Biological Sciences

Neuroendocrinology is the discipline concerned with how the nervous system controls hormonal secretion and how hormones control the brain. It is pivotal in understanding both general physiology and medicine. This course provides up-to-date and research-orientated information delivered as a series of lectures and group exercises. The lectures are presented by experts in the particular area of research, and the group exercises are based on current research literature and/or results, and are designed to develop students' ability to read, understand, and appraise the current research literature.

This course reviews the basic theory and understanding of the most important molecular genetic methods used in modern ecological and evolutionary research projects. The course is mainly based on practical learning through wet labs (DNA extraction, PCR, DNA sequencing) and computer exercises (editing of DNA sequences that you obtain during the course, phylogeny, and various programs for analysis of DNA sequences) and leads to mastery of different methods used to detect and analyze variation at gene, genome and protein levels within and between individuals, populations, and species. Emphasis is also placed on improving one's ability to assimilate and critically review scientific articles based on molecular genetic data and analyses. The course ends with a research project that is carried out in small groups.

This course examines marine system quantitative ecology including soft shores, rocky and coral reefs. It emphasizes quantitative methods including design, statistical analysis and interpretation of field experiments and observational studies.

The course introduces students to pharmacology, which can be defined as the study of the actions of drugs. The course has a strong focus on the nervous system. The basic principles of pharmacology are covered, including drug interactions with specific receptors in target tissues and pharmacokinetics. Students learn how drugs work and become familiar with pharmacological concepts and terminology. Students also consider the drug development process and the many ways in which new therapeutics are designed and developed. The effects of different classes of drugs upon the peripheral and central nervous systems and on different neurotransmitter pathways are covered. How drugs can be used to understand the function of these systems and to alleviate their malfunctioning in various diseases and afflictions is explained.

The focus of the course is on the relations between terrestrial ecosystems and global climate systems. Seen in a historical and present perspective as well as on a temporal and spatial scale, the interactions between climate and ecosystem are put in perspective of the ongoing and future climate change. Further, the course explains how models and data bases are used to develop future climate scenarios and reconstruction of previous climate conditions, as well as the anthropogenic role in the present changes in climate.

This course introduces the principles of terrestrial ecology. Major topics include diversity and distributions of terrestrial environments, soils and nutrient cycling, animal-plant interactions (pollination, seed dispersal, herbivory), disturbance ecology and succession, energy flow and food webs, population biology, and fragmentation. The course has a strong quantitative focus. The course also covers ecological processes in rural (agricultural) and urban terrestrial environments.

The course will provide students with an understanding of the basic human anatomy and physiology. Students learn the coupling of structure with function through a series of lectures, tutorials, and practicals.

Modern bioscience research increasingly makes use of computational methods to collect, explore, analyze, display, and share data and results. In this course, students learn the foundational skills of coding so that they can write computer programs and analyze data using the Python programming language. Students are taught using examples drawn from bioscience research, and learn how computer techniques are used across a range of cutting edge research methods.

Our increased longevity is one of the major achievements of modern humans, however this increase in lifespan does not necessarily mean an increase in health span – healthy, disease-free years. Students will explore some of the key challenges and opportunities associated with the expanding ageing population. They will use a multi-disciplinary approach (biological, clinical, societal) to explore several key questions such as: what happens the body during ageing that leaves us more susceptible to developing diseases such as cardiovascular disease, neurocognitive decline and cancer in later life? Why do some people age faster than others? How do we manage this challenge clinically? Can new models of care and novel technologies facilitate independent living in later life? What is it like for someone to get older in Ireland today? How can we ensure that everyone has the opportunity to age successfully in our society? What are the legal, ethical and economical challenges that we will face?

This course examines core concepts and principles that are applied to the various organ systems. It includes laboratory activities that involve experiments on humans as well as isolated tissues, with an emphasis on hypothesis generation and data analysis.