Biological Sciences

Major technological advances in affordable nucleic acid sequencing have allowed for an explosion of sequencing data and molecular tools available for researchers in biological sciences. This provides the opportunity for ecologists, evolutionary biologists, and molecular biologists to incorporate bioinformatic analyses into their existing research program to approach their research questions from an interdisciplinary angle. This course provides a general understanding of several major bioinformatics concepts and tools commonly used in biology and molecular biology.  Basic knowledge and practice in designing and executing bioinformatics procedures aimed at answering scientific questions in the fields mentioned above are gained. More specifically, the course gives an overview of the most commonly used methods within applied bioinformatics within the fields of biology and molecular biology. Areas covered include sequence databases, pairwise and multiple sequence alignment, homology searches in sequence databases, and subcellular localization prediction. Several downstream analyses are performed and their utility in applied ecology, evolutionary biology, and molecular biology research are discussed with guest speakers. An overview of the algorithms and statistics behind the bioinformatics methods is included, but the primary focus of course is on applicability, not on methodological details. 

The course provides an introduction to eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell biology, cell signaling, and virology. Topics include membrane structure and function, cellular organelles, cytoskeleton, cell signaling, cell division, cell physiology, bacterial cell biology, and basic principles of virology.

This course provides an overview of the main aspects of biochemistry by relating molecular interactions to their effects on the organism as a whole. Topics include metabolism, glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, the citric acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, the light reactions of photosynthesis, the Calvin cycle and the pentose phosphate pathway, glycogen metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, protein turnover and amino acid catabolism, biosynthesis of amino acids, nucleotide biosynthesis, the biosynthesis of membrane lipids and steroids, and integration of metabolism.

This course is part of the LM degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. This course discusses the morphology and function of specific organs and apparatuses of biotechnological interest in the context of clinical applications, correlates concepts of integrative physiology of the human organism with pathophysiology, and selects and interprets scientific data relevant to physiology and pathophysiology. Topics include cellular physiology; synaptic transmission; skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscle; functional organization of the nervous system; cardiovascular function; respiratory function; and renal function.

This course examines invertebrates in nature. It covers how and why invertebrates are critical to the natural world and the role of invertebrates in life on earth.

This course provides an approach to the study of neuroscience. It covers the major issues addressed by the discipline and the fundamental bases of the functioning of the nervous system.