Microbial and Human Cell Biology

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course is the entry point into an integrated biology sequence designed to prepare non-biology majors for application to schools in the health professions. We explore topics in human cell biology within the context of evolutionary biology, chemistry, microbiology, and medicine. We pay special attention to the influence of prokaryotes on the history of life and to the ecological interactions between humans and their microbiota, which have major implications for human health and disease. Students read and discuss papers from the scientific literature, attend discussions and gain experience with microbiological basic microscopy techniques in lab.