Kamesh Regmi

This is the first laboratory course a student takes and is a prerequisite for all upper-division laboratory courses- required for the major. Students are introduced to the processes of investigative biology and scientific writing. Laboratories cover topics presented in the core lecture courses, BIOL 115 and 116, and introduce a variety of techniques and topics, including field sampling, microscopy, PCR, gel electrophoresis, enzyme biochemistry, physiology, evolution and population biology. The course emphasizes the development of inquiry skills through active involvement in experimental design, data collection and management, statistical analysis, integration of results with information reported in the literature, and writing in a format appropriate for publication. The year culminates in six-week student-designed investigations that reinforce the research skills developed during the year. Evaluation is based on laboratory notebooks, lab performance and scientific papers, as well as oral and written presentations summarizing the independent project. Prerequisite: completion or concurrent enrollment in BIOL 115 or equivalent.

This course is required for the major (AP or IB credit can be applied), therefore, biology majors should take this class prior to the junior year. Energy flow is a unifying principle across a range of living systems, from cells to ecosystems. With energy flow as a major theme, this course covers macromolecules, cells, respiration and photosynthesis, physiology and homeostasis, population and community interactions, and ecosystems. Throughout the course, the diversity of life is explored. The course also introduces students to the process of scientific thinking through discussion of research methodology and approaches. No prerequisite. Offered every year.

This course examines the physiological, anatomical and ecological adaptations that allow plants to survive in terrestrial environments. We explore how plants function, focusing on the diverse strategies that have evolved to fix atmospheric carbon into carbohydrate, anatomical structures that facilitate water and sugar movement across vast distances within the plant body, plant nutrition and relationships that allow plants to obtain resources when constrained by a sessile lifestyle. Simultaneously, we explore how plants respond to key environmental drivers such as carbon dioxide, water, vapor pressure and temperature, and how these responses contribute to plant biogeography. Primary literature readings are assigned throughout the semester to examine current topics in depth. This counts toward the upper-level lecture in organismal biology/physiology requirement for the major. Prerequisite: BIOL 115 or equivalent. Generally offered every year.

This course examines techniques for investigating plant physiological responses to environmental stimuli in both laboratory and greenhouse settings. Students learn to ask pertinent questions, formulate appropriate hypotheses, and practice and hone laboratory skills to measure photosynthetic physiology using both instantaneous (gas exchange) and integrated approaches (stable isotope analysis). We also examine methods for assessing plant water status (water potential). Using these methods and an experimental approach, we explore the drivers affect plant carbon-water relations. While the focus of the course is on vascular plant physiology, we also examine the diversity of photosynthetic organisms through comparative studies with bryophytes, lichens and cyanobacteria. This counts toward the upper-level laboratory requirement. Prerequisite or corequisite: BIOL 109Y-110Y and 245 or 323.

This combined discussion and laboratory course aims to develop abilities for asking sound research questions, designing reasonable scientific approaches to answer such questions, and performing experiments to test both the design and the question. We consider how to assess difficulties and limitations in experimental strategies due to design, equipment, organism selected and so on. The course provides a detailed understanding of selected modern research equipment. Students select their own research problems in consultation with one or more biology faculty members. This course is designed both for those who plan to undertake honors research in their senior year and for those who are not pursuing honors but want practical research experience. A student can begin the course in either semester. If a year of credit is earned, it may be applied toward one laboratory requirement for the major in biology. This course is repeatable for credit. Prerequisite: BIOL 109Y–110Y and 116 and permission of instructor.