Introductory probability theory. Principles of statistical methods. Problems of estimation and hypothesis testing in biology and related areas.

Advanced version of BIOL 140: Humans and the Environment. Additional readings and course work as directed. Permission of instructor required to enroll.

The goal of this course is to develop a deeper understanding of techniques and concepts used in Computational Biology. The course will strive to focus on a small set of approaches to gain both theoretical and practical understanding of the methods. We will aim to cover practical issues such as programming and the use of programs, as well as theoretical issues such as algorithm design, statistical data analysis, theory of algorithms and statistics. This course WILL NOT provide a broad survey of the field nor teach specific tools but focus on a deep understanding of a small set of topics. We will discuss string algorithms, hidden markov models, dimension reduction, and machine learning (or phylogeny estimation) for biomedical problems. Prerequisite: Probability theory and linear algebra are higly recommended.

Intensive laboratory class where open-ended, interesting biological problems are explored using modern lab techniques. Topics may include protein structure/function studies; genetic screens, genomics and gene expression studies; proteomics and protein purification techniques; and molecular cloning and DNA manipulation. The course emphasizes developing scientific communication and independent research skills. Course topics reflect the interests of individual Biology faculty members. This course is recommended for students considering independent research.

This course will focus on the molecular mechanisms by which fundamental cellular processes are disrupted in the development of cancer.

Early development of microbiology, pathology, and immunobiology; molecular and cellular bases of immune phenomena including: immunity to pathogens, immune diseases, autoimmunity, and hypersensitivity. This course is open to students in the College of Liberal and Professional Studies only.

This interactive course is intended for a small group of students aspiring to pursue research in microbiology, preferably using prokaryotes. Students will study selected papers and will attend the Prokaryotic Microbiology Seminars on Fridays. Specific problems of importance to a given field at a particular time will be critically analyzed and discussed: How were cutting edge techniques of the time used to address these problems? How would the same problems be approached using current techniques? The emphasis of the course will be on learning to become a thoughtful experimentalist rather than acquiring the hottest emerging knowledge. Prerequisite: BIOL 375 is recommended but not required.

This course focuses on teaching students the Pennsylvania flora, both native and naturalized. Through weekly field trips, students will gain an appreciation for the diversity of plant species and plant communities in PA, and observe and discuss ecological and historical forces that influence plant species occurrences and plant communities. The ability to quickly and accurately identify plants in the field, through both sight identification and the use of a dichotomous key, is the major thrust of this course. Students will also learn how to appropriately collect plant materials for further study/identification in the laboratory and for archiving in an herbarium collection.

An introduction to marine biology and oceanography. Topics will include chemical and physical oceanography, a survey of form, function and phylogeny of algae, invertebrates and vertebrates, and an examination of ecological and evolutionary principles as applied to marine organisms and ecosystems.

This course is designed to introduce the undergraduate student to the structure of tissues at the cellular level and to the way in which those tissues are assembled into organs. This knowledge of structure will be the basis for discussion of tissue and organ function. This course is open to students in the College of Liberal and Professional Studies only.