Active Course List

The natural or human-induced change in climate and the effect on terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The human species' place in the biological world, effects on various communities and potential methods of correcting detrimental effects with economic and social implications.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

Programs:

Environmental Science (MS)

Soil ecology will focus on the genesis and classification of soils, the physical properties of soil as they relate to habitat formation, niches, interactions that exist among soil organisms, human impact on soil systems relative to population pressures and management practices. Lab included.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

The advent of next-generation DNA and RNA sequencing technology has revolutionized Biology, leading to transformational insights in disciplines spanning medicine, molecular taxonomy, conservation, and agriculture. This course will introduce students to computational and bioinformatics tools necessary to address and analyze Big Data, with special attention paid to interpretation and communication through figures. Students will be free to analyze publicly-available data of their choosing alongside curated cohorts while learning how to critically assess bioinformatics conclusions found within primary research literature. No prior computer programming experience is necessary. The associated lab will focus on computational analysis and the introduction of sequencing techniques.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

Emphasis is placed on the biomedical aspects of aging and chronic disease. The course is designed for students majoring in biology, gerontology programs, or other health related programs.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

Programs:

Exercise Physiology (MS)

Clinically important parasites. Protozoans, Flukes, Tapeworms, Roundworms, Ticks, Mites, and Insects. Designed for Medical Technology, Pre-Medicine, Pre-Veterinary, and Biology majors. Identification, clinical disease, epidemiology, and ecology are covered. Lab included.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

Morphological, ecological, medical, and economic significance of insects.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

This course will explore the structure and function of the vertebrate body inits diverse forms from fishes to mammals. Discussion of individual organsystems will focus on developmental patterns, function and evolutionaryrelationships. The lab will include microanatomy (histology) andmacroanatomy (gross anatomy) of example organisms. Students willbecome familiar with the tissue, organ and system levels of the anatomy ofvertebrates.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

Understanding the process of cell differentiation and development. These principles are then applied to the descriptive study of human embryology including the basis of congenital malformations.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

A comparison of adaptation mechanisms, from cell to organ-systems, used by animals in response to changes in environmental conditions such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, food availability, temperature, waste, solutes, pressure and buoyancy.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

This course is an introduction to the physical, chemical and biological characteristics and interactions of inland freshwater lakes. Labs will emphasize field work; including data collection, analysis and discussion from five local lakes.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

This course is a functional study of the heart and circulatory systems.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

Programs:

Exercise Physiology (MS)

This course focuses on animal physiology with an emphasis on both invertebrates and vertebrates. Specifically, the course will focus on comparative mechanisms involved in physiological processes at the molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, system and whole organism levels. Inquiry-based laboratory exercises will examine physiological concepts using animal models.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

Study of types, arrangements, and special adaptations of human tissues. Lab included.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

An exploration of behavioral strategy, communications, learning, and social systems of animals, with emphases placed on the causes, evolution, ecological implications, and function of behavior at the individual and population level. Lab included. Prereq: BIOL 105W, 106, and 215

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

This course provides the basis for understanding hormones and the mechanisms of their actions in both the normal and pathological states. Sample topics to be included are diabetes, osteoporosis, hormones of reproduction, and current social and medical issues related to the course.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

Programs:

Exercise Physiology (MS)

Plant functions such as water relations, mineral nutrition, translocation, metabolisms, photosynthesis, photorespiration, fat and protein metabolisms, respiration, growth and development, phytohormones, reproduction and environmental physiology. Lab included.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

Field identification of plants with emphasis on local flora. History of systematics, techniques, plant biogeography, methods of plant collection, preservation, preparation of herbarium specimens are covered. Lab and field trips included.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

Expands upon general principles of ecology to focus on the factors that regulate the distribution and abundance of plants, analysis of plant populations, and dynamics of plant communities. Lecture and lab (field work) included.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

This course will introduce students to the principles and practices of weed science. Lecture will cover topics including weed biology and ecology, an introduction to weed management techniques and methodologies, factors affecting weed control, and environmental issues associated with weed management. Course material will highlight weed management in cropping systems, non-row crop and right-of-ways, natural areas, and aquatic habitats. The laboratory component of the course will focus on weed identification, crop/weed competition, application techniques including effective herbicide use and current weed control practices.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

Lecture/laboratory course that presents an integrated view of plant biology, crop science, ecology, sustainability and current issues in biotechnology. Course focuses on issues of global concern such as sustainable food production, cropping techniques, climate change responses, pest management and herbicides, resistance, biofuels, genetically modified crops, molecular pharming, and tissue culture. Fall.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

The principle and operation of instruments and their application to biological research. Types of instrumentation examined include spectroscopic, chromatographic, electroanalytic, radiographic, and imaging. Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) will also be examined. Emphasis is placed on GLP, GMP, and ISO9000 practices.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

A lecture course that examines mechanisms of drug action, physiological responses and adverse reactions from sensitivities or allergies through overdose. Prereq: BIOL 105, 106, 230, and one year of general chemistry

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

Programs:

Exercise Physiology (MS)

Role of microorganisms in soil, air, water, and sewage processes as well as methods of measurement and detection. Special emphasis on the role of microorganisms in bioremediation. Lab included.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

Viruses infect all living things, such as bacteria, plants, fish, and animals (including humans). There are many viruses that cause significant human mortality and morbidity, such as influenza and smallpox viruses. However, the vast majority of viruses that infect humans have little or no negative impact on our health and well-being. This course will teach Virology by stressing the rules of replication that every virus must follow. The use of viruses as molecular tools, virus-host interactions, and current viral outbreaks will also be discussed.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

Fundamental principles of humoral and cell mediated immunity and the application of these principles. Current experimental work in the different areas of immunology will be discussed. Lab included.

Areas of Interest:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

Programs:

Exercise Physiology (MS)