Functional Genomics and Proteomics in Animal Models

The purpose of this course is to show how animal models of human diseases can be created and analyzed using genomic and proteomic technologies. The course will overview high throughput methods of generating disease models in mice and describe ongoing efforts in this field. Attempts to identify molecular mechanisms of the disease will be presented with particular emphasis on drug target discovery. Pre- or corequisite: An immunology course.

TPCS: BIOINFORMATICS

A structured specialty course designed to meet the needs of students in biology. Students are expected to perform at the level of other junior level classes. Prerequisites: BIOL 123N and BIOL 124N must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

Biomedical Applications of Low Temperature Plasmas

This course is cross listed between ECE and Biology. It is intended for senior undergraduate students and first year graduate students. The course contents are multidisciplinary, combining materials from engineering and the biological sciences. The course covers an introduction to the fundamentals of non-equilibrium plasmas, low temperature plasma sources, and cell biology. This is followed by a detailed discussion of the interaction of low temperature plasma with biological cells, both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

Comparative Animal Physiology

An introduction to the basic mechanisms by which different animals function. How organisms acquire and use energy, regulate their internal environment, circulate and exchange gases and wastes, receive and conduct information about their environment, and move and use muscles will be some of the topics covered. Emphasis will be on how organisms make changes in these basic mechanisms to deal with different environmental conditions. Prerequisites: BIOL 292 must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

Plant Geography

The distribution and characteristics of major plant community types in North America and practices used in the study of biogeography are discussed. Prerequisites: BIOL 123N and BIOL 124N must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

Research in Pathogen Biology I: Laboratory Investigation

This is the first course of a two-semester laboratory and analysis sequence that is designed to provide a genuine research experience for undergraduate students. Students will design a novel research question in pathogen biology, then use modern laboratory techniques such as polymerase chain reaction and next-generation DNA sequencing to examine this question and test hypotheses. Data generated in this course will be analyzed in the second course in the series, BIOL 381. Data and analyses generated during these courses may be used for publication in scientific journals.