An introduction to the molecular and cellular processes common to life with an emphasis on control of energy and information flow.  Central themes include metabolism, macromolecular function, and the genetic basis of cellular function.  We examine how membranes work to establish the internal composition of cells, how the structure of proteins including enzymes affects protein function, how energy is captured, stored and utilized by cells, and how cells communicate, move and divide.  We explore inheritance patterns and underlying molecular mechanisms of genetics, the central d

It is perhaps impossible to experience a day without plants.  From the air we breathe, the bed we sleep in, the soap we wash with and clothes we put on, to the foods we consume and the medicines we take, we are very much dependent upon plants and their products.  Through a combination of lecture, discussion, and observation, we will explore how, why, and when plants became vital to people and their societies.

Fall and spring semesters.

(Offered as BIOL 404 and BCBP 404) The topic of this advanced seminar will be cholesterol.  It has been said that more Nobel prizes have been awarded for the study of cholesterol than any other biological topic, yet it is astonishing how much we have learned only in the last few years, and how much we still don't understand.  The topics in this course will include biosynthesis, transport, regulation, physiology, and biophysics of cholesterol.  In many cases, these subjects illuminate or are illuminated by cholesterol-related diseases, so the biochemical bases for high ch