This 8-credit course serves as a gateway to both the biology and chemistry core curricula. The course introduces and develops fundamental concepts in chemistry while also exploring the diverse range of strategies adopted by living systems to survive in different environments. This course prepares students for further study in chemistry (Chemistry 201) and/or biology (Biology 200). Students must register for both Biology 160 and Chemistry 160 as well as a single lab section (listed under Chemistry 160L).

In this student-centered project-based course, students will design their own animal behavior investigation and prepare a web-based presentation, teaching module, or manuscript. At the end of the course, students will improve their understanding of basic concepts in behavioral biology and develop a deep understanding of the scientific literature in their area of inquiry. We will work on skills that promote supportive research environments, and explore inclusive approaches to science communication.

The aim of this course is to understand the fundamental unit of life--the cell--at the molecular level. We will consider the assembly and structure of cellular membranes, proteins, organelles, and the cytoskeleton, as well as their roles in cellular processes including the capture and transformation of energy, catalysis, protein sorting, motility, signal transduction, and cell-cell communication. Emphasis will be placed upon the diversity of cellular form and function and the cell biological basis for disease.

We will study the structure, function and evolution of the diversity of structures that allow vertebrates, including humans, to perform basic functions. We will connect these functions with day-to-day challenges for vertebrates, and we will discuss functional disruption such as disease and trauma. Students are expected to work in groups, as well as view most lectures before class. Class time will be used for active discussion and occasional guest lectures. During lab time, we will dissect many vertebrates and comfort with working with preserved and often smellly specimens is a must.