Biotechnology for Sustainability
The biotech revolution is underway, with uncertain implications for widespread genetic modification of humans and other lifeforms. While biomedical biotech faces key scientific and ethical crossroads, applications to non-human systems offer critical solutions for food, water, and energy amid population growth and hydrologic change. This course explores biotechnology in the sustainability space, examining technical, economic, and policy challenges. Topics include diagnostic biotech, biofuels and biorefineries, bioremediation, biomining, synthetic biology, systems biology and AI, climate biotech, sustainable agriculture, and exoplanet colonization. Students should have a basic understanding of cellular biology and genetics and will explore molecular techniques (DNA, RNA, proteins) used in these fields. A group project enables deeper engagement with both wet lab and computational tools, alongside consideration of the ethics of genetic engineering.
Topics
- Critically evaluate major environmental sustainability challenges and the role of biotechnology in addressing them.
- Explain and apply key biotechnology approaches across domains such as health diagnostics, bioremediation, biofuels, sustainable agriculture, climate systems, and synthetic biology.
- Analyze biological systems using molecular and systems biology tools, including gene expression profiling, metabolic pathway analysis, and modeling approaches.
- Utilize bioinformatics resources and data (e.g., gene databases, literature) to identify genes, design assays, and model biological processes.
- Critically assess and communicate scientific information in biotechnology through literature analysis and clear technical presentation.
Official roster learning outcomes
Prerequisites & course information
CEE 4510 or CEE 5510 or BIOMI 2900 or equivalent.
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027