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.

This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of the ecology and general biology of plants. Students will learn how and why plants look as they do and live as they do. The course will examine the interactions of plants with other sorts of organisms, such as pollinators, herbivores, and fungi, and how plants play a key role in ecosystems across the globe. Adaptations that plant groups have evolved for living in extreme environments, including deserts and mountain tops, will be covered. Throughout, there will be consideration of practical aspects of plants, as we study how humans use them for food, fiber, medicines, and more.

This course covers the basics of human inheritance. Students will follow the inheritance of genes through consideration of human pedigrees. Student will learn the basis for variation in the human population, the extent to which that variation is attributable to genetic differences, and how that variation impacts behavior and disease. We will examine how genes are mapped in humans, and the implications of the Human Genome Project and genome editing for human health. We will also examine genetic variation between human populations, their ancestors, and closely related species. At the end of the course, a student should be able to critically assess articles on human genetics published in newspapers and non-specialized journals.

This course teaches laboratory techniques and experiments in fundamental aspects of cell biology. It covers scientific inquiry skills such as experimental design, writing research proposals, data collection, data analysis/interpretation, and professional presentation of results. Students use macrophages in cell culture as a model system to study phagocytosis. The macrophages are treated with anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving compounds (Resolvins) to enhance the efficacy of phagocytosis. Prerequisite: BIOL SCI 220.

This course will be part lecture course, part seminar. It will explore how the fields of neurobiology and molecular biology have converged to answer questions about the function of the central nervous system in health and disease, as well as ethical considerations in the use of molecular biology techniques. Topics include: the CrisprCas9 system, gene editing and gene driving; transgenic animals; molecular techniques employed to understand and treat neurological diseases such as Parkinson's Disease and schizophrenia; optogenetics and optical recording techniques; and, stem cells. The teaching method includes lectures based on the primary literature, small group and class discussions, and student presentations of journal articles. Assessment include several exams, participation in small-group and class discussions, and journal club presentations. Prerequisite: BIOL SCI 302 or NEUROSCI 311.

Bioinformatics is an empirical science that harnesses the power of statistics and probability to advance discoveries in the life sciences. Approaches developed by pioneers of this field will be explored in depth to lay a strong conceptual framework. Contemporary approaches by leaders in the field will be layered atop this foundation. Students will develop a conceptual understanding of commonly used computational tools and approaches for sequence alignment, database searches, molecular phylogenetic studies, and protein secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structural and functional predictions, all these being cornerstones for contemporary molecular and structural biological research. In addition to gaining an appreciation for the algorithmic aspects of these tools, and their limitations, students will learn to code in Python, to design and perform experiments, and to critically evaluate results. Prerequisite: BIOL SCI 241, 301, or 308.

Community ecology is the study of species that live together in the same place. This discipline aims to understand how these species arrived, how they are able to survive and coexist, and how they interact with one another. This course focuses on the dynamics, structure, and function of vegetation. Readings, discussions, lectures, and other activities will address how plant communities are organized, how they interact with their biotic and abiotic environments, how they are studied, and how they are influenced by anthropogenic impacts. Course topics include the history and structure of the field, types of species interactions, community assembly, ecological networks, coexistence theory, and trait-based approaches. Finally, the course addresses global change drivers, their effects on plant communities, and the restoration of communities negatively impacted by such change drivers. Prerequisite: BIOL SCI 330 or 339.

This course covers some of the landmark studies and results in quantitative biology. Each module (of which there will be five or six) will end with analysis of a data set acquired from the authors of the studies, with re-analysis and re-plotting of a central result therefrom. En route to this, the course covers the mathematics, physics, and statistics required to produce the plots. The landmark papers include studies in gene regulation, developmental biology, gene sequencing, etc. There will also be aspects of coding, image analysis, random genetic processes, gene expression, cell adaptation, the cell cycle, developmental morphogens, and phylogenomics. Prerequisites: BIOL SCI 215 and 219, and PHYSICS 130-2 or 135-2; or, permission of instructor.

The ability to sense external and internal signals, and to dynamically respond to them, lies at the core of cellular homeostasis, and is one of the most important properties of living matter. In this course, general principles of molecular signaling through which cells capture, process, store, and send information, are presented and discussed. The emphasis of this course is on the design principles, components, and molecular mechanisms that are common to different signaling systems. Modern experimental strategies for studying cellular signaling, as well as the implications of disruption of cell communication pathways in disease, will also be described. Prerequisites: BIOL SCI 215 and 219.

Developmental and molecular biology of tissue regeneration, with regard to regeneration from embryonic or adult stem cells. Discussion of conserved developmental pathways necessary for regeneration. Applications in regenerative medicine. Prerequisites: BIOL_SCI 215-0 and BIOL_SCI 219-0.

Supervision while writing a Senior Thesis. Discussion of students' research. Instructor feedback on thesis drafts. Continued student research. Enrollment limited to Senior Biological Sciences majors hoping to graduate with Program Honors and/or to produce a Senior Thesis. Registration required for all Honors candidates.