This course is a rigorous introduction to the study of protein molecules and their role as catalysts of the cell. Topics include general principles of protein folding, protein structure-function correlation, enzyme kinetics and mechanism, carbohydrate and lipid biochemistry, and metabolic pathways (catabolic and anabolic) and their interaction and cross-regulation. Biological transformation of energy is considered in light of the principle of thermodynamics.

An examination of the major ideas of biochemistry from the point of view of the chemical sciences rather than the life sciences. The focus will be on structure and reactivity of important biomolecules and the role of energetics and reaction dynamics in biochemical processes. Major metabolic pathways are covered, including those of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids.

Chemists have always been interested in understanding patterns in their data. The scientific method uses observations to create theories and models to understand physical phenomena. Data science algorithms allow us to find unexpected patterns in chemical data. New chemical theories can be developed using a combination of data from either experiment or simulation, algorithms and physical insight. This class uses the case method providing three challenge problems to find hidden chemical rules from large chemical data sets through algorithms and physical insight.

Food Chemistry is an integrated lecture/lab course that focuses on the molecular bases of chemical phenomena that dictate the behavior of foods. We will examine topics such as trans fats, baking soda as a leavening agent in baking, the chemical basis for ripening of fruit, pectin as a cellular glue, artificial sweeteners, GMOs, and enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning of foods. The emphasis is on the major food components (water, lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates) and their behavior under various conditions.

This course examines the plant life in the woods and fields around us, the exotic plants in our greenhouses, and the plants we depend on for food. We will study plants living in surprising circumstances, settling into winter, escaping from gardens, reclaiming farmland, cooperating with fungi and insects, and fighting for their lives. We will find that plants challenge some conventional, animal-based assumptions about what matters to living things. In labs, students will seek to answer questions about how plants grow in nature, by studying plant structure and function, ecology, and evolution.

This 8-credit course serves as a gateway to both the biology and chemistry core curricula. The course introduces and develops fundamental concepts in chemistry while also exploring the diverse range of strategies adopted by living systems to survive in different environments. This course prepares students for further study in chemistry (Chemistry 201) and/or biology (Biology 200). Students must register for both Biology 160 and Chemistry 160 as well as a single lab section (listed under Chemistry 160L).