Lower-Division Courses

Biology Courses for Non-majors

• BIO 100 - Perspectives in Biology
• BIO 114 - The Origins of Life in the Universe
• BIO 115 - Explorations in Regional Biology (Australia, East Africa, Ecuador)

Core Biology Curriculum for Majors

• BIO 110: Biological Investigations
  • Introduction to scientific investigation through project-based studies of biological phenomena in the lab or field. Topics in this hands-on course introduce students to experimental design, data collection, data analysis, hypothesis testing, and scientific communication. The specific focus of individual Bio 110 sections will vary with faculty expertise. Sections offered in Spring of 2023 are described below.
    

    • BIO 110-01 Flies, Genes, and Behavior (Dr. Velazquez). The nervous system controls behavior. The instructions to make the nervous system are found in the genes within the genome of an organism. Hence, genes that change how the nervous system works, can module behavior. In this section, students will explore how genes influence behavior by carrying out their own investigations using the model organism, Drosophila melanogaster.

    • BIO 110-02 Antibiotic Hunters (Dr. Gewin): This section will explore the scientific method in a search for new antibiotics produced by soil bacteria. Antibiotic-resistant infections are a growing issue throughout the world. Students will grow bacteria from soil samples, screen them for antibiotic activity, and work to identify any candidate microbes using current techniques of microbiology, biochemistry and DNA sequencing. The results of these experiments will be shared with the class and interesting candidate antibiotic microbes will be added to an international student-sourced antibiotic discovery database called Tiny Earth.
    • BIO 110-03 Antibiotic Hunters (Dr. Gewin): This section will explore the scientific method in a search for new antibiotics produced by soil bacteria. Antibiotic-resistant infections are a growing issue throughout the world. Students will grow bacteria from soil samples, screen them for antibiotic activity, and work to identify any candidate microbes using current techniques of microbiology, biochemistry and DNA sequencing. The results of these experiments will be shared with the class and interesting candidate antibiotic microbes will be added to an international student-sourced antibiotic discovery database called Tiny Earth.
    • BIO 110-04 Exercise Physiology (Dr. Autumn): This section focuses on physiological responses to exercise, experimental design, and how to evaluate the validity of scientific conclusions. In research teams, students will use modern physiological sensors, carry out open-ended experiments, analyze data, test hypotheses, present results, and compare their research to studies in the primary literature.
• BIO 201: Biological Core Concepts - Systems  
  • This 4-credit, lecture- and discussion-based course serves as an introduction to core principles that underlie all of biology, illustrated through evidence-driven examples centered on integrative organismal biology and organisms’ interactions with the biotic and physical environment.
• BIO 202: Biological Core Concepts - Mechanisms
  • This 4-credit, lecture- and discussion-based course serves as an introduction to core principles that underlie all of biology, illustrated through evidence-driven examples centered on interactions among molecules and cells within organisms.

Second-year Biology Courses for Majors

• BIO 244 - Practicum
• BIO 252 - Introduction to Neuroscience