Problem Based Learning in the Biomedical Sciences

3 units

Much of biology education is learning and applying what we already know. However, a career in science demands an ability to evaluate what we know in order to discover what we do not. In this course we will sharpen this skill. Students will be guided on how to read and interpret current research articles from the scientific literature. Weekly topics from previous years have included cancer therapy, infectious diseases, CRISPR, microbiome, stem cells, gene therapy, and immunotherapy. You will learn to prepare and present a scientific presentation, interpret the data, and evaluate next potential research questions. In this course, students will work in teams to work on biological problems that puzzle modern scientists. Students should have broad interests and background in biology, molecular biology, and medicine. Students should be curious, exploratory, interactive, and willing to build this unique skill required in scientific careers of all kinds. Students aspiring to be in the biomedical fields find this course very useful and inspiring.