Course Listings - Fall 2005

BIOL 130 - The Botanical World (4 semester hours) R. deLanglade
Course Goals: This section of The Botanical World will focus on the natural world as related to higher plants. The prime goal is to give the students the necessary framework to understand the botanical world around them.
The course will cover the basic aspects of the science of botany, general plant structure, growth and development and reproduction as related to plants. Where appropriate the importance to man/society of the various topics will be discussed.
Assessment: Knowledge of botanical life will be gained through four written exams, a collection of lay press articles with summaries. Students will also grow plants in the greenhouse or make a leaf collection.

BIOL 131 - Trees and Shrubs of the Urban and Natural Environments (Woody Plants) (4 sh.) R. deLanglade
Will meet R-8 and lab experience for general education requirements or may be counted in Biology major/minor requirements as a botany course.

Course Goals: This course will focus on the urban and natural environments as related to woody trees and shrubs and vines. The prime goal of the course is to give the student the necessary framework to understand and be acquainted with the woody plant world around them.

Course Subject: The course is to acquaint the student of the various native and cultivated forms of woody trees, shrubs, and vines as found in natural and urban environments. Topics to be covered include: basic classification, naming, use of taxonomic keys, life histories, basic growth patterns, culture and care. Field trips to various local sites will be taken.

Required Text: Graves, Arthur H., Illustrated Guide to Trees and Shrubs

Assessment: Assessment of student achievement of the stated learning goals will be by:
1. At least 2 to 3 lecture tests.
2. 2-3 Field identification tests
3. A specimen collection (made with a partner).
4. Oral presentation to the class on a specific current article regarding this group of plants.
5. A scrap book of current articles in the lay press concerning this group of plants.

BIOL 143 - Cave Ecology (4 semester hours) H. Hobbs
This course is a basic introduction to cave ecology and will follow a lecture-seminar-discussion format with no formal laboratory. Several field trips to caves will be scheduled and mini-projects relating to cave ecology will be carried out on these trips. Much of the term will be spent examining speleogenesis, the structure and function of cave ecosystems, as well as the evolutionary biology of obligate cave inhabitants. The grade is based on class participation, mini-projects, one lecture exam, a short paper, several quizzes, and a final exam.

BIOL 170 - Concepts of Biology: Biological Information, Reproduction, and Evolution (5 sh.) Collier/Yoder
This course and Biol 180, required for the biology major, provide an overview of the primary concepts in biology and are prerequisites for upper level biology courses. Students may take Biology 170B and Biology 180B in either order. The major themes of this course are information flow from DNA to protein, animal reproduction, and evolution. Students must also enroll in an accompanying lab section (BIOL 171). The laboratory portion of the course will provide students with hands-on activities designed to reinforce lecture content and develop the basic scientific skills that are needed for future courses in the major. Offered in the fall semester.

BIOL 223 - Survey of Human Disease (4 semester hours) D. Mason
This course considers the major diseases that affect the human organism. It includes what causes the disease, clinical signs and symptoms, treatment, and prevention. A general overview of disease is considered first, including infections, autoimmune, genetic diseases, and cancer, to be followed by specific disease problems relating to each organ system.

Text: Pathology for the Health-related Professions, Ivan Damjanov

Information on the University class files, Q drive.

BIOL 224 - Developmental Biology (5 semester hours) K. Gribbins
This course is designed to provide an overview of the major features of early embryonic development in animals and the mechanisms that underlie them (both cellularly and molecularly). During the semester we will try to cover all of the following major areas:
• What methods do scientists use to study development
• How do multicellular embryos arise from a single-celled egg
• Genetic control of development
• Differentiation of specific cell types into germ layers and then tissues and organs
• Organization of the embryo and the molecular controls that govern pattern formation in animals

BIOL 231 - Vertebrate Zoology (5 semester hours) K. Gribbins
This course will examine comparatively the structural and functional anatomy of vertebrates using an evolutionary approach. Lectures will focus on major morphological systems, phylogenetic relationships, natural history and biogeography, and development of the vertebrate groups. Labs will follow the progression of lecture topics to compare each anatomical system in a diversity of vertebrates. A field trip to the Newport (KY) aquarium will introduce students to the great diversity of vertebrate life and provide a basis for writing papers that integrate morphology, function, and ecology.

BIOL 234 - Morphology of Non-Vascular Plants (5 semester hours) D. Mason
Course Goal: Provide students with an opportunity to systematically study various nonvascular plants, including: algae, bacteria, viruses, fungi and bacteria.
Course Topic: Students study the structure, reproduction, ecology and evolution of algae, bacteria, viruses, fungi and bacteria.
Assessment Methods: Students are evaluated by a means of lecture and laboratory examinations in addition to credit assigned their field collections.
Instructional Methods: This is carried out by means of lecture-discussions, including slide presentations of organisms and laboratory and field experiences.

Laboratory Manual on Nonvascular Plants, and information on the University class files, Q drive.

BIOL 238 - Entomology (5 semester hours) C. Trisler
An introduction to entomology including morphology, taxonomy and behavior. Emphasis on collection and preservation of specimens representing a prescribed number of Orders. Identification of terrestrial insects to the taxonomic level of Family using dichotomous keys as well as field characteristics. Some collection of aquatic orders as well. The course is constructed to equal two lectures and one lab per week. Much of the instruction is done in the field with local field trips, and the possibility of one overnight trip. Students are required to purchase collection and preservation supplies and make their own insect collection to use as type specimens.

BIOL 250 - Topics: Environmental Microbial Ecology (5 semester hours) W. Gagliano
This course focuses on microorganisms and their relationships or interactions with the environment. Topics covered will range from life in extreme environments to biological solutions to pollution. Laboratory exercises include experiments in soil and water microbiology as well as environmental biotechnology.

BIOL 255 - Biological Literacy (4 semester hours) J. Yoder
A study of common sources, methods, and techniques used in scientific writing and in presenting biological literature. There will be a strong emphasis on bibliographic sources as well as written and oral presentations of biological material in this writing intensive course.

BIOL 258B - Extended Field Studies - Cave Ecology (1 semester hour) H. Hobbs
A four-day field trip to Kentucky is offered as an optional field experience (highly recommended).

BIOL 258 - Extended Field Studies - Limnology (1 semester hour) H. Hobbs
A five-day field trip is offered as an optional field experience.

BIOL 310 - Molecular Biology (5 semester hours) M. Goodman
Molecular Biology will provide an introduction to the molecular biochemistry of cell function, focusing on genetic aspects. Topics to be discussed include structure of DNA and RNA, transcription, translation, regulation of gene expression, and DNA replication and repair. This is a writing intensive course, requiring one major paper, one lab report, and in-class essays on lecture exams. The laboratory portion of the course will focus on techniques used in the molecular biology laboratory, including electrophoresis (both agarose and polyacrylamide), blotting techniques, cloning and PCR.

BIOL 315 - Genetics (5 semester hours) M. Collier
This course will examine the scope and significance of modern genetic principles. Lecture and lab topics will include molecular and Mendelian genetics, protein synthesis, recombinant DNA, genetic engineering, effects of stressors upon genetic systems, human genetics, and population genetics. Particular attention will be paid to learning how to apply basic genetic principles to biological problems and to developing analytical skills.

BIOL 316 - Molecular Genetics and Bioinformatics (5 semester hours) M. Goodman
This course will focus on the molecular basis of heredity, beginning with an introduction to DNA structure, replication, and transcription, then move to a consideration of the entire genetic makeup of an organism: the genome. Students will investigate the components of a gene, the arrangement of genes on the chromosome and the regulation of gene expression. They will also learn the computational and laboratory methods used in chromosome mapping and genome sequencing. Emphasis will be placed on sequence comparison as a means to learn more about gene structure and prediction, protein structure and function, and evolutionary relationships between species. We will take advantage of the extensive data available through on-line databases of the human genome and other gene sequences.

BIOL 341 - Limnology (5 semester hours) H. Hobbs
This writing intensive course offers a study of inland aquatic ecosystems with emphasis on lakes and streams. Physical, chemical, and biological features are studied and numerous field experiences supplement lectures. Literature reviews and an exhaustive bibliographic research paper concerning an appropriate limnological topic are part of the requirements of this lecture/laboratory course. Chemistry 121 and 162 required.

BIOL 347 - Evolution (4 semester hours) T. Lewis
Evolution, or genetically based changes in species or populations over time, and natural selection as the mechanism of evolutionary change, have been easily demonstrated and accepted by scientists for over a century. Evolution forms one of the most fundamental frameworks for studying biology, and yet still creates controversy to the general public, including debates about the merits of including it in high school curricula. This class will examine the theory, the evidence for it, the way it shapes our understanding of biology, how it is used to preserve rain forests and invent medical cures, and some associated hoaxes. And, of course, we will examine the issues surrounding evolution as it plays out today. Classes include significant discussion and lecture components. There is no associated lab.

BIOL 406 - Senior Capstone (4 semester hours) J. Welch/W. Gagliano
The capstone culminates the student’s education in biology. Central concepts in biology will be discussed, with a focus on the primary literature and the process of scientific discovery. These concepts range from the molecular level through organismal biology to populations and ecosystems. The inter-relatedness of different disciplines within biology will be emphasized. In this course students develop skills in presenting scientific material in both oral and written form. This writing-intensive course is required of all biology majors and is intended to be taken during the senior year.

BIOL 494 - Ecological Research Methods (4 semester hours) J. Welch
This course will focus on basic and applied research in the field of Ecology. Experimental design, use of statistics, and improvement of organizational and writing skills will be stressed. Each student is required to conduct a research project and to write and present orally the results of the study. One set of projects will examine the transport and settlement site selection of fiddler crab megalopae and use molecular tools to identify individual megalopae to species.