Courses

• CAS NE 535: Translational Research in Alzheimer’s Disease
  An introduction to translational research focused on Alzheimer's disease, with particular emphasis on the search for new therapeutic targets, from observations of pathogenic phenotypes in patients to the development of appropriate animal and cellular models of the disease. Also offered as CAS BI 535.
• CAS NE 542: Neuroethology
  The purpose of this course is to link neurobiology to behavioral ecology and the properties of the sensory stimulus environment. Examples include vocal learning in songbirds, sensory-motor integration in bats, and marine odor plume navigation in lobsters and sharks. Students choose and develop a research topic in the second half of the course. Three hours lecture; one hour discussion. Also offered as CAS BI 542.
• CAS NE 544: Developmental Neuropsychology
  Study of the neural mechanisms underlying behavioral development. Topics include the plasticity of the developing brain in response to deprivation or damage and mechanisms underlying specific syndromes (e.g., aphasia, dyslexia, learning disabilities, hyperactivity, autism, and Tourette's syndrome). Also offered as CAS PS 544.
• CAS NE 545: Neurobiology of Motivated Behavior
  Molecular and neuroendocrine mechanisms controlling reproductive and parental behaviors, ingestive behaviors and metabolism, and circadian rhythms, pain perception, and reward in vertebrates. Three hours lecture plus student-led discussions of relevant research papers. Also offered as CAS BI 545.
• CAS NE 560: Perception and Quantitative Physiology of the Auditory System
  Introduction to the mammalian auditory system from a systems prospective. The class follows how sound propagates into the ear, how mechanical energy is transformed into a neural code, how that code is transformed through the mammalian auditory pathway from the cochlea to the cortex, and how auditory sensation and perception are related to this chain of neural processing. Anatomy and physiology cover the structure and function of the middle ear, cochlea, brainstem, midbrain, thalamus, and cortex. Perceptual topics include basic sensitivity, spatial hearing, pitch perception, auditory scene analysis, attention, and speech perception. Implications for hearing impairment and prosthetic hearing devices are covered. Associated discussion sessions cover recent research findings from general-interest, high-impact publications.
• CAS NE 594: Topics in Neurobiology
  Examines contemporary topics in neurobiological research, drawing from recent literature. Students critically evaluate papers, assess the soundness of methods, distinguish correct from incorrect interpretations of data, and discuss the soundness of conclusions. Topic for Spring 2015: Channelopathies: When Ion Channels Go Bad. Also offered as CAS BI 594.
• CAS NS 101: Integrated Science I
  Laboratory-discussion course. Elementary kinematics and dynamics, conservation laws, introductory electricity and magnetism, properties of light, atoms and molecules, the chemistry and properties of materials. Course work is closely tied to laboratory experiments. Laboratories include computer-based laboratory instruction and computer simulations.
• CAS NS 102: Integrated Science II
  Laboratory-discussion course. Introduction to the evolution of stars, the universe, and planetary systems. Physical description of the planet Earth. Introduction to ecology, environmental science, evolution of life, organisms, and genetics. Students engage in laboratory experiments, group work, and computer simulations.
• CAS NS 221: Oceanography
  Explores how interconnected ocean characteristics (bathymetry, seawater chemistry, biological diversity) and processes (plate tectonics, surface and deep‐water circulation, biological production) shape global patterns across multiple scales. Discussion of destination‐specific environmental issues and hot topics in marine research.
• CAS NS 222: Maritime Studies
  Relationship between humans and the sea. History, literature and art of our maritime heritage. Ships as agents of change. Political and economic challenges of contemporary marine affairs. Destination‐specific focus.
• CAS NS 223: Nautical Science
  The fundamentals of sailing ship operation, in preparation for direct application at sea. Navigation (piloting, celestial, and electronic), weather, engineering systems, safety, and sail theory. Participation as an active member of the ship's crew on an offshore voyage.
• CAS NS 320: Ocean Science and Public Policy
  Culture, history, political systems, and science can shape ocean policy. Students practice current strategies to build, analyze, and communicate about diverse policy issues. Examines the power, use, and limitations of science and the scientist's voice in determining ocean policy.
• CAS NS 321: Oceans in the Global Carbon Cycle
  Ocean as carbon source and sink. Examines global‐scale flux patterns and carbon storage mechanisms, from solubility/biological pumps to geo‐engineering. Explores buffering capacity and mitigation strategies in the face of anthropogenic carbon cycle perturbations. Oral presentation and written research proposal required.
• CAS NS 322: Maritime History and Culture
  Explores impacts of European maritime ventures on the societies they contacted in the Atlantic or Pacific, with focus on the resulting social, political, economic, and cultural changes. Investigates responses documented in the post‐Colonial literature of indigenous people.
• CAS NS 323: Marine Environmental History
  Employs methods and sources of historians and social scientists. Examines the role of human societies in coastal and open ocean environmental change. Issues include resource conservation, overfishing, pollution, invasive species, and climate change.
• CAS NS 326: The Ocean & Global Change
  Ocean ecosystem change in the anthropocene: warming, acidification, fisheries depletion, and pollution. Reviews principles of circulation, seawater chemistry, nutrient dynamics, and biological production to understand causes and consequences of change. Field measurements for contribution to time‐series datasets are conducted.
• CAS NS 327: Cultural Landscapes and Seascapes: A Sense of Place
  Field‐intensive analysis and documentation of dynamic relationships between nature and culture in specific coastal, island, and ocean places. Cultural landscape and related interdisciplinary bio‐cultural approaches are applied to place‐based environmental studies.
• CAS NS 328: Toward a Sustainable Ocean: Conservation & Management
  Comparative and issue‐driven introduction to managing human uses and conserving coastal and ocean places and resources. Explores concepts of technology, governance, sector and ecosystem management, and marine protected areas through expert content lectures, topical seminars, and field trips.
• CAS NS 329: Leadership in a Dynamic Environment
  How to be an effective leader while leveraging the individual strengths of a team. Uses leadership theory and case studies to understand how decisions affect outcomes. Students participate as an active member of a ship's crew, progressively assuming full leadership roles.
• CAS NS 330: Data Communication & Visualization
  Information visualization strategies and associated software, emphasizing communication to diverse audiences. Students choose between geospatial (GIS) and qualitative data foci, develop graphics and/or multimedia products supporting research projects in concurrent courses, and compile an iterative digital portfolio.

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