Natural Sciences 191CNS95 - FYS- This Class is Going Viral

There are more than 200, 000 species of viruses that are unknown to us. How often do you come down with a nasty cold? What causes viruses to wreak havoc in an organism that is many orders of magnitude bigger than itself? Are viruses alive? Are viruses good or bad? This seminar will explore what viruses are and how they play an important role in human health (good/bad). We will address these questions and discuss how viruses are grown and studied in the lab. Additionally, the course will include visits to some labs at UMass that do exciting virus research.

Open to Natural Sciences Freshman with a declared major or on the Natural Sciences Exploratory Track.