, dive into the molecular world of the cell in more detail, focusing on the fundamental molecular processes (gene regulation, DNA replication, protein sorting, and cell signaling that govern principle cellular behaviors such as (but not limited to) cell division, differentiation and cell death, in health and disease. The course reviews experimental setup, understanding, and analyzing real scientific data and literature.

The functioning of the human or animal body depends on how individual organ systems function, which in turn depends on how the cells function, which itself depends on the interactions between subcellular organelles and countless molecules. Thus, integrated physiology takes a global view of the human body, requiring an in-depth understanding of events at the level of molecules, cells, and organs. This course begins at the level of individual organ systems, and then explores at the molecular level before expanding the focus to include the homeostasis of the entire body. The course examines several organs systems, such as the central nervous system, the liver, the heart and blood vessels, the lungs, the kidneys, and the endocrine glands. Occasionally, the course ventures into the field of pathophysiology to illustrate how a change in normal physiology leads to malfunction and disease. This course takes examples from human and animal physiology to explain the working mechanisms and principles of physiology acting throughout the mammalian realm.

This course explores the geological record of key groups of plant and animals, and what this reveals about their evolutionary biology. The course also discusses how this date informs on the macroevolution of these groups and the different applications in earth and environmental science, including relative dating of rocks, reconstructing paleoenvironments including how ecosystems respond to environmental change at local to global scales.