BIOL310 - ADVANCED CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
Course Instructor: Dr. Christopher Arnold
Course format: 3 Credit Lecture Course, 3 meetings per week
Course Description: This biology elective will build on concepts and models from your intermediate cellular and molecular biology courses to deepen your understanding of how these processes function. To achieve this, we will expand our knowledge on these topics, analyze primary data to show how this knowledge is gained, and apply our skills to predict outcomes under different conditions. We will practice a cycle of lecture and reading → testing knowledge with problem sets → building insight through in-class data analysis → and assessing understanding in exams. In simple terms, we are moving from memorizing biological facts to comprehending and applying the principles of cell and molecular biology.
Learning Objectives:
BIOL323L - Advanced Inquiry Lab
Course Instructor: Dr. Christopher Arnold
Course format: 2 Credit Graded Lab, 1 meeting per week
Course Description: In this course, students will learn fundamental principles of stem cell and regeneration biology while gaining a better understanding of how this basic knowledge fuels innovations in regenerative medicine. These concepts will be taught through a hands-on learning experience using planaria, a simple and powerful research model for stem cell and regeneration studies. After gaining the requisite knowledge and skills, students will conduct primary research to identify novel roles for genes in stem cells and regeneration and present their findings. This course offers a unique educational opportunity that combines active learning with engagement in authentic stem cell and regeneration biology research. The course is tailored for students with little or no prior research experience and is designed to provide the necessary support to navigate the research process.
Learning Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this class, students will be able to:
· Explain the fundamental principles of stem and regeneration biology
· Apply this stem cell and regeneration knowledge in designing relevant and feasible experiments
· Perform biological experiments and effectively document methods and results
· Analyze, interpret, and communicate the results of stem cell and regeneration experiments
· Design and implement a primary stem cell and regeneration research project
· Present and discuss experimental rationale, approach, results, and conclusions to professional and lay audiences
Course Instructor: Dr. Christopher Arnold
Course format: 3 Credit Lecture Course, 3 meetings per week
Course Description: This biology elective will build on concepts and models from your intermediate cellular and molecular biology courses to deepen your understanding of how these processes function. To achieve this, we will expand our knowledge on these topics, analyze primary data to show how this knowledge is gained, and apply our skills to predict outcomes under different conditions. We will practice a cycle of lecture and reading → testing knowledge with problem sets → building insight through in-class data analysis → and assessing understanding in exams. In simple terms, we are moving from memorizing biological facts to comprehending and applying the principles of cell and molecular biology.
Learning Objectives:
- Lower Level Skills: What do we know?
- Explain models for the mechanisms that operate within cells and from which cell functions and identities are derived.
- Draw or describe ways in which cell & molecular mechanisms are connected, regulated, and responsive to changing environments.
- Explain models for the mechanisms that operate within cells and from which cell functions and identities are derived.
- Mid-level Skills: How do we know?
- Explain bio-techniques in the context of naturally occurring cell/molecular mechanisms.
- Analyze data from the field and integrate new information to draw or describe cellular mechanisms and pathways.
- Explain bio-techniques in the context of naturally occurring cell/molecular mechanisms.
- High-level Skills: What’s next?
- Predict mechanisms and develop hypotheses about how cells might logically function.
- Design interpretable experiments that manipulate or modify cellular molecules and predict the outcome(s) of those changes
- Predict mechanisms and develop hypotheses about how cells might logically function.
BIOL323L - Advanced Inquiry Lab
Course Instructor: Dr. Christopher Arnold
Course format: 2 Credit Graded Lab, 1 meeting per week
Course Description: In this course, students will learn fundamental principles of stem cell and regeneration biology while gaining a better understanding of how this basic knowledge fuels innovations in regenerative medicine. These concepts will be taught through a hands-on learning experience using planaria, a simple and powerful research model for stem cell and regeneration studies. After gaining the requisite knowledge and skills, students will conduct primary research to identify novel roles for genes in stem cells and regeneration and present their findings. This course offers a unique educational opportunity that combines active learning with engagement in authentic stem cell and regeneration biology research. The course is tailored for students with little or no prior research experience and is designed to provide the necessary support to navigate the research process.
Learning Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this class, students will be able to:
· Explain the fundamental principles of stem and regeneration biology
· Apply this stem cell and regeneration knowledge in designing relevant and feasible experiments
· Perform biological experiments and effectively document methods and results
· Analyze, interpret, and communicate the results of stem cell and regeneration experiments
· Design and implement a primary stem cell and regeneration research project
· Present and discuss experimental rationale, approach, results, and conclusions to professional and lay audiences