Independent reading or research course. Full course. Does not normally count toward the major.

Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

How to handle overenrollment: null

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Varies by course but includes independent research, independent writing, reading and evaluating primary literature, data analysis, and quantitative reasoning.

This laboratory explores how underlying evolutionary changes in the morphology, physiology or behavior of organisms is associated with ecological interactions within or between species.  By employing artificial selection, students will determine whether genetic variation associated with herbivore defense exists.

Functional morphology is the study of how organisms work. It integrates comparative anatomy and biomechanics in an ecological and evolutionary framework. The course begins with basic principles of evolutionary theory and biomechanics, before turning to the fundamental importance of body size and metabolism in governing nearly all aspects of animal biology. We then focus on how animals feed and move (running, jumping, swimming, climbing, gliding, and flying) using examples of both living and extinct species. Finally, we touch on examples of human innovation inspired by animal morphology.

This course will examine the function of animal tissues, organs, and organ systems, with an emphasis on the relationship between structure and function. Building outward from the level of the cell, we will study bodily processes including muscle contraction, respiration, circulation, digestion and excretion. In addition, the course will address how different organisms regulate these complex processes through a lens of comparative physiology and also examine how ion and fluid balance is maintained.

This course will examine the function of animal tissues, organs, and organ systems, with an emphasis on the relationship between structure and function. Building outward from the level of the cell, we will study bodily processes including muscle contraction, respiration, circulation, digestion and excretion. In addition, the course will address how different organisms regulate these complex processes through a lens of comparative physiology and also examine how ion and fluid balance is maintained.

In this course we will explore genetic analysis as a means of probing the mysteries of the molecular world. Scientists often turn to the study of genes and mutations when trying to decipher the molecular mechanisms that underlie such diverse processes as the making of an embryo, the response of cells to their environment, or the defect in a heritable disease. All of the reading in the course will be from the primary literature, where students will engage with data from genetic experiments that shed light on the workings of a signal transduction pathway.

In this course we will explore genetic analysis as a means of probing the mysteries of the molecular world. Scientists often turn to the study of genes and mutations when trying to decipher the molecular mechanisms that underlie such diverse processes as the making of an embryo, the response of cells to their environment, or the defect in a heritable disease. All of the reading in the course will be from the primary literature, where students will engage with data from genetic experiments that shed light on the workings of a signal transduction pathway.

(Offered as BIOL 214 and NEUR 214) An introduction to the structure and function of the nervous system, this course explores the basic functions of neurons and synapses as well as neural mechanisms of sensation at molecular, cellular, circuit and system levels. Basic topics in neurobiology and neurophysiology will be covered with emphasis on neuroscience history and understanding how neuroscientists approach the study of the nervous system. Three class hours per week.

Requisite: BIOL 191. Limited to 45 students. Spring semester. Professor Roche.

Lab

How to handle overenrollment: Priority by seniority

Lab

How to handle overenrollment: Priority by seniority