Biology

This course is an introduction to environmental issues – the interactions of humanity and industrial civilization with the natural environment of Earth. The course draws on scientific, technological, and social perspectives to examine current and future environmental challenges, including the impacts of human actions on natural ecosystems, natural resources, pollution, and climate change.

Everyone knows someone who has been impacted by cancer. By merely surviving, our bodies are primed with the capacity to develop this disease. This course will explore the ‘war on cancer’ in the context of human history, cell biology, and dramatic storytelling. Laboratory exercises will explore the biological basis of this disease. Not open to students who are enrolled in or who have taken and passed IBC 200 with at least a grade of C- or P.

The human body is an amazing product of 3.5 billion years of evolution. From our cells to our organ systems, our bodies are beautifully designed to thrive on planet Earth. In this course, we will explore the structure and function of various human organ systems including the circulatory system, respiratory system, digestive system, reproductive system, and portions of the endocrine system (kidneys and adrenal glands). Along the way, we will discuss challenges faced by each of these organ systems in this modern age that can result in disease such as air pollution, endocrine disrupting chemicals, overuse of antibiotics, chronic stress, and a highly-processed industrial diet. Students will perform various hands-on laboratory activities that will reinforce how their bodies function and how they can live a healthy life. Not open to students who are enrolled in or who have taken and passed BIO 303 with at least a grade of C- or P.

This course focuses on the following marine habitats: fouling communities, rocky intertidal, deep sea, coral reefs, and open oceans.  You will learn the abiotic factors that define each habitat (e.g. light, temperature, nutrients), which species live in each habitat, and how these species interact with each other and with humans.  The coral reef and open ocean habitats in particular are under threat from global warming, overfishing, and pollution.  We will learn about these challenges, as well as solutions.  

Have you ever wondered about DNA and how slight alterations to the genetic code have produced the amazing variety of life forms that inhabit our planet? This class will explore exciting topics in both genetics and evolutionary biology, some of which include: the genetics of cancer, reproduction and inheritance, epigenetics, GMOs, DNA forensics, antibiotic resistance, evolution of the “fat gene,” and how to build evolutionary trees. Students will explore these topics through lectures, case study work, and hands-on laboratory exercises. Not open to students who are enrolled in or who have taken and passed IBC 200 with at least a grade of C- or P.

This course explores the anatomical form and function of representatives from major animal phyla. Students will first learn about evolutionary processes that have generated the tremendous variety of form and function present in the animal kingdom. They will then learn about different lines of evidence that support the theory of common descent and examine how major lineages within the animal kingdom were created from key morphological innovations. Students will then take a tour of the major animal phyla. Students will explore these topics through lectures and hands-on laboratory activities that include live animal observations, dissections, field trips, and case studies. Not open to students who are enrolled in or who have taken and passed BIO 306 with at least a grade of C- or P.

This course is designed as an introductory biology course that will provide foundational knowledge for upper division Life Sciences electives such as Evolution, Evolutionary Genetics PBL, Zoology, Human Physiology, and Marine Ecophysiology PBL). This course is also designed for those students who are interested in science courses offered in Environmental Studies. This course, combined with the biology portions of IBC 200 (Integrated Biology and Chemistry), is equivalent to the material in a year-long Introductory Biology sequence.
This course focuses on the five fundamental characteristics of life:
1. All living things evolve
2. All living things are made of cells
3. All living things reproduce/replicate themselves
4. All living things process information, either information encoded in their genes or information from their environment
5. All living things acquire, use, store, and transport energy

This course is an introduction to statistics, a field which involves the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of continuous or categorical data. This course will focus specifically on biological and chemical examples and datasets.

This course will take an in-depth analysis of prokaryotic and eukaryotic genetics at the level of molecular, cellular, organismal, and population genetics. Data analysis will rely on a quantitative approach. An integrated laboratory project will utilize basic genetic techniques.

Bioinformatics is the use of computer databases and algorithms to analyze biological data. This course will apply bioinformatics to the field of genomics: the study of the protein, mRNA, and DNA sequences that comprise an organism’s genome. Topics will include sequence databases, pairwise and multiple sequence alignments, genome browsers, genome assembly and annotation, molecular evolution, phylogenetic analysis, and population genetics. The computer-based laboratory component will provide students with training in several command-line and web-based bioinformatics tools.

This course will explore the fascinating workings of the human body in both form and function. We will examine the major organ systems including nervous, muscular, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, renal, and reproductive systems, and understand how they work together to maintain homeostasis. Students will also examine metabolism and energy balance within the human body. This course will use a combination of pre-recorded lectures, class discussions, interactive polling, laboratory activities (in-person labs and lab simulations), and case studies to enhance mastery of course material. This course will be useful for those who are planning on pursuing a career in health sciences.

Prevents co- or later enrollment in BIO 120.

Theodosius Dobzhansky famously said, “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.”  Evolution is genetic change over time, and as genes change, so does the organism.  This course will explore microevolution, which is evolution at the population level, and macroevolution, which is evolution at the species level and higher.  An example microevolutionary question is: Why does a male peacock have such a large tail when it makes him more vulnerable to predation?  An example macroevolutionary question is: Why do some modern humans have gene variants that originated in Neanderthals?

This course will enable students to describe cellular contents in terms of membranes, organelles, and intracellular trafficking; recognize amino acids, their modifications, and the implications on protein structure and function; describe cellular biochemistry including basic enzyme kinetics, glycolysis, TCA cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, photosynthesis, fermentation, and alternative pathways; manipulate signaling pathways from extracellular or intracellular stimuli to generate a cellular response; describe how cells divide and die, specifically in terms of protein regulation of these pathways; and apply all these normal cellular processes to neurobiology and its pathology. A laboratory component will practice basic tissue culture techniques by imaging cellular proteins under different signaling conditions.

This course will explore the evolution, physiology, behavior, and ecology of major phyla within Kingdom Animalia as well as the phylogenetic relationships between animal taxa. We will learn how natural selection and genetic drift have made modest changes to the “operating instructions” of the animal genetic toolbox that have resulted in major variations to body form. We will examine how key morphological innovations define major branches on the animal tree of life and we will determine how representatives from each branch sense their environment, exchange gases, acquire nutrition, excrete wastes, reproduce, and move about. Students will explore these topics through lectures and group activities that include dissections, live animal observations, field trips, and group projects.

Are you fascinated by the incredible way the tiniest organisms (microorganisms) can impact our lives? They are small but mighty impacting health (human and animals), environment, food, energy, water, and industries. This course begins with an overview of microbial groups, their physiology, growth, metabolism, and genetics. We will learn how these concepts enable microbes to cause disease and how they can be controlled. The understanding of how microbes feed, grow, utilize nutrients, acquire and alter their genes, and the ability to function effectively as pathogens will provide the foundation in microbiology for the subsequent study of infectious diseases, their use in sustaining the environment, food production, and safety and the synthesis of various useful products. The laboratory sessions will equip students with basic technical skills required for growing, identifying, and studying antibiotic sensitivity of microorganisms using cultural, microscopic, biochemical, and molecular methods.

This course is a lecture- and laboratory-based introduction to human anatomy featuring a strong clinical perspective. Students learn anatomical structures and functions from drawings, images, virtual learning tools, 3D models, physical exam techniques, medical imaging (e.g., x-ray, ultrasound, CT, MRI, and PET), and images/video of clinical interventions (e.g., open surgeries, laparoscopy, bronchoscopy, endoscopy, cystoscopy, hysteroscopy, and colonoscopy). The course covers the musculoskeletal system, thorax, abdomen, pelvis, head, neck, brain, and spinal cord, and explores topics that facilitate understanding of anatomical structures and functions in healthy and diseased or injured states.  Throughout the course, students also engage in discussions on what makes someone human beyond the structures and functions of their human body. 

Have you ever wondered how scientists determine the three-dimensional structure of nucleic acids and proteins? Or what can be gleaned about the function of a macromolecule from its structure? Focusing on nucleic acids and proteins, this course includes an introduction to structural bioinformatics, methods of macromolecular structure determination by diffraction and spectroscopic techniques, and the visualization and representation of biomolecules. Representative biomolecules provide the framework for the discussion of such concepts as motifs, domains, folds, conformation, molecular assembly, dynamics and recognition, as well as for addressing how specific biological questions are answered at the atomic level.

Every second of the day, the human body encounters a myriad of non-self agents that could hamper human health, however, the body is able to fight and maintain its integrity through a collection of cells, tissues and organs called the immune system.  The course will explore the immunologic sites on the human body and elucidate the mechanisms underlying the immune system’s recognition and eradication of invading pathogens. It will also shed light on the ways in which pathogens have evolved strategies to evade destruction, which has sometimes resulted in misperceptions that the immune system is not functioning effectively. The course will provide insight into how allergies and autoimmune disorders can arise from the immune system as a result of mistakenly attacking self-cells. Furthermore, students will gain an understanding of the critical role of vaccines in boosting the immune system’s ability to combat invading pathogens.

The objectives of this course are to introduce students to the theories and empirical research currently addressing the neuronal basis of human behavior. This combination lecture/seminar-based course, including bioinformatics research projects, will provide introductions to the basic concepts of brain neuroanatomy and biochemistry, molecular neurogenetics, evolutionary psychology, and human genomics, with readings and discussions from selected books, reviews and research articles. Emphasis will be placed on how disruptions of typical brain function, resulting in disorders such as autism, Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, and depression, can reveal how the brain mediates our most fundamental experiences.

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.

Students will study the symbiotic relationship of the aggregating anemone, A. elegantissima and its zooxanthellae symbionts in the genus Breviolum. Students will design controlled experiments to elucidate how a chosen environmental variable can affect this delicate symbiosis, altering cellular and/or physiological characteristics in the symbiont and/or host. Students will measure multiple dependent variables in the symbionts and/or hosts (anemones). Students will learn laboratory skills associated with cellular and physiological research techniques associated with quantifying symbiont and host characteristics including differential centrifugation, microscopy, flow cytometry, spectrophotometry, colorimetric protein assays, fluorometry, etc. Students will also learn seawater aquaria maintenance, anemone husbandry, experimental design, how to keep a scientific lab notebook, statistical data analysis, and how to write like a scientist. This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement. 

This project-based, laboratory-intensive course will focus on primary literature, experimental design and techniques, data collection and analysis, and science communication in the context of cell biology. Students will do a structured, skills-building experiment to examine cell signaling using tissue culture techniques and then design their own novel experiment to understand subcellular localization or protein-protein interactions inside a cell.

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.

Using techniques relevant to evolutionary genetics, this laboratory-intensive course will focus on primary literature, experimental design, data collection and analysis, and science communication.  In this course you will gain research experience in the field, in the laboratory, and in silico.  We will start by collecting marine invertebrates at local marinas, then extract DNA from tissue, amplify genes using PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), visualize the PCR products using agarose gel electrophoresis, sequence the genes, edit and align the sequences, and finally analyze the sequences.  First, we will determine the population structure of the species using population genetics software.  Population structure is driven by the combined effects of the processes that disrupt Hardy Weinberg equilibrium: genetic drift, gene flow, non-random mating, mutation, and natural selection.  Next, we will build phylogenetic trees and haplotype networks to visualize the relationships between the individuals of these species.

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.

This interdisciplinary course will focus on the molecular biology of cancer and the underlying chemistry of cell biology. Students will learn how proteins are encoded and the impact of genomic instability on protein structure and function; alterations of normal metabolism in cancer cells; and basic pathways of cell division and death. Complementary chemistry topics include chemical structure and bonding, biological polymerization, thermodynamics, enzyme kinetics, and redox reactions. Laboratory research will use model systems to understand cancer biology. Prevents co- or later enrollment in BIO 115 and BIO 130.

The objectives of this course are to introduce students to the theories and empirical research currently addressing the neuronal basis of human behavior. This combination lecture/seminar-based course, including bioinformatics research projects, will provide introductions to the basic concepts of brain neuroanatomy and biochemistry, molecular neurogenetics, evolutionary psychology, and human genomics, with readings and discussions from selected books, reviews and research articles. Emphasis will be placed on how disruptions of typical brain function, resulting in disorders such as autism, Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, and depression, can reveal how the brain mediates our most fundamental experiences.

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.