This course will cover research articles from both the classic and contemporary literature on the genetics, cell biology, and physiology of prokaryotes. The material will focus on a small number of subjects in depth, with an emphasis on how the field has arrived at its current state of knowledge and on exciting new research directions. Possible topics include: stress responses, cell signaling, subcellular organization, bacteriophages, microbial communities, and host-microbe interactions.

Basic science writing and presentation skills for PhD students in Biology. Designed for second year graduate students preparing for qualifying exams. In the first half of the course, students will produce weekly writing assignments and critique writing submitted by others. In the second half, students will learn techniques for effective research presentations in both seminar style environments and chalk-talk settings.

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.

The importance of microbiology in complex issues, such as the impact of the microbiome in human health or as alternative energy sources, is being appreciated more and more each day. This upper level laboratory course provides students with a robust technical skill set while also giving them an opportunity to participate in an authentic research project that may lead to novel discoveries. Students will generate research questions, formulate hypotheses, design experiments, analyze data, and present their research findings to the class. In each project, students will use the cutting edge approach of metagenomics to evaluate the microbial diversity of their environment via Next Generation Sequencing. Students will also examine the function of microbial species within their communities. Potential projects include the isolation of novel antibiotic producers and the antibiotic they produce, designing and optimizing microbial fuel cells that can be used to generate electricity, or isolating antibiotic resistant bacteria and attempting novel approaches to inhibit or prevent their growth.

This course is a lab/lecture/seminar hybrid that will meet once per week for three hours. Each session will consist of mini-lecture/lab, paper discussions/lab, or solely lab efforts. All reading assignments will be available on Canvas (no textbook fees). We will exam various aspects of photosynthesis, water relations and nutrient acquisition in the context of the evolutionary progression of higher plants. With each subject, we will consider, measure, and in some cases model whole-plant physiology while examining sub-cellular-level controls and ecosystem-to-global-level consequences. This course is designed to give molecular biologists through earth-system scientists the tools to measure and understand whole-plant physiological responses to molecular manipulation and environmental variability. All students will learn to appreciate the context of their work on both micro and macro scales.

Survey of the physical, chemical and biological properties of freshwater ecosystems, both riverine and lentic, natural and polluted.

Introduction to basic theoretical tools to study the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of populations. Topics to be discussed include: basic population dynamics and population genetics theory, evolutionary game theory/adaptive dynamics, social evolution (kin selection/multilevel selection), life-history evolution, and stochastic models. Other topics may be added based on the specific interests of students in the class.

Theories and mechanisms of evolution, with emphasis on the genetic basis of evolutionary change.