An upper level course of experiments designed to give students the essential laboratory and critical thinking skills in experimental design, implementation and analysis that every biologist should know. This knowledge base is required for succeeding in further BIOL laboratory courses and for working in a research laboratory. Required of all BIOL majors and a prerequisite for all upper level BIOL laboratory courses. Prerequisites: CHEM 102, CHEM 102L and BIOL 302. [2]

An introduction to the processes of evolution, the outcomes of evolution, and the field of ecology. Processes of evolution include understanding natural selection, genetic drift, molecular evolution and general evolutionary theory. Outcomes of evolution include speciation, hybridization, building phylogenetic trees, and using trees to understand the diversity of life, especially vertebrate evolution. Ecology topics include population growth and regulation, competition, predator/prey interctions, symbiosis, community structure and food webs, and energy flow and nutrient cycling within ecosystems. Prerequisite: BIOL 142 [4]

Modern principles of heredity have been established through studies at the molecular, cellular and organismic levels. The course includes fundamental information on the structure of a gene, its expression and organization as deduced from analysis of viral and prokaryotic systems, the transmission of genetic material in eukaryotic systems,the interaction of genes in populations and the application of fundamental genetic principles to problems of human heredity. Prerequisite: BIOL 100 or BIOL 141, BIOL 142 or BIOL 301, and CHEM 101 or 123. Co-requisite: CHEM 102 or 124. Science (non-lab) (GEP), Science (non-lab) (GFR) [4]

A laboratory course designed to illustrate fundamental genetic principles by experimentation. Such principles include the nature of genetic material, transfer of genetic information in prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems, organization and regulation of gene expression, Mendel's rules of heredity, linkage and crossing over, and genetic variation. Students will be expected to work independently, spending periods of time other than during the scheduled lab period collecting data. Prerequisite: BIOL 300L and BIOL 302. [2]

A modern treatment of cell structure and function with emphasis on the molecular architecture, biochemistry and regulatory mechanisms common to all cells. Topics include membrane structure, function and transport; molecular mechanisms of energy metabolism and its associated organelles; the structural and molecular basis for the expression of genetic information; the organelles involved in the regulation of cell shape and motility; selected cell functions, growth, reproduction and their control. This course is designed for students interested in the biological sciences, biochemistry and the allied health professions. Prerequisites: BIOL 302, CHEM 102; CHEM 351 strongly recommended. [3]

A consideration of the basic physiology and development of plants. Topics include plant diversity, patterns of growth and development, the interaction between nuclear and cytoplasmic genomes, chloroplast development, photosynthesis, seed development, tissue differentiation, hormonal regulation, nitrogen fixation, tissue culture and plant tumors. Prerequisite: BIOL 303. [3]

Basic plant biology will be explored through experiments, examination of live and preserved specimens, and lectures. Experiments will include photosynthesis, water relations, growth regulator effects, and interactions with bacteria. Prerequisite: BIOL 303L and BIOL 304. [2]

Functional features of whole organisms and their component organs and organ systems will be studied. Emphasis will be on ways in which diverse organisms at various phylogenetic levels perform similar functions. Examples of topics include osmoregulation, gas exchange, control systems, sensors, effectors, brain and behavior. Prerequisite: BIOL 303. Pre- or Corequisite: PHYS 112. [3]

A laboratory designed to study experimentally selected organismic functions discussed in BIOL 305. Prerequisite: BIOL 303L. Pre- or Corequisite: PHYS 112 and BIOL 305. [2]
Course on-line information: Comparative Animal Physiology Laboratory

In this course students will conduct an open-ended investigation to discover the function of a gene. During the course of the investigation you will learn the basic techniques used to isolate a gene, move it into a suitable host organism, modify it and determine its function. All projects will give students experience with cell culture, cloning, PCR, DNA sequencing and computer-based DNA sequence analysis. Prerequisites: completion of Biol 300L and Biol 302 and Biol 303. [2]

Humans possess a superior ability to generate new knowledge by creating and manipulating abstract models of the world and by extrapolating from past experiences. This natural ability reaches its full potential when it is enhanced with the tools of experimental design, mathematics, logic, and computer simulation. BIOL 312L will be offered as a practical guide to creating and using models in the context of life sciences laboratory research. It will include classroom lectures, activities and computer applications intended to illustrate and implement the five basic elements of modeling: experimental design, data acquisition, analysis, model formulation, and simulation. Through the course, students will address a minimum of four concrete biological problems by defining key physical quantities to be measured, applying data visualization techniques to uncover trends, drawing statistically valid inferences, formulating algebraic and analytical models, and performing computer simulations. May be used as an upper level elective for the BA or BS in Biological Sciences. Prerequisites: BIOL 300L and Either STAT 350, MATH 151 or MATH 155. [2] BIOL312L - Modeling in the Life Sciences

This is an introductory course to the field of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, an emerging interdisciplinary field dealing with the application of computing methods in biology. The course will provide a brief introduction to contemporary molecular biology and evolutionary theory. It will introduce the concept of bioinformatics, its applications and its career opportunities. Applying a question/answer approach, it will then explore some of the main problems faced by biology in the last decades (such as genome sequencing and annotation or sequence-based search) and it will analyze in depth some of the computational methods provided by the emerging field of Bioinformatics. Lecture content will be complemented with homeżbased assignments. No prior programming skills or biology knowledge are strictly required, but students are expected to have basic knowledge in either molecular biology or algorithmic techniques, and to acquire complementary knowledge within the course. The course is intended for a multidisciplinary audience with an emphasis on BINF, CMSC, BIOL, MATH, STAT and IS majors. Prerequisites: MATH 151 and either BIOL 141 or CMSC 104 (or equivalent). [3]

This laboratory is designed to give students exposure to the different techniques and organisms commonly used in Cell and Developmental Biology research. We will be working with a variety of live embryos, such as Drosophila, zebrafish, C. elegans, chicken, and axolotl. The major concepts that we will focus on include: gene regulation, both at the nucleotide level and at the chromatin level; pattern formation and cell-signaling; cell migration and cell-cell adhesion; and cell fate determination. The laboratory exercises will allow students to observe normal early embryonic development as well as experimentally manipulate embryos at different stages of early development. By comparing and contrasting these two situations, along with class discussions, students will further their understanding of many of the basic cellular and developmental processes seen in multicellular organisms. Prerequisites: BIOL 100L or 300L and BIOL 303 both with a grade of C or better. [2]

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Students in this course will examine and produce the basic forms of professional writing encountered in science careers. They will critique the work of their peers, and learn to analyze scientific literature. Specific assignments include writing review articles, CVs and personal statements for graduate school and funding agencies. This course does not fulfill Writing Intensive (WI) requirements. [2]

This service-learning course is designed for undergraduate teaching assistants in biology courses. Students must be recommended in writing by the faculty member teaching the course and be approved by the department. Student work (either paid or volunteer) must be performed in a course taught by a full-time member of the biology department faculty and must have a significant learning component. To qualify, students must have a minimum 3.50 GPA in all biology courses taken (including repeated biology courses). In addition to their teaching responsibilities, students will attend a mandatory weekly session on effective teaching methods taught by a member of the biology faculty. P/F grading only, one credit will be earned for the mandatory weekly session and one credit for each 40 hours of qualified work during an academic semester. A maximum of four credits of BIOL 396 is allowed. Recommended Preparation: Junior standing, BIOL 100 and 100L (or equivalent), plus nine credits of 300-level BIOL courses and permission of the department [2-3]

Individuals involved in contemporary scientific research have ethical responsibilities for their conduct. The goal of this course is to provide students considering a career in scientific research with aframework for establishing appropriate scientific integrity. A variety of relevant topics will be discussed, including fraud and misconduct, peer review, obligations and rights of students and mentors, ethical conduct in animal and human experimentation, ownership of data, reagents, intellectual property, authorship and conflict of interest. Note: Permission of course coordinator required. [1]

This course is designed for and required of those students seeking Departmental Honors in Biological Sciences. It is a series of weekly discussions designed to introduce undergraduate students to current biological research opportunities at UMBC in both the laboratory and the field. There will be a particular emphasis on the research areas currently being pursued by the Biological Sciences faculty. Each week a member of the faculty will lead a discussion of a specific re search area. Students will be assigned relevant readings prior to class and will be expected to participate in class discussion. The course is designed to prepare the student for an Honors re search project. Prerequisites: The student must meet eligibility requirements for the Honors Program in Biological Sciences, and receive permission to register from the Departmental Honors Program advisor. [3]

This course is designed for UMBC degree seeking students who are employed outside of the university as volunteers or for compensation, provided the following criteria are met: 1) the work must be performed at an institution, agency or company which is a participating employer in UMBC's Cooperative Education Program, and 2) the work performed by the student must have a significant learning component in the biological sciences as judged by the Biological Sciences Internship Coordinator in consultation with the faculty of the Department of Biological Sciences. Pass/fail credit only, earned at the rate of one credit for every fifty hours of qualified work during an academic session. A maximum of four credits of BIOL 398 is allowed. Corequisite: COOP 098/099. Prerequisites: 45 total credits earned including BIOL 141 or 141H and 142 or 142H and 302, plus permission of the department. A description of the BIOL 398 requirements is available for download as a PDF [1-4]

Independent studies carried out with the supervision of a faculty member (maximum 6 credits). Note: This course is offered on a Pass/Fail basis only. Prerequisite: Consent of the supervising faculty member; upperclass standing. [1-3]