Biological Sciences

This course explores how literature, cinema, history, biology, anatomy, pathology, catastrophic events, and cultural diversity have been shaped and driven by teeth, the face, and the human smile. Using the "smile" and “teeth” as focal points, a host of different relations with society will be explored to create a critical understanding around ambiguous issues such as the concept of beauty, the changing nature of health, and the relationship between the “natural” and the “artificial”. Additionally, by using active learning as a vector, students broaden their perspectives and enhance their collaborative, innovative, and self-directed spirits. Thus, by examining the history and current understanding of the "smile" and "teeth", the course illuminates the relationships between science, technology, and everyday life in a cross-cultural context. How can a smile impact a society?

Nutritional Pathology and Metabolism introduces nutrition-related diseases in terms of pathophysiology and treatment, emphasizing macronutrients (carbohydrate, fat, and protein). It provides a basic understanding of the principles of the metabolic pathway in human bodies as a core pathogenesis of human diseases. Students develop a nutrition care plan as a component of health care for individuals.   

Suggested prerequisites: Human Physiology, Basic Nutrition, Nutritional Biochemistry 

This course goes beyond conventional lecture-based instruction and to the heart of the research process. Through hands-on scanning, data analysis, literature exploration, and seminar participation, students learn how MRI and fMRI are used to investigate the human brain – and apply knowledge to design, conduct, and present neuroimaging projects. The course integrates foundational concepts in neuroimaging and clinical neuroscience through hands-on, research-based learning. Through this process, students gain practical experience with MRI hardware and scanning, experimental design, basic image processing, and scientific writing and presentation.

This course discusses the historical, ecological, geographical, evolutionary, and anthropogenic context for plant biodiversity in the Mediterranean Basin. It examines the richness of plant species in the different regions and environments of the Iberian Peninsula. This course also explores plant taxa, useful tools for differentiating botanical groups, as well as preparation of flora inventories, vegetation inventories, biogeographical analyses, technical reports, etc.  

This course explores animal diversity through specialized training in the methodologies required to identify different zoological groups. Students learn how to recognize the most representative species of fauna and create fauna inventories, measure and interpret animal variability and differentiate zoological groups, as well as how to prepare research studies and fauna inventories and catalogs aimed at characterizing animal communities, biogeographical studies, strategic environmental assessments, environmental impact assessments, and the delimitation of protected areas. 

Pre-requisites: It is recommended to have taken and passed Zoology 

This course introduces the core principles of neuroscience and translation, including the core structural and functional principles of the brain. It provides a deep-dive into neurological disease from molecular, cellular, and clinical perspectives and with clinically oriented sessions offered including cadaveric anatomy, neuroimaging, and patient-facing skill building. It offers hands-on laboratory practical experience in molecular and cellular techniques, supported by focused workshops and seminars.

This course provides an understanding of the ecological and evolutionary principles that underly disease symptoms, emergence, and outbreak. Though a series of lectures, supplemented with practical lessons the course explores how natural selection acts on hosts and their pathogens, what factors facilitate disease outbreaks, and how we might prevent pathogens from escaping our control. Using examples in human medicine, animals, and plants the course explores: why people get sick; how diseases emerge; super spreaders, individuals who generate many infections; how global warming can alter the interaction between diseases and their hosts; the evolution of antibiotic resistance and the evolution virulence; evolution proofing drugs; and many other concepts in evolutionary medicine, ecology, and evolution.

This course enables critical analysis and interpretation of ecological data from diverse sources to clearly explain the complex interactions between anthropogenic, climatic, and geologic drivers of change and their impacts on ecosystems and human populations across multiple spatial and temporal scales. In addition, the course fosters ethical and responsible behaviors by emphasizing safety and the minimization of ecological impact during environmental learning activities.

This course provides a systematic study of the structure, function, and regulation of major body systems and organs, including homeostasis, nutrition, and regulation of temperature and fluids. The structure and function of the respiratory, circulatory, and digestive systems, reproduction, hormonal and nervous control, and behavior are discussed with a focus on the human body.

This course provides an overview of and an introduction to ecological modeling. The course emphasizes on computational simulations of two contrasting biological levels: the ecosystem and the microbial community. It models their responses to environmental and climate changes. It also teaches basic concepts in modeling, the structures of two widely used ecological models (i.e., LPJ-GUESS and DEMENT), and how models, together with observational data, can be used to understand ecological systems better. The course applies and tests ecological models to understand process interactions and system responses. Topics include ecosystem biogeochemical cycles; vegetation dynamics; microbial processes: traits and community structure; model-data integration; model sensitivity testing, evaluation and prediction; modeling plant-plant and microbial community competition.