Biocore 381 – Evolution, Ecology & Genetics (3 cr. ) — Syllabus Fall 2019
This course is intended to serve as a foundation for the subsequent courses in the Biocore sequence. The basic concepts of evolution, ecology, and genetics each occupy about one third of the semester. Evolution is discussed in terms of the geological and biological history of the earth, the diversity and classification of organisms, and mechanisms for evolution including natural selection and genetic drift. The genetics unit focuses on transmission genetics and includes discussions of Mendel’s laws, the structural and functional organization of chromosomes and their behavior in mitosis and meiosis, and linkage and crossing over. The ecology unit discusses the relationship of organisms to their environment and then goes on to consider populations, communities, and ecosystems. Biocore students apply some of the principles they are learning to a long-term prairie restoration project, the Biocore Prairie, near Picnic Point.
Course Info:
Three lectures and one 50-min discussion weekly.
Prerequisites: Chem 103/104 or 109; Math 221; previous or concurrent enrollment in Chem 341 or 343.
Biocore 382 – Evolution, Ecology & Genetics (2 cr. Lab) — Syllabus Fall 2019
The laboratory course gives students practical experience working with the concepts introduced in lecture. Activities at the Biocore Prairie restoration site in the UW Lakeshore Nature Preserve is a major focus during the first part of the semester. Later projects deal with genetic analysis of pigment production in Brassica rapa Wisconsin Fast Plants, and evolution of the Galapagos finches. This is a writing intensive course and is the first of three lab courses in Biocore that focus on the process and nature of “doing biology” with many opportunities to experience different aspects of scientific research in the laboratory and the field.
Course Info:
Writing Intensive.
One 3-h lab and one 50-min discussion weekly.
Prerequisites: previous or concurrent enrollment in Biocore 381.
Biocore 383 – Cellular Biology (3 cr.) — Syllabus Spring 2019
This course focuses on various aspects of life at the cellular and molecular levels. The course begins with an introduction to cells, membranes, and macromolecules, and then goes on to discuss the flow of energy in cells, considering how cells obtain, store, and use energy. The course continues into molecular genetics, gene expression and regulation in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The course then concludes with a unit on signal transduction, focusing especially on the importance of receptor-ligand interactions, cell signaling, cell motility, and regulation of the cell cycle including cancer.
Course info:
Three lectures and one 50-min discussion weekly.
Prerequisites: Biocore 381
Biocore 384 – Cellular Biology (2 cr. Lab) — Syllabus Spring 2019
Biocore 384 laboratory complements and integrates cell biology concepts from lecture with scientific reasoning and cell/molecular research methodology. This is the second lab in a three semester progression that focuses on the process and nature of “doing biology”. The lab is research and writing-intensive, and introduces tools and procedures of cell and molecular biology together with statistics and an introduction to bioinformatics all integrated into three different research units. Current units are the biochemistry and enzyme kinetics of alkaline phosphatase, gene expression in C. elegans worms, and mating pheromone signaling in yeast.
Course Info:
Writing Intensive.
One 3-h lab and one 50-min discussion weekly.
Prerequisites: previous or concurrent enrollment in Biocore 383.
Biocore 485 – Organismal Biology (3 cr.) — Syllabus Fall 2019
This physiology course explores the means by which plants and animals interact with their environments to support the basic needs of surviving, obtaining nutrients, exchanging gases, and reproducing. The course focuses on the complex systems of neural and endocrine regulation in animals and hormonal and environmental regulation in plants to understand how cells and organs within an organism maintain communication. We also discuss the regulation of respiration, circulation, and heart function, as well as the mechanisms that underlie the function of the brain.
Course info:
Two 70-min lectures and one 50-min discussion weekly.
Prerequisites: Biocore 383
Biocore 486 – Organismal Biology (2 cr. Lab) — Syllabus Fall 2019
Student research teams work on designing and carrying out their own experiments on plant or animal physiology based on a novel research question, in many cases using themselves as subjects (e.g. electrocardiograms, respiration rate, electroencephalograms). Research topics are chosen by students and reflect concepts taught concurrently in the Organismal Biology (485) lecture course. Emphasis is on critical thinking required in designing and conducting experiments and in analyzing and interpreting results. Research teams report their findings through oral PowerPoint presentations and by writing, peer-reviewing, and revising papers in the format of scientific journal articles.
Course Info:
Writing Intensive.
One 3-h lab and one 50-min discussion weekly.
Prerequisites: previous or concurrent enrollment in Biocore 485.
Biocore 587 – Biological Interactions (3 cr.) — Syllabus Spring 2019
This course is a capstone for Biocore and helps students integrate the concepts and skills from the previous three semesters of sequence. Biocore 587 emphasizes the interconnection of biological systems that operate at all levels of biological organization. Students work together in small cooperative learning groups throughout the semester to read and analyze a series of papers from the scientific literature. Student groups gather information, visualize, analyze, explore, and plan strategies for the investigation of complex biological problems. Current topics may include: 1. Inheritance of Susceptibility: Colon Cancer as Genetic Disease 2. Cervical cancer; A Viral Disease 3. Microbial Ecology and the Human Gut and 4. The Dynamics of the Mitotic Spindle. At the end of the semester, student teams develop and present a multi-media project to communicate a complex topic in bioscience to the public.
Course Info:
Three lectures and one 50-min discussion weekly.
Prerequisites: Biocore 485.