Teaching

Cell and Molecular Biology courses

Biology 213 Cell and Molecular Biology is required for Biology, Biochemistry and pre-Med students for good reason.  Cells are the fundamental unit of living organisms. Understanding how the molecules within cells function is necessary in order to understand living systems!

Prof. Laura Romberg and Prof. Maureen Peters jointly teach the lecture portion of this course, presenting a broad spectrum of topics in molecular/cellular biology and biochemistry over the semester. We each cover the material that most closely reflects our specialties. I teach the following topics: DNA/chromatin structure, replication transcription, translation, gene regulation, genetic engineering, genomics, cell cycle and cancer.

The course's broad objective is for students to obtain a solid background in the fundamentals of cell and molecular biology, and to learn how to apply this knowledge. Since the breadth and depth of our biological knowledge base is constantly expanding, it is increasingly important to encourage conceptual learning and application. Learning how to think analytically is a skill that will never be out of date.

Please note that there is a lot of exciting material to cover, so I strongly advise the hundred plus students enrolling this fall to keep up with the material as it is taught.  Review your notes promptly after lectures, prepare for the weekly extra-credit quizzes, and tackle the assigned practice problems promptly. No peeking at the practice problem answers until you've earnestly worked on the problems yourself! When you have questions please don't hesitate to attend the weekly Q and A session or the instructor's office hours.

In the lab, students perform a series of cell and molecular experiments.  In the molecular biology sections, the ones I designed, you’ll learn some widely applicable techniques such as how to genetically engineer DNA, how to introduce the DNA into bacteria, and how to use the DNA that is present by employing enzymes to cut specific DNA sequence restriction digests.  We are extremely fortunate to have the assistance of Prof. Cullen working with us in lab. The labs are much smaller than lecture. Your lab section will be led by either Prof. Cullen, Peters, or Romberg.

You can access the syllabus for Fall 2010 here (coming soon).

Biology 310 Genetics
Biology 310, Genetics, Spring 2010

Genetics

Biology 310 (Genetics) is an elective upperlevel course.   Genetics is a broad and evolving field that encompasses the study of genes, inheritance, and the analysis of how the genes (or, really, the molecules encoded by the genes) affect organisms.  Most geneticists integrate molecular biology and even genomic techniques into their work, so the field is sometimes called Molecular Genetics. My course encompasses both classical and modern Molecular Genetics. The material flows from the historic experiments to the discovery of small interfering RNAs and haplotype mapping in humans.  To demonstrate just how instrumental molecular genetic techniques have been for research in a wide range of biological subfields, students read and present research papers that have used molecular genetics in the study of evolution, human diseases, basic cell biology, and stem cells. Problem solving is the best way to learn genetics, so come prepared to do lots of problems in class and as homework.

The lab portion of the course is designed to simulate a research experience in a C. elegans genetics laboratory. After learning some basics about C. elegans, like how to distinguish males from hermaphrodites, lab partners are given their own mutants to work with. Students will perform research that is new so no one will know how the experiments will turn out.  By participating in the lab you’ll be contributing to brand new NSF-funded investigative research!

Important note: Almost all of my former students loved the lab part of the course and enjoyed the independent nature of their projects.  But be warned your lab work will not fit neatly into our regularly scheduled meetings. Although investigative genetic experiments are very rewarding, they may also be more time consuming than you expect. Organisms, especially mutant ones, grow at their own pace although we can use temperature to modify their growth rate.  You will need to spend time in the lab in addition to our regularly scheduled meetings. The good news, however, is that you will probably not need to be in lab for entirety of every scheduled meeting. 

You can access the syllabus for Spring 2010 here.