Introduction to the molecular, physical and computational principles of cell function in the context of cutting-edge applications in bioengineering and medicine. Biological concepts include: molecular building blocks, energetics, transport, metabolism, nucleic acids, gene expression and genetics. Applications include bioenergy, synthetic biology, the human genome project, and gene circuit engineering. Labs will teach fundamental techniques of molecular biology including a multi-week module where students build and quantify bacterial gene expression system. Labs emphasize the experimental, problem solving, and analytical skills required in modern engineering and research.