This course focuses on advanced ecological theory applied to conservation. Class will combine lectures and discussions of primary scientific literature. Labs will include field trips to collect observational and experimental data and indoor exercises to explore the concepts of rarity, coexistence, and population viability with mathematical models. A community-based learning aspect is possible for the final project in this class.

We will study the electrical and chemical signals underlying the generation of the nerve impulse and synaptic transmission. We will then explore neuronal circuits underlying learning and memory, movement, and sensory perception.

This course will offer an introduction to the science in forensic investigations. We will explore several methods and instruments often used in CSI programs, such as mass spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy and DNA analysis, which are very valuable in evaluating crime scene evidence. We will explore the validity of scientific findings and the political implications of the use and availability of the data. Students will have a chance to be expert witnesses and be in the lab evaluating evidence.

This course provides background in basic principles of physical, analytical, and inorganic chemistry essential to the study of all chemical phenomena. Topics include elementary principles of molecular electronic structure, quantitative treatment of chemical equilibrium with applications to solubility, acid-base, and electron transfer reactions, introduction to chemical kinetics and thermodynamics, and the chemistry of coordination compounds.