500

This course is required for all M.S. students in the Department of Biology and aims to prepare students with the essentials of doing science, from formulating questions through data analysis and interpretation. We will address the nature of scientific reasoning, principles of research design, elements of scientific data, statistical analyses, and effective presentation of results.

The course covers social behavior from the perspective of evolutionary theory. Topics include sex, aggression, altruism, parent-offspring conflict, and the origin of cooperative societies. Graduate students will write a research intensive review article, using primary literature. Papers should provide a thorough review of a specific sociobiological hypothesis applied to limited taxa. I expect you to cover all up-to-date primary sources that pertain to your topic. The paper should be about 10 pages long. Topics must be approved by the instructor. Graduate students will present their term papers to the class during the final two class periods. Presentations should use PowerPoint and last 15 minutes plus 3-5 minutes for questions.

How animals maintain homeostasis in a non-homeostatic world. After a general introduction to mechanisms of cellular regulation and energetics, discussion will include specific physiological systems (respiratory, cardiovascular, osmoregulatory, etc.) and compare the modes and strategies employed by different animal groups in responding to changes in external environment. Particular attention directed to adaptations to marginal habitats, e.g. marine intertidal, deep sea hydrothermal vents, hot desert.

Reading and discussion of primary literature relating to population and community ecology. Topics include population growth life history patterns, competition, plant-animal interactions, and community organization.

This course is required for all M.S. students in the Department of Biology and aims to prepare graduate students for the various kinds of science communication that they will be engaged in. This includes preparation and submission of scientific manuscripts for publication, review of manuscripts, preparation of grant proposals, and communicating with the public.

This course explores aquatic ecosystems and their physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. With an emphasis on lakes, students will gain a broad understanding of the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems, as well as ecological interactions. This will set the stage for an exploration of the implications of various environmental changes and the impact of human activities on the health of aquatic resources on our planet.

We discuss the current global crisis of the loss of biodiversity. The course is designed to instruct you to the ways in which the principles of genetics, ecology, and evolutionary biology can be used to conserve and protect biological diversity. Topics will include the nature of diversity, extinction and its cause, habitat alteration and fragmentation, effects of exotic species, and social issues. Students will apply the knowledge they gain during the semester to develop a conservation plan that addresses a specific conservation issue.

The focus of the course is on global environmental issues. The issues examined have been making the news during the last year and at the time the course is taught. Changes in climate, overpopulation, pollution, conservation, development, genetically modified organisms, invasive species, illegal species trade, etc. are some of the ongoing issues that are covered in the course. The format of the course invites participation, discussion and critical thinking.

The course will first provide background to the discipline of animal behavior and examine the levels of questioning in this field. The class will discuss the influence of genetics and the environment on behavior (nature vs. nurture). It will magnify its focus to the roots of behavior, the proximate causes of behavior, specifically its neural and hormonal control. The class will examine the cases of bird song, electric fish EODs, shark electroreception, moth hearing and bat echolocation, and then focus on those behaviors that make up the many tasks animals must accomplish to survive and reproduce.

A study of animal development integrating descriptive, experimental, cellular, and molecular studies of gametogenesis, fertilization, cleavage, gastrulation, induction, and maturation. Labs examine development from an historical perspective including: descriptive, experimental and molecular embryology incorporating hypothesis testing through the use of micromanipulation, cell culture and immunohistochemistry. Two lectures, one laboratory.

The course will cover material on traditional drugs used in medicine and discuss the transition to new drugs that have been designed to interact with a specific target. An emphasis will be on understanding the molecular details of drug-target interactions and the mechanism of actions of pharmaceutical drugs. Students will discuss ethical issues relating to medicine and pharmaceuticals. Students will read primary literature and review articles as the primary sources of information in the course.

Study of the life processes and responses of plants, including water relations and transport, photosynthesis and general metabolism, mineral and organic nutrition, photoperiodic responses and rhythms, growth and differentiation, and plant relationships with the environment. Laboratory includes problems and exercises in whole plant physiology as well as at the molecular level. The laboratory stresses methods rather than results. Two lectures, one laboratory.

Consideration of the theoretical framework of evolutionary biology and the mechanisms of evolution. Special topics include microevolution, macroevolution and coevolution.

An in-depth examination of selected areas of biology for interested upper-division students. Topics are determined by faculty and student interests and emphasize methods and recent research developments. Examples of topics currently offered on a rotating basis include: Biomembranes, Molecular Genetics, Cell and Hybridoma Culture, Enzymes, Ethology, Hormone Mechanisms, Bioenergetics, Microbial Genetics, Field Biology, and Advanced Developmental Biology, PCR, DNA Synthesis and Immunology.

An in-depth examination of selected areas of biology for interested upper-division students Topics are determined by faculty and student interests and emphasize methods and recent research developments. Examples of topics currently offered on a rotating basis include: Biomembranes, Molecular Genetics, Cell and Hybridoma Culture, Enzymes, Ethology, Hormone Mechanisms, Bioenergetics, Microbial Genetics, Field Biology, and Advanced Developmental Biology, PCR, DNA Synthesis and Immunology.

Statistical tests frequently used in the biological sciences. Emphasis is placed on understanding what statistics can and cannot do, the meaning of a statistical test, and how to choose an appropriate statistical test. Uses of micro-computer and mainframe statistical packages (SPSS or MINITAB) are also considered.

Consideration of taxonomy, ecology, and physiology of mammals; world fauna examined although emphasis on local species. Field population studies, collection and preservation of specimens, and studies in physiological adaptations of mammals.

Course focuses on recent developments in the rapidly expanding field of developmental biology. With the advent of the tools available to molecular biologists, the course will study recent advances in the genetic understanding of various aspects of embryological development and regeneration. The course will present a variety of topics including: fertilization, gastrulation, maternal effect genes, pattern formation, and evolutionary aspects of development.

The course will first provide a background for the field of animal communication including a discussion of definitions of animal communication. The class will then survey the production, transmission and reception of auditory, visual, and chemical signals. Optimality theory and signal detection theory will be introduced as they apply to animal communication. The class will spend some time on how signals come to be and why they have the design they do (signal evolution), and will investigate signaling in a variety of situations such as between potential mates, other conspecifics, and autocommunication signaling.

The course will cover topics relating to the genetic and biochemical etiology of human disease. Through examination of the primary literature, students will become familiar with the techniques used to study and treat diseases at the molecular level. Specific topics covered include inborn errors in metabolism, cholesterol homeostasis, protein folding diseases, cancer, gene therapy, and stem cell therapy. Students will formulate an independent research proposal based on examination of current literature on a disease of their choosing.

Advances in Genetic Analysis satisfies an graduate elective requirement. You will be challenged to apply what you have learned in your foundational courses such as Genetics, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry to study modern topics in the broad category of genetics. You will read primary and secondary sources and be required to engage in discussion about the readings each week. The goal is not to give you a comprehensive treatment of every topic in genetics, but rather examine a cross section of the approaches that modern molecular biologists use to study current questions in their field.

This course is designed as an introduction to the field of cancer biology research. It will examine the root causes of cancer, both environmental and cellular. Particular emphasis will be placed upon molecular mechanisms that cause cancer. We will also examine cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment and prevention. This course will allow students to integrate knowledge of cellular, molecular and biochemical systems in the study of this disease.

This course aims to examine the molecular mechanisms used in cellular signaling, vital in all aspects of life. We will discuss the concepts that are broadly found in many different signaling pathways, how those common features can be used, and the variety of responses that can be elicited by the activation of a signaling pathway. We will examine several specific pathways, with the aid of current literature to see where research is headed in terms of understanding these complex pathways.

The course will cover the biology of stem cells and their role in organ formation and regeneration. Topics include animal development, cellular reprogramming, tissue-specific stem cells, mechanisms of regeneration, and the most recent therapeutic applications of stem cells. Students will read and discuss primary research articles and write a novel research proposal. Students will therefore develop or refine skills in critically evaluating experimental design, data analysis and interpretation.

Presentation of detailed study of topic of current interest in the biological literature. Attendance and one seminar presentation required for three semesters of all candidates for the master's degree. Students completing thesis research must present their results orally prior to their scheduled thesis defense.