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.