This class is an advanced "choose your own adventure" to explore the visual tools in biological research. We will learn as a group about microscopes, analyzing microscopy data, creating digital models, 3D printing, and other cutting-edge methods to visualize biological data. Students will choose an ongoing independent project and participate in research group sessions to share results and work through challenges. This course is recommended for Division II or III students who would like to use visual techniques in their projects, but there are also exciting group projects to join.

Last semester we began. This semester we will explore organic structure, reactivity, and spectroscopy, by examining aromatic molecules, carbonyl compounds, nitrogen-containing compounds, pericyclic reactions, and organometallic chemistry. The emphasis will be on mechanism and synthesis, along with relevance of the chemistry to biology, medicine, society, and environment. By the end of the semester you will have a solid intuitive sense of how organic molecules react and how to manipulate them in the lab.

A first course of college physics with labs for scientists and engineers (and for serious philosophers), this class takes quantum mechanics as its content. Using two-state systems including electron spin and photon polarization, we develop the actual quantum theory in its matrix mechanics form. That theory underlies our current understanding of atoms, particles, and virtually all physical processes. It is fundamental to the modern physics behind nuclear applications, electronic devices and lasers.

In this laboratory-based course students will develop some of the skills necessary to conduct a meaningful microbiology research project from start to finish. Students will gain hands-on experience with environmental microbiological techniques and the bioinformatics tools required to analyze and interpret the resulting data. In the process, students will discover a vast microbial community and previously unknown phenotypes.

This course will be an introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics, with examples drawn from the fields of ecology, agriculture, public health, and clinical medicine. The approach will mainly be applied and hands-on; students will complete a workbook of statistical problems, collect and analyze data as a class, design and carry out small individual projects, do weekly problem sets plus revisions, and read and interpret data from the literature. We will learn to use common computer packages for statistical analysis: Excel and Minitab.

Calculus provides the language and some powerful tools for the study of change. As such, it is an essential subject for those interested in growth and decay processes, motion, and the determination of functional relationships in general. Using student-selected models from primary literature, we will investigate dynamical systems from economics, ecology, epidemiology and physics. Computers are essential tools in the exploration of such processes and will be integral to the course. No previous programming experience is required.

Water covers 71% of the earth and is crucial for our existence. In this course we will study the processes by which water moves through the landscape and atmosphere with a focus on freshwater resources. Areas of focus will include hydrologic cycle/water budgets, groundwater hydrology, issues associated with water quality, quantity and availability, and the use of natural systems to treat contaminated water. Students will explore the primary literature, complete lab exercises, visit local field sites, and work in teams to collect field data and complete projects.

This course examines major events and controversies in public health, historical and contemporary, and serves as an introduction to the closely related field of epidemiology. Emphasis will be placed on the biology of disease as well as social, political and environmental factors that contribute to health disparities. Readings for the class will be drawn from the primary and secondary scientific literature as well as the lay media.

This course will cover physiology of organ systems within animal phyla with special emphasis on physiological adaptations of organisms to their environment. Topics will include osmoregulation, temperature regulation and neural, cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, digestive and endocrine function. One focus will be on cellular and molecular mechanisms common across systems and phyla. We'll also examine unique adaptations to extreme environments. Knowledge of basic biology and chemistry is not required but is recommended.

This course focuses on skills rather than content. The skills emphasized are the essential ones you need to work in any area in which a quantitative background is required.