Biology

• GRS BI 607: Animal Behavior
  Ethological approach to animal behavior. Physiological, ontogenic, and phylogenic causes and adaptive significance of behavior are examined within an evolutionary framework, minimally including humans. Three hours lecture, three hours laboratory.
• GRS BI 610: Developmental Biology
  Comtemporary aspects of development, drawing from current literature. Emphasis on the use of experimental approaches to address topics such as polarity in the egg, body axis specification, embryonic patterning and organogenesis. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion.
• 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. (Offered alternate years.)
• GRS BI 616: Herpetology
  Examines the diversity, life history, physiology, behavior, ecology, and evolution of amphibians and reptiles. Three hours lecture, three hours lab. Field trips (including required Spring Recess trip to Florida).
• GRS BI 621: Biochemistry I
  Introductory biochemistry. Protein structure and folding enzyme mechanisms, kinetics, and allostery; nucleic acid structure and chemistry; recombinant DNA; lipids and membrane structure; bioenergetics; vitamins and coenzymes; introduction to intermediary metabolism. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion, four hours laboratory, graduate project.
• GRS BI 622: Biochemistry II (CM)
  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 will include consideration of events in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Three hours lecture, four hours lab, 1 hour discussion.
• 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
  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 644: Neuroethology
  Specialized natural behaviors reveal general principles of systems neuroscience. Examples include vocal learning in songbirds, sensory-motor integration in bats, and pattern generators in lobsters. Three hours lecture and literature discussion; three hours laboratory, including microchip programming and neural recordings.
• GRS BI 645: Cellular and Molecular Neurophysiology
  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 lab.
• GRS BI 646: Biology of the Cell Cycle
  Temporal organization and regulation of cellular function. Includes theory and analysis of methodologies applicable to cell proliferation kinetics, cell synchrony, and FACS sorting; molecular genetics, biochemistry, and physiology of cell cycle phses. Emphasis is placed on the molecular regulation of growth and differentiation in eukaryotic organisms, from yeast to humans. Readings in original research literature. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion.
• 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, genetic, and human factors which affect the survival of species examined for temperate and tropical communities, as well as terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion.
• 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
  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
  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. Also offered as GRS GE 675.
• GRS BI 681: Molecular Biology of the Neuron
  The study of interactions between neurotransmitters and receptors in the nervous system. 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.
• GRS BI 697: A Bridge to Knowledge: A Practical Seminar for First-Year Graduate Students in Biology
  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 699: Teaching College Biology I
  The goals, contents, and methods of instruction in biology. General teaching-learning issues. Required of all teaching fellows.
• GRS BI 702: Graduate Readings in Biology
  Library research on well-defined subjects determined in consultation with faculty member.
• GRS BI 719: Colloquium in Terrestrial Biogeoscience
  Introduction to the field of Terrestrial 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.

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