Current Approaches in Plant and Microbial Research

4 units

This course is designed to introduce graduate students and upper-division undergraduates to contemporary approaches and paradigms in plant and microbial biology. The course includes lectures, in-class discussions of primary literature and hands-on exploration of computational genomic and phylogenetic tools. Evaluations include short papers, quizzes, and oral presentations. Over the semester, each student works on conceptualizing and writing a short NIH-format research proposal. Particular emphasis is given to the articulation of specific aims and the design of experiments to test these aims, using the approaches taught in class. Students provide feedback to their classmates on their oral presentations and on their specific aims in a review panel.