This is an advanced topics course with a programming lab designed to introduce students to the principles of complexity theory in the life sciences and to train them in the effective and ethical communication of scientific ideas, data, and models. Students are not required to have any previous mathematical training or programming experience as these skills will be developed from scratch. Students will be introduced to methods including mathematical modeling, scaling analysis, network science, cellular automata, chaos theory, and nonlinear dynamics. Laboratory exercises will focus on learning R, a widely-used and powerful open-source platform for statistical computing. Students will complete projects that explore a topic in complexity science while developing modeling, simulation, and visualization methods to communicate these ideas in novel and effective ways.
This course offers students an overview of insect science with specific emphasis and training in civic engagement and scientific communication. The insects are the most abundant and species-rich animals on the planet and are important for their ecological impacts and interactions with human populations. Topics covered in lecture will include insect anatomy and physiology, sensory systems and behavior, reproduction, development and life histories, systematics and classification, biogeography and evolution, and medical and veterinary entomology. Lab field trips will offer students the opportunity to collect insects to study their behavior and develop curated collections of pinned and identified specimens. To develop the skills necessary for civic engagement, students will prepare insect-themed materials for the general public including keys to local taxa and innovative classroom lesson plans, participate in a number of external activities including collections and tours of local museums and insect collections, and host an insect fair for the community at the end of the semester.
This course is the first-semester course of an introductory survey of the biological sciences for undergraduates majoring in biology. The sequence of material covered moves from lower to higher levels of biological organization, beginning with the cellular and organismic levels and terminating with the population and community levels. General Biology I, serves as an introduction to Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Biochemistry, and Evolution. The course will also cover topics in molecular physiology taken from different animal models. In addition to covering the basic vocabulary of modern molecular biology, the course will focus on critical thinking about experimental science. This will include experimental methodologies, experimental design, and data interpretation. Conventional lecture material will be supplemented with analyses of primary scientific literature. The overall goal of this course is for students to obtain a rigorous scientific foundation that will leave them well prepared for subsequent course work.
This hands-on laboratory course is designed to complement and amplify the themes developed in Biology 103 lectures. The course will emphasize Cell Biology, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Microscopy and other topics. Successful students will also strive to develop their analytical and scientific communication skills.
Covers the basic principles and mechanisms of animal physiology. Emphasis is placed upon nervous systems, sensory mechanisms, endocrine systems, intracellular signaling mechanisms, and muscle contractility. Homeostatic mechanisms and the systems responsible for supply of the internal environment are also discussed. The laboratory consists of experimental procedures of cellular physiology as well as instrument facilitated human and animal physiology investigations.
In these courses, students earn credit for working with faculty on scholarly projects intended to make original contributions to respective disciplines. Students in my research lab receive academic and career mentoring and hands-on training in the scholarly methods of physiological ecology, animal behavior, biomechanics, myrmecology, and natural history. In addition to doing research with the faculty member and other members of our research team, students are also prepared to engage in professional activities relevant to success in our discipline including conducting fieldwork, statistical analysis, developing scientific communication skills, presentations at local and national meetings, training in both lab and field safety, and awareness of the relevant bioethical considerations of our research.