Introductory Biology

Students will be able to:

• model how the components of the lac operon contribute to gene regulation and expression.

• generate and test predictions using computational modeling and simulations.

• interpret and record graphs displaying simulation results.

• relate simulation results to cellular events.

• describe how changes in environmental glucose and lactose levels impact regulation of the lac operon.

• predict, test, and explain how mutations in specific elements in the lac operon affect their protein product and other elements within the operon.

• Describe how cells can produce proteins at the right time and correct amount.
• Diagram how a repressor works to reduce transcription.
• Diagram how an activator works to increase transcription.
• Identify a new promoter from literature and design a method to clone it and test its function.
• Successfully and safely manipulate DNA and Escherichia coli for ligation and transformation experiments.
• Design an experiment to verify a new promoter has been cloned into a destination vector.
• Design an experiment to measure the strength of a promoter.
• Analyze data showing reporter protein produced and use the data to assess promoter strength.
• Define type IIs restriction enzymes.
• Distinguish between type II and type IIs restriction enzymes.
• Explain how Golden Gate Assembly (GGA) works.
• Measure the relative strength of a promoter compared to a standard promoter.

Students will be able to:

• Predict the effect of reaction temperature on the rate of a chemical reaction

• Interpret a graph plotted between rate of a chemical reaction and temperature

• Discuss chemical kinetics utilizing case studies of cold-blooded animals

Students will be able to:

• define different types of symbiotic interactions, with specific examples.
• summarize and critically evaluate contemporary primary literature relevant to ecological symbioses, in particular that between hermit crabs and Hydractinia spp.
• articulate a question, based on observations of a natural phenomenon (in this example, the hermit crab-Hydractinia interaction).
• articulate a testable hypothesis, based on their own observations and read of the literature.
• design appropriate experimental or observational studies to address their hypotheses.
• collect and interpret data in light of their hypotheses.
• problem-solve and troubleshoot issues that arise during their experiment.
• communicate scientific results, both orally and in written form.

Students will be able to:

• Perturb and interpret simulations of the trp operon.
• Define how simulation results relate to cellular events.
• Describe the biological role of the trp operon.
• Describe cellular mechanisms regulating the trp operon.
• Explain mechanistically how changes in the extracellular environment affect the trp operon.
• Define the impact of mutations on trp operon expression and regulation.

Students will be able to: Week 1-4: Fundamentals of Science and Biology

• List the major processes involved in scientific discovery
• List the different types of scientific studies and which types can establish causation
• Design experiments with appropriate controls
• Create and evaluate phylogenetic trees
• Define taxonomy and phylogeny and explain their relationship to each other
• Explain DNA sequence divergence and how it applies to evolutionary relationships and DNA barcoding

Week 5-6: Ecology

• Define and measure biodiversity and explain its importance
• Catalog organisms using the morphospecies concept
• Geographically map organisms using smartphones and an online mapping program
• Calculate metrics of species diversity using spreadsheet software
• Use spreadsheet software to quantify and graph biodiversity at forest edges vs. interiors
• Write a formal lab report

Week 7-11: Cellular and Molecular Biology

• Extract, amplify, visualize and sequence DNA using standard molecular techniques (PCR, gel electrophoresis, Sanger sequencing)
• Explain how DNA extraction, PCR, gel electrophoresis, and Sanger sequencing work at the molecular level

Week 12-13: Bioinformatics

• Trim and assemble raw DNA sequence data
• Taxonomically identify DNA sequences isolated from unknown organisms using BLAST
• Visualize sequence data relationships using sequence alignments and gene-based phylogenetic trees
• Map and report data in a publicly available online database
• Share data in a formal scientific poster

Students will be able to:

• identify when germination occurs.
• score germination in the presence and absence of GA to construct graphs of collated class data of wild-type and mutant specimens.
• identify the genotype of an unknown sample based on the analysis of their graphical data.
• organize data and perform quantitative data analysis.
• explain the importance of GA for plant germination.
• connect the inheritance of a mutation with the observed phenotype.