BIOL

With approval of Advisory Committee.

A graduate seminar course in the ecological sciences. The format of the course depends on the faculty running the seminar, but most seminars involve student-led discussions on current research articles.

This lecture and laboratory course examines the biology of mammals in depth. Course topics include the evolution of mammalian diversity, mammalian systematics, the behavior and social systems of mammals, mammalian biogeography and ecology, anatomical and physiological specializations in mammals, domestication of mammals, conservation of mammals, and human evolution. The laboratory portion of the course will focus on the various taxonomic groups within the Class: Mammalia through the study of museum material, pictures, video, and primary literature.

The application of fundamental biological principles to the preservation of biodiversity, including the role of ecological and evolutionary theory to the preservation of biotas on a regional and global basis. Lectures will cover modern approaches to conservation biology, including conservation ethics and management issues. Laboratories will include discussion of case studies, introduction to software applicable to conservation biology, presentations by regional conservation practitioners, and visits to relevant field sites.

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 455. Data and analyses generated during these courses may be used for publication in scientific journals.

This course is part of the Day One Access program; you should not purchase any course materials denoted by the Day One Access logo as they are part of your course registration. In the event you drop this course from your schedule on or prior to the last day of DROP/ADD period, your account will be fully refunded automatically if you received a digital textbook. If you received a physical textbook you will need to return the textbook to the store and your account will be refunded at that time.

Required of all graduate students admitted to Biology programs. The course will introduce students to the responsible conduct of science and scientific research.

The application of computer science to biology has led to major breakthroughs in the ability to read and understand the code written in genomes. This course will give students the skills to participate in the computational revolution in biology. The course will give students hands-on experience in writing simple yet powerful computer programs in the Python programming language and making beautiful data visualizations in the R programming language. Students will also learn how to combine existing pieces of bioinformatics software for their own workflows.

Study of special topics. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.

This graduate seminar offers a dynamic exploration of the biological sciences through a rotating roster of faculty presenting diverse topics. Participants will engage in discussions of contemporary research papers, receive training in science communication and career development, and/or analyze seminal texts that have shaped the field.