Biological Sciences

This course defines the basic characteristics of different types of stem cells and discusses their applications in medicine. Topics include the implications of stem cell technologies on individuals, families, societies, and humankind; principles of biomedical ethics and the application of ethical and moral understanding to evaluate the benefit and dilemma of stem cell technologies brought to the society; how to analyze and evaluate case scenarios for informed decision making and recommending strategies for stem cell research policy making; how to recognize the positions taken by different individuals, organizations and cultures with respect to stem cell technologies; and how to represent viewpoints other than their own.

The course examines the principles of conservation science with a focus on biological diversity. Specific topics include the relation between biological and physical resources, evolutionary processes and biological adaptations, species conservation and extinction, habitat and ecosystem degradation and restoration, threats to biological diversity, sustainable development, and principles of management. The course is taught through lectures and field visits to provide opportunities to observe conservation biology initiatives in practice. This includes visits to projects employing classic conservation approaches, as well as indigenous and community based conservation initiatives. Assessment: Essays, quizzes, field trip reports, and other assignments.

This is an introductory course on the science of colloids and interface with specific reference to the application in food systems. The course covers the definition of a colloid, the fundamentals of colloidal stability such as the forces leading to the instability of colloids, as well as how colloids can be stabilized. Some examples of the application of colloid science in some food colloid systems such as emulsion, gel, foam etc. are discussed.

This class covers topics ranging from bacterial metabolism, growth, and genetics. Further topics include viruses, bacteriophages and biosecurity. This version of the class is without the in-person lab portion.

This course gives students a thorough understanding of pioneering and contemporary research in human genetics with emphasis on human genetic diseases. The course is organized into the following topics: approaches to the analysis of human monogenic disease; polygenic diseases; quantitative genetics; low penetrance alleles; genetic variation in humans; patterns of inheritance in humans; cytogenetics; clinical genetics and genetic counselling; genome stability, fragile sites, translocations, chromosome fusions; strategies for constructing gene editing, zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription; activator-Like Effector Nucleases (TALENs), the CRISPR/Cas system, and engineered meganuclease re-engineered homing endonucleases; strategies for performing transient gene knockdown, shRNA, RNAi, and morpholino oligonucleotides; animal models and transgenesis; gene therapy; design of research projects and writing of research proposals; cancer genomics; genome-wide association studies; personalized medicine based on genetic profiling.

This course examines the complex interactions between parasites/diseases and their hosts. It explores how the selection pressures that each side of these interactions impose leads to coevolutionary processes. Students explore the role that such parasitic interactions may have played in the development of key biological traits. The course includes traditional parasitology (to understand the complexity of the interactions), introducing the major groups of parasites and their hosts. Students examine the role of parasites and host-parasite interactions in evolution, drawing examples from conservation, behavior, current medical research, theoretical predictions, and models.

This course explores causes of malnutrition and scale of the problem, social and cultural factors influencing nutrition in the developing world, nutrition through the life cycle in the developing world, nutritional deficiencies in the developing world, impact of HIV/AIDS and food security on nutritional status, nutritional surveillance and assessment in the developing world, protection and promotion of good health, incorporating nutrition objectives into development policies, and food policies and governance.

The course provides students with specialized knowledge of the most recent scientific and technological developments within neurobiology. Students learn about the basic mechanisms and experimental strategies within different fields of neurological research. The course consists of two parts: 1) fundamental and basic neurobiology, and 2) brain diseases and treatments. The course covers the following fields: the functional neuroanatomy of the brain; cellular and molecular neurobiology; neurodegenerative diseases; network-related diseases.

This is an introduction to the discipline of Conservation Biology. This course discusses ecological and evolutionary concepts that are relevant to diagnosing and treating the decline of populations, species, and ecosystem health (including population dynamics, island bio-geography, and conservation genetics). It covers the advantages and disadvantages of different conservation tools and approaches, as well as other important considerations for setting up a conservation plan (for example, what is the end goal and why; do you focus on a species or habitat; and how do you measure progress). The course considers the reality of implementing scientific theory into conservation practice, and why the incorporation of societal, political, and/or economic considerations is important to the success of conservation programs. In addition to class presentations on selected topics, students produce a conservation action plan for a selected case study. At the end of this course, the students are able to: describe and discuss processes that lead to declines in populations, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning; explain the relevance and use of ecological and evolutionary theories and principles for conservation biology; discuss how the concept of context dependency applies to conservation biology; discuss the strengths and weaknesses of different conservation approaches; explain how an interdisciplinary approach is essential to addressing conservation challenges; conduct a situation analysis for a conservation case, using data from the scientific literature, highlighting the drivers of decline, direct threats and traits of the population/ecosystems that may assist and/or hinder conservation efforts; critically evaluate conservation approaches for appropriateness and feasibility for different case studies; construct a conservation action plan for a case study, based on relevant literature, a situation analysis and critical evaluation of different conservation approaches, and communicate the plan to a lay audience.