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 Learning how to think analytically is a skill that will never be out of date.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).