Biology

• GRS BI 614: Ornithology
  Examines the behavior, ecology, and morphology, physiology, classification, and evolution of birds. Flight, navigation, migration, territorial courtship, nesting, and parental behavior. Field trips. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion and demonstrations.
• GRS BI 621: Biochemistry 1
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120).
  Introductory biochemistry. Protein structure and folding, enzyme mechanisms, kinetics, and allostery; nucleic acid structure; macromolecular biosynthesis with emphasis on specificity and fidelity; lipids and membrane structure; vitamins and coenzymes; introduction to intermediary metabolism. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion, four hours lab. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Quantitative Reasoning II, Critical Thinking, Teamwork/Collaboration.
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  • Quantitative Reasoning II
  • Critical Thinking
  • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• GRS BI 622: Biochemistry 2
  Cell metabolism, with special emphasis on the uptake of food materials, the integration and regulation of catabolic, anabolic, and anaplerotic routes, and the generation and utilization of energy. Lectures include consideration of events in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion, four hours lab. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Research and Information Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.
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  • Research and Information Literacy
  • Teamwork/Collaboration
• GRS BI 623: Marine Biogeochemistry
  Oceanic nutrient and biogeochemical cycling in the context of the marine response to global change. Links between local and global scales are emphasized. Topics include oceanic productivity, iron limitation, oceanic glacial carbon dioxide budget, biogenic particle fluxes, oceanic glacial-interglacial biogeochemistry.
• GRS BI 643: Terrestrial Biogeochemistry
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS BI 107 or CAS ES 105; and CH 101/102, or consent of instructor.
  The patterns and processes controlling carbon and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Links between local and global scales are emphasized. Topics include net primary production, nutrient use efficiency, and biogeochemical transformation.
• GRS BI 645: Cellular and Molecular Neurophysiology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: graduate standing.
  Cellular and molecular basis of neural excitability and synaptic transmission. The molecular understanding of ion channels is extrapolated to higher brain functions such as learning, memory, and sleep. Three hours lecture, three hours laboratory, one hour pre-lab.
• GRS BI 648: Biodiversity and Conservation Biology
  The study of biological diversity and modern methods to protect endangered plant and animal species. The environment, population, and genetic and human factors that affect the survival of species are examined for temperate and tropical communities, as well as terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Ethical Reasoning.
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  • Ethical Reasoning
  • Oral and/or Signed Communication
• GRS BI 649: Neuroscience Design Lab
  Design and build devices for neuroscience experiments. Interface sensors with computers using Arduino microprocessors. Guided exercises followed by independent design projects to quantify human sensory and motor performance, or emulate animal sensory-motor circuits. All levels of programming experience accepted. Also offered as GRS NE 649.
• GRS BI 655: Developmental Neurobiology
  Fundamental principles of developmental neurobiology. Course stresses molecular mechanisms that underlie early neural development, differentiation, process outgrowth, and behavior. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion.
• GRS BI 671: Survey of Ecology, Behavior, Evolution, and Marine Biology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: Biology graduate students, who have not yet taken their qualifying exam, in areas of Ecology, Behavior, Evolution, and Marine Biology. Others will be permitted at the discretion of the instructor.
  Introduces graduate students to current faculty and research in ecology, behavior, evolution, and marine biology. Students and faculty share expertise and establish collaborations, helping the Department of Biology to leverage its most important asset: intellectual capital.
• GRS BI 675: Urban Ecology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS EE 100 or CAS EE 101; and one of the following: CAS BI 306, CAS BI 443 or GRS BI 643, CAS EE 456 or GRS EE 656, or CAS BI 530 or CAS EE 530; or consent of instructor.
  The biophysical environments and ecology of urban settlements. Key topics include the physical environment, patterns in human population growth and development, ecosystem structure and function, global change, urban environment pollution and management, and sustainable urban development. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry II, Teamwork/Collaboration.
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  • Historical Consciousness
  • Scientific Inquiry II
  • Teamwork/Collaboration
• GRS BI 681: Molecular Biology of the Neuron
  Topics include electrical properties of neurons, a survey of neurotransmitters, molecular structure and function of receptors, synaptic transmission, intracellular signaling, and the molecular biology of sensory transduction. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion. Also offered as CAS NE 481. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Scientific Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
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  • Scientific Inquiry II
  • Oral and/or Signed Communication
  • Research and Information Literacy
• GRS BI 697: A Bridge to Knowledge: A Practical Seminar for First-Year Graduate Students in Biology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: first-year MA or PhD students in Biology or MCBB, or first-time teaching fellows in Biology or MCBB.
  A seminar for first-year biology and MCBB graduate students. Basic pedagogical theory and professional development topics are covered. The course is intended to help students become effective teachers and members of the graduate community. Also offered as GRS MB 697.
• GRS BI 701: Graduate Readings in Biology
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor, limited to BA/MS students and graduate students in the scholarly paper MS program.
  Library research on well-defined subjects determined in consultation with faculty member. Two such half courses may be used to partially satisfy the eight-full- course requirement for the MS degree in Biology.
• GRS BI 702: Graduate Readings in Biology
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor, limited to BA/MS students and graduate students in the scholarly paper MS program.
  Library research on well-defined subjects determined in consultation with faculty member. Two such half courses may be used to partially satisfy the eight-full- course requirement for the MS degree in Biology.
• GRS BI 708: Systems Developmental Biology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: graduate student standing (or consent of instructor).
  Aspects of animal and plant development are discussed using a systems biology approach. What are the challenges and solutions to developmental processes that differ in time scale, complexity, and error tolerance.
• GRS BI 719: Colloquium in Biogeoscience
  Graduate Prerequisites: MA or PhD standing.
  Introduction to the field of Biogeoscience through weekly research presentations and discussions with GRS faculty and distinguished guests. Students also meet weekly with lead faculty member to discuss primary literature related to each presentation. Also offered as GRS ES 719 and GRS GE 719.
• GRS BI 720: Practicum in Biogeoscience
  Graduate Prerequisites: MA or PhD standing.
  Analysis and synthesis of the primary literature via in-depth case studies in biogeoscience. Students meet weekly with faculty to read papers from the primary literature, synthesize results, and prepare a peer-review quality paper on the case study. Also offered as GRS ES 720 and GRS GE 720.
• GRS BI 735: Advanced Cell Biology
  Current understanding of essential topics and important problems in modern cell biology, with emphasis on recent experimental findings, research strategies and approaches, and new techniques for investigating how cells work. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion.
• GRS BI 741: Neural Systems: Functional Circuit Analysis
  Graduate Prerequisites: GRS BI 755 or GMS AN 810 or GMS NE 700; or consent of instructor.
  An in-depth survey of powerful new approaches for understanding nervous system function, linking neural activity to behavior. Topics include anatomical connectivity, behavioral methods, and both recording and manipulating the activity of neural populations. Also offered as GRS NE 741.