BIOL 297 - Topics in Biology

Credits: 3 or 4 in fall or winter; 4 in spring

Spring 2016, BIOL 297-01: Blood, Sex, Sugar, Bugs (4). Prerequisites: BIOL 111 and CHEM 110. Insects rely on their “noses” and “tongues” to detect the chemical environment and drive critical behaviors. From mosquito bites to crop damage, these chemosensory behaviors greatly impact human quality of life. This course explores the insect world’s ability to smell and taste, including aspects of sensory biology, neuroethology, genetics, and chemical ecology. Students design and execute experiment-based research projects to investigate an insect chemosensory-driven behavior. Pask.

Fall 2015, BIOL 297-01: Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (3). Prerequisites: BIOL 211 or 220.May be substituted for BIOL 285 in the majors or Quantitative Biology minor. Over the last decade, emerging technologies have dramatically increased the scale on which data can be produced in the biomedical sciences. This course focuses on the new statistical and computational tools that are being developed to help us make sense of “big data” in biology. We read selections from the primary literature that cover comparative genomics, functional genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. Students also learn to program in R to analyze large datasets using advanced statistical inference, machine learning, and interactive data visualization. No prior programming experience is required, but an eagerness to learn is essential. Whitworth. Fall 2015 Planned Offering: Fall, Winter, Spring