Biological Sciences

The student performs laboratory and/or field research under the supervision of a Department of Biological Sciences faculty member. The student must devote a minimum of 3 hours per week for the equivalent of 1 credit. The student must maintain lab/field notes, must submit a written report, may be required to give an oral presentation, and must be evaluated by the faculty supervisor. If 3 credits are taken, then BIOL 497 counts as an upper-level biology elective course with a laboratory or field component.

Three laboratory rotations (6 credits) are required by the curriculum. Prerequisite: approval of the program director.

This course offers a capstone experience in scientific writing, faculty-mentored library research, the review and synthesis of material from the primary technical literature, and oral presentation. Students will develop a deeper understanding of the purposes and types of scientific writing, the structure and interpretation of technical papers, and the oral and written communication skills appropriate to the discipline. This is a writing intensive course.

This course emphasizes the physiology and pathophysiology of the cardiac, pulmonary, renal, endocrine, and reproductive systems. Only BIOL 251 (4 credits) may count toward upper-division elective requirements for the Biology major. Students with credit for BIOL 251 cannot receive credit for BIOL 241. Prerequisites: BIOL 250 or permission of the instructor.

Current concepts in cellular and molecular immunology and host defense based on critical review of the primary literature.

This course is designed to provide a genuine research experience for undergraduate students at the sophomore/junior level. Students will pursue a novel research question and use modern laboratory techniques to examine this question and test hypotheses. Prerequisites: BIOL 121N, BIOL 122N, BIOL 123N, and BIOL 124N. Pre- or corequisite: BIOL 291 or BIOL 292 or BIOL 293 or BIOL 294.

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.

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.

Independent study and scheduled meetings with faculty advisor. Supervised independent study in an area of individual interest in biology. The work in this course results in the production of a thesis. This is a writing intensive course. Prerequisites: BIOL 487, admission to the Honors Program, senior standing, and a grade of C or better in ENGL 211C or ENGL 221C or ENGL 231C.

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.