This first-year seminar course is based on an introduction to some particular area of life science, varying with instructor and quarter. The emphasis is on improving writing skills, and thus there will be multiple writing assignments.

Science is a process by which people make objective sense of the world. Integral to this process are the methods scientists use to collect and analyze data, and the ways in which they work together to interpret evidence and draw conclusions. In this class, there will be a multidisciplinary approach to examining biological thought and action, and their social ramifications. We will seek to understand science as a social pursuit: the work of human beings with individual, disciplinary, and cultural differences, and requiring tremendous investments in training and equipment. Does it matter that participation in science is more accessible to some than to others? How do biases, assumptions, uncertainty and error manifest in scientific work? What is the history of scientific values such as objectivity and reproducibility? The course will conclude by investigating current topics of public debate, including stem cell research and global climate change.

This course teaches laboratory techniques and experiments in fundamental aspects of transmission genetics and molecular biology.  It covers scientific inquiry skills such as experimental design, writing of research proposals, data collection, data analysis/interpretation, and professional presentation of results. Students examine protein folding, using the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism. Transgenic worms containing the poly-Q repeats from the Huntingtin gene fused with yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) provide a sensor for protein folding, and students work in teams to study the toxicity of poly-Q repeats. Prerequisite: CHEM 102, 131, 151, or 171.

This course explores structure and function of the central nervous system at the molecular and cellular level. It provides an introduction to neurobiological concepts, with emphasis on: ion channels; neurons and glia; ionic basis of the membrane potential, grade potential, and action potential; synaptic physiology neuro-modulation and the neuronal network; and neuroplasticity, including learning and memory. The course method is a combination of lectures and active learning/discussion sections. It makes use of a NEURONS IN ACTION simulation program to add further understanding of concepts such as the membrane potential, action potential, and synaptic interaction. Assessments include several exams, an assignment based on the simulation program, and a short research paper. Prerequisites: BIOL SCI 215, 219, and either 301 or 308.

The core goal of this class is to introduce students to microbiology, the study of how microbes interact with their environments, including interactions with humans. Fundamental principles underlying microbial diversity, and basic methodology used to study microbes, will be introduced. By the end of the class, students will have developed familiarity with a diversity of microbial structures, functions, and interactions. Student should become comfortable locating and reading primary scientific literature on relevant topics, and assembling this information into cohesive reviews. Students will develop an appreciation for appropriate experimental design and the scientific method, and improve their skills in scientific communication, both oral and written. Prerequisites: BIOL SCI 215, 219, 222, and either 301 or 308.

Evolution occurs when mutation introduces new alleles that end up replacing existing alleles in populations. Replacement can occur by chance (genetic drift) or by encoding a superior phenotype (natural selection). Natural selection produces one of the major features of the living world, adaptation. This class will examine several adaptations (life history, sex, and cooperation) in depth. When populations are separated from one another geographically, they take different evolutionary paths; it is in this manner that most species form. Change within lineages, and diversification among lineages, are processes that have been iterated over vast periods of time, producing life's diversity. We will familiarize ourselves with the history and diversity of life by examination of the fossil recored, and by inferring relationships among species using phylogenetic methods. Prerequisites: BIOL SCI 215 and 219, and a course in statistics. 

The relationship between the three-dimensional structure of proteins and their function, is central to understanding biology. This course first covers basic principles of protein architecture, and then proceeds to focus on the detailed relationship between protein structure and function. Types of proteins discussed include enzymes, DNA binding proteins, membrane proteins, and nucleotide binding proteins. Methods for determining protein structures are also covered briefly. Finally, students will learn how to display and examine three-dimensional macromolecular structures on a computer. Prerequisite: BIOL SCI 301 or 308.

This course emphasizes coverage of molecular genetic mechanisms in eukaryotic organisms. Topics include basic concepts and techniques of molecular biology, the organization of genetic information, the flow of genetic information, regulation of the flow of genetic information, and various applications of molecular biology in biomedical research. Prerequisites: BIOL SCI 215, 219, and either 301 or 308.