BIO2010 Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists (2003) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
2. A New Biology Curriculum
2. A New Biology Curriculum
Pages 27-59
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 27... ...
The lists are presented as concepts that would be helpful to future biomedical researchers, if they were introduced at some point during a four-year undergraduate program. Many but not all would be helpful to other biology students who are focusing their studies on areas of life sciences such as population biology, plant biology, or cognitive science.
|
From page 28... ...
Most biology students will not take such intensive schedules as presented in the sample curricula, and it is certainly possible to become a biomedical researcher without all of this background. However, the committee feels that future biomedical researchers, and possibly many other types of researchers, would be better prepared to contribute to interdisciplinary breakthroughs with such a background.
|
From page 29... ...
Following these concepts are four examples of potential undergraduate biology curricula that would be appropriate for future biomedical researchers. These examples are not meant to discourage the use of alternate curricula that also cover the content of mathematics and physical and information sciences.
|
From page 30... ...
Fourth, laboratory courses can motivate an experiment by recounting the historical background. For example, a biochemistry laboratory experiment on a glycolytic enzyme could begin with the Buchners' discovery of fermentation in a cell-free yeast extract, a chemistry laboratory experiment on halogenation with Scheele's discovery of chlorine, and a physics laboratory experiment on lasers with Einstein's prediction of stimulated emission.
|
From page 31... ...
Science faculty are not required to leave the teaching of reading, writing, critical thinking, and communication skills solely to the humanities and social sciences faculty. For example, incorporating the writing of grant proposals, or the scientific component of a business proposal for a biotech start-up, into a course provides useful experience requiring knowledge of both scientific ideas and other skills.
|
From page 32... ...
In order for biology students to receive a truly interdisciplinary education, cooperation between departments will be necessary. It is the responsibility of the biology faculty to make active outreach efforts to colleagues in other departments by offering to work together on mechanisms for incorporating biological concepts and examples into non-biology courses.
|
From page 33... ...
· In multicellular organisms, cells divide and differentiate to form tissues, organs, and organ systems with distinct functions. These differ· · ·1 r 1 ences arise primarily trom changes in gene expression.
|
From page 34... ...
Biology faculty shouldt work in concert with their chemistry colleagues to help design chemistry curricula that will not only foster growth of aspiring chemists, IDut also stimulate biology majors as well as students majoring in other dLisciplines. Furthermore, chemistry faculty must work with biologists to finds ways to collaborate on the incorporation of chemistry concepts, and those of other scientific disciplines, into their teaching of biology.
|
From page 35... ...
Bonding models (valence bond theory, molecular orbital theory) Molecular interactions (ion pair, hydrogen bond, van der Waals)
|
From page 36... ...
. · ransltlon states · Temperature dependence of kinetics · Catalysis, enzyme-catalyzed reactions, and the Michaelis-Menten equation · Diffusion-limited reactions · Thermodynamic versus kinetic stability Biomolecules · Building blocks: amino acids, nucleotides, carbohydrates, fatty acids · Biopolymers: proteins, nucleic acids, polysaccharides · Three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules · Molecular assemblies: micelles, monolayers, biological membranes · Solid-phase synthesis of oligonucleotides and peptides · Combinatorial synthesis · Spectroscopic reporters Analyzing Molecules and Reactions · Mass spectrometry · Absorption and emission spectroscopy (W.
|
From page 37... ...
Collective behaviors and systems far from equilibrium are not a traditional part of introductory physics. However, the whole notion of emergent behavior, pattern formation, and dynamical networks is so central to understanding biology, where it occurs in an extremely complex context, that it should be introduced first in physical systems, where all interactions and parameters can be clearly specified, and quantitative study is possible.
|
From page 38... ...
38 BIO2010 · Capacitors, R and RC circuits · Magnetic forces and magnetic fields · Magnetic induction and induced currents Conservation Laws and GolDal Constraints · Conservation of energy and momentum · Conservation of charge · First and Second Laws of thermodynamics Thermal Processes at the Molecular Level · Thermal motions: Brownian motion, thermal force (collisions) , temperature, equilibrium · Boltzmann's law, kT, examples · Ideal gas statistical concepts using Boltzmann's law, pressure · Diffusion limited dynamics, population dynamics Waves, Light, Optics, andtImaging Oscillators and waves · Geometrical optics: rays, lenses, mirrors · Optical instruments: microscopes and microscopy Physical optics: interference and diffraction X-ray scattering and structure determination Particle in a box; energy levels; spectroscopy from a quantum viewpoint · Other microscopies: electron, scanning tunneling, atomic force Collective Behaviors and Systems far from EquililDrium · Liquids, laminar flow, viscosity, turbulence · Phase transitions, pattern formation, and symmetry breaking · Dynamical networks: electrical, neural, chemical, genetic Engineering RECOMMENDATION #1.4 The committee recommends that life science majors Ire exposed" to engineering principles and analysis.
|
From page 39... ...
This could Ire complemented" exceptionally well Icy biology lecture or laboratory courses that assist students in their understanding of principles of physics and engineering (e.g., a unit on IDiomechanics taught in a physiology or anatomy coursed. Biology increasingly involves the analysis of complex systems.
|
From page 40... ...
Real systems are always noisy and imperfect; amplifiers have limited dynamical range; and the combination of these facts makes sending of an analog voltage signal through a large number of amplifiers essentially impossible. Pulse coding information escapes that problem (all long distance communication is digital these days)
|
From page 41... ...
The committee recommends that all biology majors master the concepts listed below. In addition, the committee recommends that life science majors become sufficiently familiar with the elements of programming to carry out simulations of physiological, ecological, and evolutionary processes.
|
From page 42... ...
. BIO2010 Linear Algebra · Scalars, vectors, matrices · Linear transformations · Eeigenvalues and eigenvectors · Invariant subspaces Dynamical Systems · Continuous time dynamics equations of motion and their trajectories · Test points, limit cycles, and stability around them · Phase plane analysis · Cooperativity, positive feedback, and negative feedback · Multistability · Discrete time dynamics mappings, stable points, and stable cycles · Sensitivity to initial conditions and chaos ProlDaIDility and Statistics · Probability distributions · Random numbers and stochastic processes · Covariation, correlation, and independence · Error likelihood Information and Computation · Algorithms (with examples)
|
From page 43... ...
Models oriented toward prediction of specific phenomena may require formal statistical validation methods, while models that wish to elucidate general patterns of system response may require corroboration with the available observed pat. terns.
|
From page 44... ...
. Modifying some system components can lead to destabilization of a previously stable equilibrium, possibly generating entirely new equilibria with differing stability characteristics.
|
From page 45... ...
A variety of statistical methods exist to characterize single data sets and to make comparisons between data sets. Using such methods with discernment takes practice.
|
From page 46... ...
Exposure during the early years of their undergraduate careers will help life science students use current computer methods and learn how to exploit emerging computer technologies as they arise. As computer power continues to grow rapidly, applications that were available only on supercomputers a few years ago can now be used on relatively inexpensive personal computers.
|
From page 47... ...
DESIGNING NEW CURRICULA SUITABLE FOR VARIOUS TYPES OF INSTITUTIONS RECOMMENDATION #2 Concepts, examples, and techniques from mathematics, and the physical and information sciences should Ire included in biology courses, and biological concepts and examples should Ire included in other science courses. Faculty in
|
From page 48... ...
The remainder of undergraduate courses would be in disciplines outside of the sciences. A study of the "core" or required biology courses for undergraduate biology majors was carried out by Dominick Marocco .
|
From page 49... ...
Those biology students who wish to eventually work at the interface of biology and physical, mathematical or information sciences will need to become more expert in those fields, and may want to take some of the standard courses offered in those disciplines that provide a more rigorous foundation. The integra
|
From page 50... ...
This plan is well suited to biology majors who can take both general chemistry and half of organic chemistry in their first year, preparing them for chemistry-based biology in their second year. One-semester courses to follow organic chemistry could include concepts of physical chemistry, perhaps focusing on solution chemistry; an introduction to analytical chemistry; or biochemistry at a chemically sophisticated level (i.e., where biomolecular structure and reaction mechanisms are presented in considerable depth)
|
From page 51... ...
An attractive option for quantitative literacy, mathematics, and computer science at some institutions might be the development of an integrated course to teach quantitative approaches and tools for research, as has been successfully developed at the University of Tennessee (see Case Study #4.) This innovative two-semester course designed for life science majors replaces the traditional calculus course.
|
From page 52... ...
A fourth semester could include discrete math and algorithms and could be taught in the context of biological issues, including those arising in genomics. In summary, for the future biomedical researcher, the committee proposes: · A reorganization of the chemistry offerings to allow for the early presentation of organic chemistry and the addition of some analytical and physical chemistry to the organic and inorganic courses.
|
From page 53... ...
For some of those students, calculus would be appropriate, others will need remedial mathematics courses, still others will enter with calculus and might enroll in discrete math and/or computer science courses. For more ideas, see Appendix F: Mathematics and Computer Science Panel Summary.
|
From page 54... ...
General Education Elective General Education Elective Evolutionary Biology/Ecology Biology Laboratory Course General Education Elective General Education Elective Independent Laboratory Research Biology Elective Science Elective Faculty Research Seminar General Education Elective Independent Laboratory Research Independent Laboratory Research aFor more ideas, see Appendix F: Mathematics and Computer Science Panel Summary.
|
From page 55... ...
Inorganic Chemistry (and lab) Introductory Math I General Education Elective General Education Elective Sophomore Molecular Biology Differential Equations Introductory Physics I (and lab)
|
From page 56... ...
The primary objective of the first year would be to provide students with the physical science knowledge and tools needed to effectively study biology starting in the second year at a level that prepares them for contemporary biological research as it is being carried out today. In the proposed curriculum, Chemistry I and II would introduce students to inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and key aspects of biomolecular interactions.
|
From page 57... ...
Chemistry II (and lab) Computer Science I General Education Elective General Education Elective Cell and Developmental Biology Biophysical Chemistry Physics III (and Engineering lab)
|
From page 58... ...
General Education Elective General Education Elective Junior General Education Elective General Education Elective Genetics (and lab) Computer Science General Education Elective General Education Elective Independent Laboratory Research Biology Elective Science Elective General Education Elective General Education Elective Independent Laboratory Research Evolutionary Biology Biology Laboratory Course General Education Elective General Education Elective Independent Laboratory Research Biology Elective Science Elective Faculty Research Seminar General Education Elective Independent Laboratory Research
|
From page 59... ...
At many institutions, this will mean changes in the course offerings so that those who will become future biomedical researchers learn more mathematics and more physical and information sciences than is currently required. It continues to make sense for biology majors to take introductory courses in chemistry and physics and to enroll in courses in the mathematics department.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.