Biological Sciences

This course provides an overview of fisheries science. It focuses on the fundamentals of fisheries science as it relates broadly to marine biology, from molecules to ecosystems. The course is divided into two sections: Topics on Marine Ecology and Oceanography, and Topics on Physiology, Biochemistry and Genetics of Aquatic organisms.

This skills training course familiarizes students with skills and knowledge concerning human anatomy and histology. The histology part entails a practical introduction to virtual microscopy, followed by microscopic studies of the histology of blood vessels, individual cell types, and structures in diverse tissues of the circulatory, urinary, respiratory, and digestive tract where the computer serves as the microscope. All “virtual microscopy” and anatomy sessions have to be prepared at home using either a digital histology atlas (provided) and a PowerPoint manual with internet links to the sections and tasks, or an interactive online manual, also provided. Preparation takes between 2 to 4 hours per session. The histology sessions take place online. The macroscopy/anatomy sessions take place on campus and entail an introduction to the autopsy room. Students perform observatory studies on corpses, models, and human plastinates guided by a list of tasks and questions, part of which needs to be studied in advance at home. Preparation of each anatomy manual takes at least 2 hours. This course is designed to be taken in combination with SCI2009 Human Physiology.

This course offers a study of the anatomical knowledge needed to develop as a health science professional. It covers the different organs and systems within the human body. 

This is a challenging interdisciplinary first-year course, based on a series of high-profile, evening lectures given by prominent members of staff from the three Colleges. The course engages students in thinking about the global challenges that confront society, and makes them aware of the role of academic research and scholarship in meeting these challenges. Students are expected to address key global issues across discipline boundaries, and develop an understanding of the relevance and impact of their own subject in the broader context. Students in the course attend the public lectures, research the topics in depth, participate in facilitated group discussions on each topic, work in small groups to produce a collaborative project on a chosen topic, and produce an individual research report on an aspect which may be closer to their own subject area. Our Changing World is a pass/fail grade-only course.

Memory is a property of the living brain and operationally it is defined at the behavioral level. For the mechanistic analysis of memory it is important to distinguish between processes, such as memory consolidation and memory retrieval. In mammals, there are independent memory systems that involve distinct brain regions. Neuronal networks establish memories in the brain and distinct molecular and cellular processes within individual neurons are fundamental for memory. In this course, students study state-of-the-art knowledge of memory mechanisms at the molecular, cellular, network, anatomical and behavioral level. Students learn which experimental approaches are being applied to investigate these memory mechanism and they learn to critically reflect on these investigations. The course also covers how diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, affect memory mechanisms, and how memory abilities may be improved with pharmacological treatments.

Cells are the structural and functional units of living organisms. Understanding the basics of cell biology is essential for studying all areas of life sciences and any related branches of natural sciences. The main objective of this course is to learn the essential principles of cell biology by learning how the living cells are made and operating from a molecular perspective: especially, how DNA, RNA and proteins cooperatively work inside the cells to allow the maintenance, replication, and responses to stimuli. This course covers the textbook Essential Cell Biology together with Biology B, which will be held in the spring semester. 

Upon finishing this course, students will have a solid grasp of the structure of cells and how they replicate themselves, exert cellular functions and communicate with each other. More concretely, the course introduces intracellular structure and molecular dynamics inside cells, mechanisms of DNA replication, repair and recombination, gene expression and its regulation, and cellular signaling. In addition, the course also features the research topics of the instructors, all of whom are young biologists/biochemists in FRIS, so that students can get a glimpse of cutting-edge sciences. 

This course develops competencies in the planning and performance of experiments and the evaluation of results using common techniques in molecular genetics and cell biology. The skills training starts with an introductory lecture providing information on the assignments as well as an introduction to Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and Safe Laboratory Practice (SLP). Students perform experiments on several different topics including Immunocytochemistry; Immunofluorescence and advanced imaging (confocal and STED microscopy); Western blotting; and Electron microscopy. This course is designed to be taken in combination with SCI2037 Cell Biology. Students who wish to take this course should concurrently enroll in SCI2037 Cell Biology prior to enrolling in SKI2077.

Fermentation technology including microbial kinetics and mass balances, substrates, industrial microorganisms, sterilization, biosafety, and mass transfer are reviewed. Measurement and control. bioreactors, enzyme technology, downstream processing, and practical cultivation technology are included.

This course introduces the functioning of marine and estuarine ecosystems. The structure is centered around marine processes, systems, and impacts.  The course introduces marine and estuarine ecology through lectures, a field practicum, and a day trip to a tropical marine ecosystem. Lectures cover a wide range of topics and ecosystems including the most recent scientific insights and hot topics in marine ecology. During the lectures, important physical, chemical, and biological processes of the marine and estuarine environment are explained. The processes and ecological principles are illustrated more in-depth using examples from various estuarine and marine ecosystems. The influence of global change and other human impacts on coastal and marine areas, such as eutrophication, chemical pollution, and plastics, are also discussed. Lectures include guest lecturers from scientific institutes (NIOZ, Utrecht University, Wageningen Marine Research), the Zoo (Burgers Zoo), and PhD students to introduce students to current issues and trending topics in the field of marine ecology. The lectures are complemented by a field practical to gain experience with marine ecology research methods. Students also go on an excursion to the coral reef and mangrove display of Burgers Zoo, during which students get acquainted with the complex interactions in tropical ecosystems.

The course acquaints students with a wide range of microorganisms, including virus, archaea, bacteria, fungi and protists. In addition, students will acquire background knowledge of microbiology, which can then be applied to different microbe-associated tasks.