Genetics is traditionally the study of heredity - the passing of traits from parent to offspring. We have come to know that much of heredity is based on the information encoded in our genes. However, increasing evidence supports the notion that external factors can significantly influence this passing of traits. We will investigate many "traditional" areas of genetics, ranging from basic topics such as DNA structure and Mendelian inheritance to more advanced topics such as regulation of gene expression.

This course will examine the structures and processes that contribute to the inner-workings of our cells. Cells are mind-blowing, efficient little machines capable of extraordinary feats. Pairing seminar sections, lab projects, and working groups, students will explore what we know about cells, push into figuring out what we don't know, and begin to educate others. Together we will create an interactive textbook highlighting the amazing capabilities of cells.

2009 was the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's "The Origin of Species." The concept of biological evolution pre-dates Darwin. However, when Darwin presented a provocative mechanism by which evolution works (i.e., natural selection), he catapulted an idea to the forefront of biology that has precipitated 150 years of research into the nature and origin of organic diversity. This course will serve as an introduction to the science of evolutionary biology.

Are we what we eat? We eat foods for social and cultural reasons, and we eat foods because they contain nutrients that fuel our cells and allow us to function -- grow, think, and live. The quest for food is a major evolutionary theme and continues to profoundly shape ecological, social, and human biological systems.

The beginning of a three-semester sequence in Physics, this course will concentrate mainly on mechanics with applications to astronomy. Topics will include kinematics and dynamics in one and two dimensions, planetary motion, conservation of energy and momentum, rigid bodies and rotation, and relativity. The course is calculus based and makes heavy use of computer modeling to develop realistic examples. It is highly recommended that students take calculus in the same semester that they begin this course. Weekly laboratory/field work is required. The labs are grouped into three major projects.

In this course we will learn the fundamental chemical concepts of composition and stoichiometry, properties of matter, the gas laws, atomic structure, bonding and molecular structure, chemical reactions, and energy changes in chemical reactions. Considerable time will be devoted to learning the use of the periodic table as a way of predicting the chemical properties of elements. We will also emphasize application of those chemical principles to environmental, biological, industrial and day-to-day life situations.

The structures and systems of the Hampshire campus have both obvious and subtle effects on our lives as individuals and as a community. In addition, their design, construction, functioning, maintenance and eventual disposal have long-term effects on the environment and the local and global ecology. We will use these systems to examine a number of ways in which technological decisions can be evaluated in a larger context, and, in so doing, develop tools for evaluating proposals for "greening" our campus.

This course looks at agriculture as a set of ecological systems and issues. It refers to ecology in both the sense of interactions between organisms (e.g., crops, pests, and predators) and their environment, and in the larger-scale sense of environmental impacts and related social and political issues. A broad range of topics will be covered, including pesticides and alternatives, soil fertility and erosion, the role of animals, genetically modified crops, biofuels, global vs. local trade and more.

This course is part of an integrated science learning experience combining water resources, mathematical modeling and energy using the new Hampshire College Kern Center, built to the Living Building Challenge Standard, as a case study. Students will meet twice a week to explore the science behind the systems of the living building in their specific discipline. Once a week all three classes (NS132, NS140 and NS143) will meet together to complete interdisciplinary projects, share expertise, and form a collaborative science learning community.

This course is part of an integrated science learning experience combining water resources, mathematical modeling and energy using the new Hampshire College Kern Center, built to the Living Building Challenge Standard, as a case study. Students will meet twice a week to explore the science behind the systems of the living building in their specific discipline. Once a week all three classes (NS132, NS140 and NS143) will meet together to complete interdisciplinary projects, share expertise, and form a collaborative science learning community.