Biology (BIOL)

This course will provide training in biological laboratory techniques. This will include basic laboratory protocols, safety, record keeping, proper use of equipment, and fundamental techniques common to many sub-specializations.

This course will cover topics related to animal viruses including the life cycles of major viral classes, viral pathogenesis, emergence, and control. Recent advances in these areas will be discussed in conjunction with readings from the original literature.

Molecules of biological significance; reaction thermodynamics and kinetics; metabolism; cellular localization of biochemical function; proteins; nucleic acids; transcription; translation.

Properties of pathogenic bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites and their mechanisms of pathogenesis with a focus on organisms that cause human disease, including current trends in infectious disease. Credits cannot be granted for both BIOL 510 and BIOL 410.

A rigorous, research‑oriented analysis of protein structure, enzyme mechanism, and biochemical regulation, emphasizing quantitative model development and critical evaluation of experimental evidence. Topics include protein structure determination, transition‑state theory, advanced enzyme kinetics and inhibition, allosteric regulation, binding energetics and specificity, protein stability and folding landscapes, and strategies for mechanistic inference. Students critically assess primary literature, defend competing mechanistic models, and design experiments to test biochemical hypotheses. The course integrates evolutionary perspectives, including gene duplication, divergence, and regulatory adaptation, to evaluate how biochemical mechanisms and control strategies emerge and are reshaped across biological systems.

A survey of topics including structure of nucleic acids, translation, transcription, replication, organization of DNA, RNA processing, genomics, and control of gene expression.

Independent study in the research laboratory of a faculty member.

The study of genetic variation in natural populations is the foundation for modern evolutionary biology. Population genetics covers both the theoretical study of the effects of various forces on genetic diversity and the empirical analysis of genetic variation observed in real populations. Throughout the course, students' understanding of population genetics theory will be reinforced with examples of applications. Topics will include genetic drift, genealogical approaches and coalescence, structured populations and migration mutation and natural selection.

This course covers the cellular and molecular processes involved in generating an embryo, in creating various tissues and organs, and the effect of external stimuli on development. Topics include: genome structure, gene expression and regulation, cell cycle control, pattern formation, signal transduction, gametogenesis, organogenesis, and methods used in studying developmental biology. In addition to studies of model organisms, examples relevant to human diseases are covered.

Basic concepts of immunology, immunochemistry, both biological and molecular.

This course is designed to provide the students with comprehensive knowledge about how the human body functions. It will cover cell physiology, autonomic nervous system, neurophysiology, acid base physiology, cardiovascular physiology, respiratory physiology, renal physiology, gastrointestinal physiology, endocrine physiology, and reproductive physiology. Credits cannot be earned to both BIOL 430 and BIOL 530.

This course covers a number of essential techniques in cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, and structural biology with emphases on both the methodologies and the experimental details. Laboratory procedures include cell culture skills and relevant laboratory procedures. This course is arranged modules from which students choose according to their areas of specialization.

This 3-credit graduate course will focus on the neurological mechanisms related to nervous system diseases in human. In the first half of the semester, the students will learn nerve cell structures, cell-cell communication, neural signaling transmission, and to some extent, higher-order cognitive brain functions. In the second half of the semester, the students will discuss the scientific basis underlying the symptoms of common neurological diseases, and present papers from clinical researches for up-to-date treatment for human neurological diseases.

Advanced Microbiology (Biol 542) is a lecture course designed to review concepts of contemporary microbiology and the diversity of the microbial world with an emphasis on the biochemical and molecular strategies used to survive in different environments. The course will cover diverse microbiological topics such as metabolism, growth, production of foods, agriculture, biotechnology, fuel production, bioremediation, environment, etc.

This course provides hands-on experience on the main techniques used in microbiology and immunology. The course allows graduate and undergraduate students to acquire the necessary experience to continue their careers in academy or in industry. Focus on implementing aseptic technique, identification of microorganisms by several methods and Biotechnology procedures such as bacterial genome editing and yeast fermentation. Antibody properties will be explored and exploited, including antigen-antibody reaction, immunodetection of microorganisms, co-immunoprecipitation of proteins and ELISA. Properties of immune cells will be studied, such as phagocytosis and macrophage migration.

This is a graduate-level cell biology course. The course contains two parts: initial lectures cover cellular structure and function emphasizing the molecular components, organelles, and regulation of cellular processes; the second part covers special topics emphasizing experimental approaches and molecular mechanisms of cellular regulation.

This course is a continuation of BIOL 544 and focuses on recent advances in the area of cell biology. The course covers, in depth, eukaryotic cellular processes, structure-function relationships, and cellular signaling networks in response to physiological and pathological stimuli. The course will also cover frontier topics in the area of cell biology. Emphasis will be on experimental approaches. Instructor permission required.

This course is tailored for life science graduates having little to no prior knowledge of Unix/Linux-like operating systems. Topics covered will include Linux/UNIX-like operating systems, the Bash shell, Perl programming, collecting and storing sequences in the lab, multiple sequence alignments, database searching for similar sequences, gene prediction, genome analysis, and phylogenetic prediction.

Macromolecular crystallographic methods, including crystallization, data processing, phasing, and structure refinement, multi-dimensional NMR techniques, spectroscopic techniques, structural comparisons and characterizations, fiber diffraction, and solution scattering. Instructor permission required.

This course is designed to give students a foundation in advanced theoretical and applied methods in modern molecular research. It will emphasize both established and novel approaches to solving problems of functional and comparative genomics, and systems biology. It will also focus on applications of advanced molecular techniques in areas of significant economic and biomedical importance.

In this course, students will be provided with the opportunity to perform a research project that is the culmination of their Master's education. This course involves the research and preparation of a group project. Students will develop a formal work reflecting integration of the scientific knowledge and technical skills learned in the Master's programs through a project chosen by the group. The course will explore online collaboration tools to allow participation of online students. Each group will present its Capstone project at the end of the class. Instructor consent is required.

Instructor permission required.

Instructor permission required.

Lectures by invited scientists in areas of biology generally not covered in the department.

Special problems in biology. Instructor permission required.

Research and Thesis for Ph. D. students.