General principles of biology focusing on the basic chemistry of life, cell biology, molecular biology, and genetics in all types of living organisms. Particular emphasis will be given to links between the fundamental processes covered and current challenges of humankind in the areas of energy, food, and health. (3 hrs. lec., 3 hrs. lab, 1.5 c.u.) Biology majors and pre-medical students should take either BIOL 101 or 121. BIOL 101 is the companion course to BIOL 102 and should be taken before BIOL 102.

General principles of biology focusing on the basic chemistry of life, cell biology, molecular biology, and genetics in all types of living organisms. Particular emphasis will be given to links between the fundamental processes covered and current challenges of humankind in the areas of energy, food, and health. (3 hrs. lec., 3 hrs. lab, 1.5 c.u.) Biology majors and pre-medical students should take either BIOL 101 or 121. BIOL 101 is the companion course to BIOL 102 and should be taken before BIOL 102.

Students will read and discuss seminal papers on a number of major topics in the ecology of climate change and the long-term consequences of the effects of climate change on ecological systems. Some of the topics include: effects of climate change on species distributions, disruption of plant pollinator systems and the consequences for ecosystem composition and stability, changes in the distribution and epidemiology of insect-borne infectious diseases, and the consequences of sea level rise and the increased intensity and frequency of severe weather events. Other topics may be covered. Grading will be based on participation in discussions, a paper on an approved topic, a presentation on the topic of the student's paper and 1 exam.

Course for graduate students planning research in computational biology and genomics. Assigned readings will cover algorithms and data analysis techniques in computational biology. The course will include presentations and discussion of research problems involving computational analysis and there. Active group participation is required. Topics could include string algorithms, probability theory, multivariate statistics, molecular evolution, Markov Models, phylogenetic trees, and machine learning.

General principles of biology focusing on the basic chemistry of life, cell biology, molecular biology, and genetics in all types of living organisms. Particular emphasis will be given to links between the fundamental processes covered and current challenges of humankind in the areas of energy, food, and health.

The goal of this course is to convey a basic understanding of human genome science and in so doing, to learn of its impact on treatment of human disease and discernment of aspects of human identity. Our current understanding of the structure and function of genes will allow a personalized treatment for many diseases, but just how such advances are applied will involve ethical as well as scientific considerations. We will discuss how the field of genetics has been changed dramatically by the ability to clone and sequence genes, and then to be further transformed by massive sequencing of whole genomes. A major part of the course will be devoted to how these advances have led to understanding and treatment of genetic disease and cancer. We will also discuss the tremendous potential (and dangers) of gene editing advances. Finally, we will explore how genomics has allowed an understanding of deep human history, as well as the ability to decipher one's more immediate ancestry. Readings will be from a number of books written for an informed general audience rather than from a textbook. The seminar should be of interest to those who would like to fulfill their Living World General Education requirement, and particularly also to those who eventually might be interested in taking courses in the Life Sciences but initially would like an introductory seminar-type approach within a focused area.

Introductory computational biology course designed for both biology students and computer science, engineering students. The course will cover fundamentals of algorithms, statistics, and mathematics as applied to biological problems. In particular, emphasis will be given to biological problem modeling and understanding the algorithms and mathematical procedures at the "pencil and paper" level. That is, practical implementation of the algorithms is not taught but principles of the algorithms are covered using small sized examples. Topics to be covered are: genome annotation and string algorithms, pattern search and statistical learning, molecular evolution and phylogenetics, functional genomics and systems level analysis. Prerequisite: College level introductory biology required; undergraduate or graduate level statistics taken previously or concurrently required; molecular biology and/or genetics encouraged; programming experience encouraged

We will use the Area de Conservacion Guanacaste (ACG) in Costa Rica as a living laboratory and case study in how to effectively foster community based environmental stewardship of natural ecosystems. This is an immersion course that broadly covers four major themes including: 1, biodiversity; 2, conservation philosophies and practices; 3, primary ecosystems within the Costa Rican ACG and their major species composition; and 4, fundamentals of field ecology (terrestrial and marine) including the practice and implementation of the scientific method. Students will learn how to develop and conduct research experiments via field-based activities, and will gain familiarity with a diversity of terrestrial and marine organisms including insects, endemic and invasive species of terrestrial flora and megafauna, corals, algae, invertebrates, fish, sea turtles and marine mammals. Additional topics covered will include fundamentals of oceanography, ecological and evolutionary principles as applied to ecosystem structure, function, and biodiversity, and environmental and management challenges of the Costa Rican ACG and tropical ecosystems globally. Application required through Penn Global: https://global.upenn.edu/pennabroad/pgs

This course will focus on the molecular basis of neurological diseases, exploring in detail key papers that cover topics including defining the disease genes, development of animal models that provide mechanistic insight, and seminal findings that reveal molecular understanding. Diseases covered will include neurological diseases of great focus today such as Alzheimer's, Fragile-X and autism, dementia, motor neuron degeneration, and microsatellite repeat expansion disorders. The course will provide a perspective from initial molecular determination through current status. Students will gain an understanding of how the molecular basis of a disease is discovered (from classical genetics to modern genomics) and how such diseases can be modeled in simple genetic systems for mechanistic insight. The course will be comprised of lectures with detailed analysis of primary literature and in-class activities. Grading will be based on class participation, exams, and written papers. Prerequisite: BIOL 251 and BIOL 421 are recommended.