A-to-Z Index

Courses that include research


Below are descriptions of some upper division courses in biology that include research projects that students conduct on their own with the supervision of the teacher.

 

Rose: Bio 316L: Animal Development Lab: Students study microscope slides of chick and frog embryos to better understand embryonic processes and anatomy, learn the tools and techniques for manipulating live embryos, and then design and carry out independent research projects on live embryos using developmental biology techniques and reagents. Projects are developed in consultation with the professor to address new questions in vertebrate developmental biology that relate to ongoing research in his lab. 

 

May: BIO 459. Freshwater Ecology. Students develop their own research question, create a proposal with a testable hypothesis and design an approach for testing it. They conduct the research with guidance from the instructor and present the results in a symposium at the end of the semester.

 

Rife: BIO 480. Advanced Molecular Biology. Students participate in two research projects. In one project, students directly contribute to the work of department faculty by performing microarray analysis on topics that vary from semester to semester. The current topic from Rife lab's research program is to analyze transcriptional changes that happen as a result of poor diet. In the second, student teams write their own hypothesis and perform real-time PCR and Western blotting experiments to test how and when Rubisco expression changes in the chloroplast.

 

Wiggins: BIO 457.  Teams of students work together to ask a question that can be answered using geospatial analysis.  They locate the spatial data that they need, perform the appropriate GIS analyses, and write a formal scientific paper.  Two of these projects are conducted during the semester.

 

Wiggins: BIO 465.  Teams of students work together to ask a question that can be answered using large environmental datasets.  They determine which statistical and graphical analyses that they need, perform them, and write a formal scientific paper.  Four of these projects are conducted during the semester.

 

Also:

BIO 495. Biotechniques
Emphasis is placed on theory, methodology and the development of manipulative abilities.

BIO 496. Research Literature
A systematic review and study of the research literature in a selected field of biology.

BIO 497. Biological Research
Research in a selected area of biology as arranged with sponsor.


BIO 499. Honors in Biology (0, 6). 6 credits.
Three semester course taken as parts A, B and C; 2 credits each.  A research proposal is submitted to the University Honors Program Office in the fall or spring semester of the junior year. An honors thesis is required and is due in the spring semester of the senior year.