Courses Taught:

BIO 529 - Developmental Biology

This course provides basic knowledge and skills to understand and apply the principles of developmental biology. Students gain an understanding of the important fundamental concepts of developmental biology as they pertain to molecular, cellular, and organismal development. Because of the enormous diversity of organisms and developmental processes, a small number of organisms that are representative of broader groups are discussed in some detail. The goal is to provide the necessary fundamentals to understand development which can be applied to the study of any organism. Particular emphasis is placed on experimental approaches to the solution of developmental problems. By the end of the course, students should be able to make hypotheses about such developmental problems, design experiments to test those hypotheses, and interpret the experimental results. The course is appropriate for both graduate students and advanced undergraduates in the life sciences. BIO 529 is an upper level elective for the undergraduate Biology major .

BIO 621 - Advanced Genetic Analysis

This is a graduate course in contemporary genetic analysis- the use of mutation and mutations to understand biological processes. Emphasis is on experimental approaches using model eukaryotes, relying on scientific literature and web resources. The intent of the course is not only to familiarize students with current genetic techniques, but to provide with experience in applying those techniques to modern problems in biology.

BIO 770 - Introduction to Current Literature in Molecular & Cellular Biology (1st Year Journal Club)

The primary goal of this course is to provide experience in presenting and critiquing research information. Additional goals are to learn about basic developmental paradigms and the molecular, genetic, and biochemical techniques used to study them. Each student will present one journal article of the student’s choosing. This will be approximately a 40 minute presentation that will cover all aspects of that paper, including background information necessary to make the work comprehensible to the entire group.