In this course, we will explore the rich natural history of our region, focusing on organisms in their natural habitat and contemplating questions and approaches we might employ to better understand them and the ways in which they live. We will place particular emphasis on developing the habits of close and curious observation and coupling those habits with the skills and methods of scientific hypothesis development, experimental design, and field ecology.

Pathogenic microbes, including viruses, bacteria, and fungi are expert cell biologists. During infection, they "hijack" host cell processes for their own benefit: rewiring signaling and metabolic pathways, inducing dramatic cytoskeletal rearrangements, and suppressing cell death pathways, to name just a few examples. Cellular microbiology is the study of how microbes interact with and manipulate host cell biology at the molecular level.

Smallpox, a disfiguring infection called "one of the most devastating diseases known to humanity" by the World Health Organization, was eradicated from the planet through immunization. Polio paralyzed 350,000 children a year until immunization reduced infection by 99%. Why have we succeeded in immunizing against these pathogens but not HIV or the common cold? Students in this seminar will discuss primary literature in immunology, microbiology, and epidemiology to learn how vaccines outsmart pathogens.

Smallpox, a disfiguring infection called "one of the most devastating diseases known to humanity" by the World Health Organization, was eradicated from the planet through immunization. Polio paralyzed 350,000 children a year until immunization reduced infection by 99%. Why have we succeeded in immunizing against these pathogens but not HIV or the common cold? Students in this seminar will discuss primary literature in immunology, microbiology, and epidemiology to learn how vaccines outsmart pathogens.

This course will focus on biological systems that push the limits of structural and physiological possibility. For example, midges flap their wings at up to 1000 Hz; bar-headed geese migrate over Mount Everest; deep-sea fish withstand pressures near 300 atmospheres; certain frogs can allow their body temperatures to drop below 0 degrees Celsius. Through readings and discussions, we will explore the diverse mechanisms that underlie how organisms reach extreme levels of performance and survive in extreme environments.

This course will focus on the processes and functions of streams and rivers and the basics of aquatic life in flowing water. Lectures will be centered on primary scientific literature and topics relating local hydrology, biogeochemistry, and species and community interactions, within a context of human impacts and climate change. Lab sections will be field- and laboratory-based, including methodologies for sample collection in campus streams, species identification and observation, and water quality assessment.

Pregnancy is a stunning feat of physiology. It is a conversation between two bodies -- parental and fetal -- whose collective action blurs the very boundaries of the individual. In this course we will explore such questions as: what is pregnancy, and how does the ephemeral, essential organ known as the placenta call pregnancy into being? How is pregnancy sustained? How does it end? We will consider the anatomy of reproductive systems and the hormonal language of reproduction.

Are crows self-aware? How do bees vote during collective decision-making? Do dolphins know each other's names? We will engage our collective curiosity as we explore animal cognition and social behaviors. Using peer-reviewed scientific literature as the foundation for our investigations, we will draw inspiration from videos, blogs, and observations of local wild and domestic animals to develop individual and collective projects based on our interests.