hssp senior thesis brandeis

To acquire wisdom, one must observe

Interviews with brandeis university’s academic leadership: the hssp program.

• Jessie Yang
• October 21, 2022

The chair of Brandeis University’s Health: Science, Society, and Policy (HSSP) program, Professor Darren Zinner, sat down for an interview with The Brandeis Hoot to shed a little light on the program, its future and himself. This interview is part of a series of interviews with the chairs of a plethora of different academic departments and programs at Brandeis.

Zinner spoke on the cardinal components of the HSSP major; including the benefits that students can gain from an interdisciplinary program like HSSP, the hands-on experience the program offers and a few paths that students can follow after graduating from Brandeis.

The HSSP major was created 20 years ago, Zinner explained, to build on many strengths Brandeis has as an institution. It’s an interdisciplinary track with strong connections to biology, natural sciences, social sciences and policy. The program is also connected to the Heller School and the Legal Studies department primarily, according to Zinner.

According to Zinner, “maybe 20 percent to 25 percent [of HSSP students] are in a pre-clinical pathway that could be medicine, nursing, or dental, another group [works] in hospitals and insurance companies. Another group might be interested in global health . Other groups probably work for patient advocacy or more social justice concerns working for nonprofits across the board. And others might get graduate degrees like a master of public health or master of public policy, or even a healthcare-oriented MBA.”

Other paths toward nursing school, assistant dentistry or physical therapy are popular too. “Insurance companies, clinics and pharmaceutical firms all need scientists and managers and directors,” Zinner added.

After introducing the post-graduation possibilities for HSSP students, Zinner talked about one of the most critical components of the HSSP program: the hands-on experience. He mentioned that “two-thirds [of HSSP students] satisfy the hands-on experience requirement through an internship. Those internships need to be with health care organizations, but the range is as wide as our students take.” 

Students fulfill the hands-on experience requirement in many different ways, Zinner went on: “we have folks teaching five-year-olds about nutrition in a summer camp. We have folks who are working at Manhattan Mental Health court.” According to the HSSP website , there are eight different ways that students can complete the experience requirement. 

The first option, which Zinner described, is having students complete an internship and take a class in tandem with it. There are other options including a summer study abroad program in Mérida, Mexico with the HSSP 137A class . Students can also fulfill the requirement by choosing other study abroad programs with a health-related focus, according to the university’s page . HSSP majors could also elect to do a senior thesis or independent research, according to the page. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the major created additional options for students in order to complete the requirement. The temporary options were created because the department wanted to recognize the struggle of obtaining an internship due to COVID-19 restrictions, according to the HSSP page . 

The HSSP program provides a lot of freedom for students. Zinner also added that some students try a study abroad program to fulfill the hands-on experience requirements. As described above, one such program is the Brandeis in Mérida program “in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, where [students] learn about public health in South and Central America.” Zinner also mentioned that some HSSP students study abroad in London or Denmark.

He went on to explain that HSSP students do their internships in a variety of different ways. “In bio labs at Brandeis and others in biotech firms. Some work in hospitals or nursing homes, but we also have interns that are working with helping in a living center with traumatic brain injury,” said Zinner.

Zinner added that hands-on experience plays a vital role for students who want to try something in the real world, which might help them confirm their path after graduation. According to Zinner, the vital component of HSSP is that the program tackles more than just medicine or research, but both the justice and the medical needs in the real world. Zinner listed a couple of essential factors that could possibly impact an individual’s medical well-being, including housing, environment and nutrition.

The HSSP major provides students with an interdisciplinary study of health and hands-on experience opportunities, the major prepares students for a variety of professional opportunities. 

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Robert D. Farber University Archives and Special Collections

The University Archives maintains copies of senior honor theses, PhD dissertations and a small number of master's theses.

Senior Honors Theses

The University Archives has a fairly complete collection of senior honors theses. All theses can be found in the library catalog, OneSearch , through a title, author or subject search. To search for theses by department, enter "Brandeis University senior honors theses dept of [department name]" in an author or keyword search.

Inter-Library Loan Policy

Senior honors theses collected in print are housed in the University Archives. Like all items in the Archives, these senior theses do not circulate and cannot be borrowed by other libraries.

Limited copying is available. Small portions of a senior thesis may be copied without the author's permission. Copies cost 20 cents per page for members of the Brandeis community and Boston Library Consortium institutions, and 25 cents per page for other patrons.

A senior honors thesis may be photocopied in full if the University Archives has the author's written permission to do so. To facilitate this process, the University Archives has created a release form for all thesis authors to complete and sign, granting others permission to reproduce their work for research purposes. We ask that departmental administrators distribute these release forms to all graduating seniors who want to submit a print copy of their thesis, and to ensure that the completed release forms accompany theses when they are submitted to departments for review, and then transferred to the University Archives for permanent housing.

PhD Dissertations

Print copies of PhD dissertations are in the library's general circulating collection. The University Archives has microfilm copies of these dissertations. All dissertations can be found in the library catalog, OneSearch , through a title, author or subject search. To search for dissertations by department, enter "Brandeis University theses dept of [department name]" in an author or keyword search.

Master's Theses

The University Archives has a small number of print copies of master's theses. All theses can be found in the library catalog OneSearch through a title, author or subject search. To search for theses by department, enter "Brandeis University theses dept of [department name]" in an author or keyword search. Master's theses (2008- ) are now available in electronic format (with downloadable full text) via the Brandeis Master's Theses Collection .

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Finding Theses and Dissertations

Finding and Submitting Theses and Dissertations

The University Archives maintains print copies of o ver 3500   senior honors theses and almost 200 Masters theses are cataloged in OneSearch  and can be reviewed in the Archives & Special Collections Reading Room. 

If you would like to submit a print copy of your thesis to be included in the University Archives collections (it will be professionally bound and have a record for it created and added to  OneSearch ), you can either bring a printed copy to the archives (unbound, no staples or fasteners of any kind please) or you can mail the printed copy to: Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections / Brandeis University / 415 South Street / MS 045 / PO Box 549110 / Waltham MA 02454 [care of University Archivist].  Please also include your signed and completed Thesis Release/Deed of Gift form (if you drop off a paper copy to the archives, one will be given to you; we can also mail, fax, or email a copy of the form if that is preferable). 

For information on submitting theses to the Brandeis Institutional Repository, please see the Guide for Undergraduate thesis writers at Brandeis .  

Senior honors theses  

The University Archives has a fairly complete collection of senior honors theses. All theses can be found in the library catalog,  OneSearch , through a title, author, or subject search. To search for theses by department, enter "Brandeis University senior honors theses dept of [department name]" in an author or keyword search. Items which were submitted electronically are available by download through Onesearch . For print theses bring a list of call numbers to the University Archives and we’ll retrieve them for you. Theses do not circulate and must be viewed in the Archives & Special Collections reading room.

Masters theses

All theses can be found in the library catalog  OneSearch  through a title, author, or subject search. To search for theses by department, enter "Brandeis University theses dept of [department name]" in an author or keyword search. Master's theses  as of 2008 are now available in electronic format (with downloadable full text) via Brandeis ScholarWorks .  Like senior honors theses, Masters theses may be photocopied or downloaded if the author has granted permission in writing.   

Reproducing theses for research

Limited copying of print theses is available. Small portions of theses may be copied without the author's permission. Complete copies of a thesis have a charge of $20.00, while individual pages cost $0.20 per page for members of the Brandeis community and Boston Library Consortium institutions, and $0.25 per page for other patrons.

A thesis may be copied in full if the University Archives has the author's written permission to do so. To facilitate this process, the University Archives has created a Thesis Release/Deed of Gift form for all thesis authors to complete and sign, granting others permission to reproduce their work for research purposes.  If you have previously submitted a thesis to the archives without signing this form, it can be signed at any time in the future to allow for greater access.  Please contact the department if you would like a form.

If you do not have a library account with Brandeis theses may be borrowed by participating interlibrary loan institutions by contacting  [email protected] . We will check to see if we have the proper permissions and if we do we will accept the request.

Dissertations 

Dissertations created by Brandeis students may be accessed directly from  Dissertations and Theses at Brandeis University , a library database. Electronic copies can be reached via a link in the database and print copies are housed in the library stacks and may be borrowed by members of the Brandeis community. Print dissertations also be borrowed by participating interlibrary loan institutions by contacting  [email protected] .

To access any dissertation not written by Brandeis students there are three places they may be found:

Find electronic versions of dissertations through our subscription to   Dissertations and Theses Full Text powered by ProQuest . To find dissertations you can narrow your results by using the many subject fields located in Advanced Search.

Available full text and free of charge are the  Open Access Theses and Dissertations  which has materials from all over the world in their database.

For those who don’t have access to in house collections and can’t find what they need through the Open Access website  ProQuest Dissertation Express  allows users to buy copies of dissertations. You would need author, title or an UMI Publication number to search for it. Once you find it, you can choose from various formats to purchase including Microfilm, Microfiche, Hardcover, Softcover, Unbound or as a PDF which will give you immediate access.

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Michtom School of Computer Science

The senior thesis requires a considerable time investment, discipline and focus, and therefore is only undertaken by a few students each year. When considering whether to undertake an honors thesis, a student should keep in mind that this is a self-directed study on an original topic that requiring motivation and discipline. As an alternative, students may prefer to enroll in an independent study with a faculty member that requires a less intense level of research, such as COSI 98a.

Am I eligible to do a thesis and what are the requirements?

To be considered for the thesis, the following requirements must be met:

• A grade point average of 3.75 in COSI courses by the end of junior year;
• Have completed all of the COSI core courses, see Bulletin for details;
• The advisor and Undergraduate Advising Head (UAH) agree the student has completed the coursework required to undertake such a thesis;
• Student has selected feasible topics during their second semester of the junior year and had a preliminary conversation with a potential faculty advisor;
• Agreement by a member of the COSI faculty to be the advisor for the thesis, by the end of junior year. Student must report this to the UAH with a carbon copy (cc) to their thesis advisor;
• Enrollment in COSI 99D in both semesters of senior year;
• Submission of a proposal to the advisor and the UAH in the first week of classes of their senior year.

What are the standards for the thesis?

Students must:

• Undertake independent research on an agreed upon area of the major, in accordance with the guidelines established beforehand by their thesis advisor.
• Write a well-developed and thorough thesis describing the project, discussing formal analysis of the data, detailing the research and addressing research questions. The appropriate thesis length is determined by the thesis advisor based on the selected subject matter.  
• Submit the final draft of the thesis to the COSI office (for distribution to the thesis committee) no later than two (2) weeks before the defense date.
• Defend the thesis on the day after the last day of classes of the spring semester.

How do I apply to the thesis program?

A student must conceive of a research project, formulate a topic, draft their research questions and a methodology. Students must then seek out a Computer Science faculty member who agrees to advise the project. A student may ask the UAH for help in selecting an advisor.

Students must submit a proposal of at least 5-10 pages double spaced (note that in some cases an appropriate proposal may need to be longer) to the thesis advisor one week after the first day of classes in the first semester of their senior year (spring semester for midyear students). The proposal should include a bibliography, explicit descriptions of what the thesis topic is, and why the topic is interesting and important. Be sure to include what the central question(s) to be examined are, how the topic speaks to issues in computer science and the methodology/sources of data.

The proposal will then be reviewed by the faculty. If the faculty member agrees to mentor this senior thesis project, the student must then send the proposal to the Undergraduate Advising Head (UAH) with a copy to the advising faculty no later than the last day to add classes .

How is the thesis evaluated?

At the end of fall semester (spring semester for the midyear admits), the advisor will give a grade that reflects an evaluation of the entire process of research and writing the senior thesis thus far. If the advisor decides the project is not going to be continued, only a grade for fall will be given for the past semester. The remainder of the senior honors thesis will be discontinued.

At the end of the spring semester (fall semester for the midyear admits), the student presents their thesis to the defense committee. The Defense Committee, made up of thesis advisor and other faculty members, determines a recommendation for whether the thesis should receive honors (and, if so, what level of honors) after the defense. This recommendation is based upon both the written thesis and the oral defense.

What are the IRB obligations?

IRB (Institutional Review Board) permission, where required, should be applied for well in advance so the student can use their data toward a thesis.

It is the student's responsibility to determine, with their faculty advisor, whether they need to obtain IRB approval for the collected data to be able to use it in the thesis. This is typically necessary for projects which involve data gathered from human subjects, e.g., through interviews, participant observation, databases, etc.

If IRB approval is necessary, it must be obtained before any experiments or other data collection begins. The purpose of IRB review is to make sure that research subjects are protected under applicable laws, and that the research benefits outweigh the risks. IRB approval takes time, and approval must be granted before beginning the study; thus, the proposal should be submitted as soon as the topic is formulated to avoid any unnecessary delays in the student's research.

The forms for requesting approval can be found on the Office of Research Administration website . Please note that the review form requires a description of the research and a detailed description of methodology, attached to the form.

Students must also participate in a training session through the CITI program .

What do I need to know about the oral defense?

Oral Defense Guidelines

• The oral defense usually lasts between 30-45 minutes.
• The student presents the central research topic or question of the thesis, explaining the motivation behind the thesis' line of investigation. The central argument(s) of the thesis are then presented, along with illustrated empirical examples, derivations, or visualizations, as appropriate to the computer science field. The presentation typically ends with a summary of the thesis' main empirical findings and theoretical proposals, along with suggested topics for future research.
• At the end of the presentation the student will take questions from the defense committee (and from other members of the audience, per their advisor's discretion). This discussion is an opportunity to showcase the depth of thinking that went into the project, and to get useful feedback.

What is the thesis timeline?

See chart below.

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University Bulletin (2024-2025)

Department of biology.

Last updated: August 15, 2024 at 11:12 AM

Programs of Study

• Major (BA/BS)
• Combined (BS/MS)

Undergraduate Major

The undergraduate program in biology, leading either to the BA or to the BS degree, is designed to give students an understanding of fundamental and current biological knowledge in a variety of fields. The program offers a wide array of courses to undergraduates, ranging from introductory to advanced, specialized, and graduate-level courses in many subject areas. The biology department has more than twenty-five full-time faculty members with teaching and/or research interests in the fields of genetics, molecular biology, development, cancer, microbiology, neurobiology, motility, cell biology, structural biology, animal behavior, and ecology.

Because the interests and needs of our students vary, the major is designed to provide flexibility once the core courses have been completed. Students may elect undergraduate-level courses in a variety of areas of biology and biochemistry or may choose to obtain more-advanced, in-depth training in one particular area. Some students also become integral members of research laboratories and attend departmental research colloquia.

A major in biology provides excellent preparation for students intent on careers in biological research; for those seeking careers in medicine, veterinary medicine, and dentistry; and for those interested in the allied health professions such as public health, genetic counseling, physical therapy, nursing, or physician assistant. The Biology department also offers courses concerned with ecology or environmental science. See "Special Note G" below for additional programs in ecology and conservation biology.

Graduate Programs in the Biological Sciences

For MS and PhD degrees in the biological sciences, see the separate listings for molecular and cell biology, biochemistry and biophysics, biotechnology, neuroscience, and genetic counseling programs in this Bulletin .

Learning Goals

Biology is the science of life. We may study biology for its practical applications in fields that include research, medicine, and biotechnology, or simply because of what E.O. Wilson terms "biophilia", our innate fascination with living organisms. BA and BS programs build upon fundamental concepts to give an understanding of major areas of modern biology, including molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, evolution, physiology, neurobiology, and ecology. Courses for non-majors introduce aspects of the biology of our everyday lives. They provide background for students to make choices in areas such as diet and immunization, and to be informed participants in broader debate of issues such as stem cell research and human impact on the environment.

The learning goals for the Biology major focus on three areas – content, skills, and attitudes:

• Structure/Function – The relationship between structure and function at different scales of chemical and biological organization, including molecules, cells, tissues, organs, populations, and ecosystems.
• Homeostasis – The maintenance of a stable internal environment compatible with life for cells and organisms.
• Information – Storage, flow, expression, and inheritance of genetic information.
• Evolution – Genetic variation, mechanisms of evolutionary change, and patterns that result from evolutionary process, including biodiversity.
• Systems – Flow of matter and energy, interactions, and emergent properties, from networks to cells to organisms to ecosystems.
• Scientific process – Ability to make observations, ask questions, formulate hypotheses, design and carry out experiments, perform techniques, collaborate with others, and collect, analyze, interpret, and present data.
• Scientific information – Ability to find and cite sources, read and evaluate scientific papers, and distinguish between well supported and unsupported scientific claims.
• Quantitative reasoning – Ability to read and interpret numerical and graphical data, perform statistical analysis of data, and create visual representations of data.
• Communication – Ability to convey scientific ideas, concepts, and experiments in written, graphical, and oral forms.
• Application – Ability to relate biological concepts to situations outside of the classroom, including popular science, current events, and personal health.
• Interest, enthusiasm, and engagement in science and biology.
• Ability to approach novel biological problems with curiosity, creativity, and confidence.
• Appreciating and understanding the interdisciplinary nature of the life sciences.
• Understanding the ethical issues surrounding scientific research.
• Understanding the role of science in addressing societal and environmental issues.

Upon graduation

The flexible bachelor's degree program educates biology graduates for a variety of careers, which may depend upon the elective courses taken. Some will enter the workforce in technical positions in biological research in academic, medical or industrial laboratories. Others will go on to graduate study in dentistry, medicine, veterinary medicine, and allied health professions such as genetic counseling, physical therapy, physician assistant, or public health. Some students will enter Master's or Doctoral programs in the life sciences. Still others will bring their scientific backgrounds to other professions, including business, secondary and post-secondary education, and law.

How to Become a Major

The introductory biology sequence consists of three required courses BIOL14a (Genetics and Genomics), BIOL15b (Cells and Organisms),and BIOL16a (Evolution and Biodiversity), which can be taken in any order. One or more of these courses are required for the biology, biochemistry, and HSSP BA majors. Two of these courses are required of pre-medical, pre- dental, and pre-veterinary students, so most students with these academic and/or professional interests enroll in at least one during their first year.

The most important course to take in the first year is BIOL 15b (offered both fall and spring), because it is a prerequisite for the lab course (BIOL 18b) that students typically take in the fall of their second year. Many students opt to wait until the spring semester, and begin the biology series with BIOL 15b in spring, and BIOL 14a the following fall. This may work well for students who want to ease in by starting with only a chemistry class (see below) in their first semester. Other students choose to take both BIOL 15b and BIOL 14a in their first year, because one or both of these are prerequisites for most biology electives. Alternatively, students may begin the biology series with BIOL 16a in fall, BIOL 15b in spring, and BIOL 14a the following fall. This is a good option for students who are most interested in organismal biology, ecology, or evolution. We recommend that you declare your biology major during your first year, so that you can take the majors-only lab sequence, BIOL 18b,a, as early as your sophomore year.

Students receiving an AP or IB score of 5 or higher may elect to pass out of BIOL15b. You should be aware, however, that a high AP score does not necessarily indicate readiness to continue with upper-level biology electives. For this reason, we strongly recommend all students considering opting out of BIOL15b take the Biology placement exam available on the registrar’s placement exam site to determine preparedness for opting out of BIOL15b. Please note that most medical, dental and veterinary schools require two semesters of in-residence introductory biology. If you elect to pass out of BIOL15b, these schools will require you to take both BIOL14a and another biology lecture course, such as BIOL16a, to fulfill this requirement.

Students who do not have a strong background in math are encouraged to enroll in MATH 5a, precalculus, in their first semester. We recommend that students who have more math background take general chemistry with lab in their first year. 

Typically, biology majors take the introductory laboratory series, BIOL 18b and 18a, in their sophomore year. Students should note that BIOL 15b must be taken before the fall lab course, BIOL 18b; and BIOL 14a must be taken before the spring lab course, BIOL 18a. If you begin in another major but want to switch to the biology major after taking the non-majors' biology laboratory series, BIOL 12a and BIOL 12b, you will need to add one more 4-credit biology lab course (such as BIOL 18a, BIOL 18b, BIOL 152, or BIOL 159) to complete the core laboratory requirement for the major.

Bruce Goode, Chair (Rosenstiel Center) Cytoskeletal mechanisms controlling cell morphogenesis .

Susan Birren ( Volen National Center for Complex Systems) Developmental neurobiology.

Alexandre Bisson (Rosenstiel Center) Cellular organization and behavior in the Archaea domain of life.

Paul Garrity ( Volen National Center for Complex Systems) Neural development and behavior.

Leslie Griffith (Director, Volen National Center for Complex Systems) Biochemistry of synaptic plasticity.

James Haber (Director, Rosenstiel Center) Repair of broken chromosomes and triggering of the DNA damage response.

Lizbeth Hedstrom Design of targeted protein degraders; antibiotic discovery; enzyme structure-function studies.

Colleen Hitchcock Community ecology, phenology, and climate change.

Sebastian Kadener (Volen National Center for Complex Systems, Rosenstiel Center) (on leave fall 2024 - spring 2025) Molecular neurobiology and RNA metabolism.

Melissa Kosinski-Collins Biology education.

Michael Marr (Rosenstiel Center) Gene expression in cellular stress responses.

Eve Marder ( Volen National Center for Complex Systems) Modulation of neural networks.

Maria Miara Comparative anatomy, evolution, physiology, biomechanics, comparative anatomy, evolution physiology, biomechanics.

Paul Miller (Volen National Center for Complex Systems) Computational and theoretical neuroscience.

James Morris Evolution, genetics, epigenetics, history of science, and science education.

Sacha Nelson ( Volen National Center for Complex Systems) Physiological genomics of the mammalian neocortex.

Suzanne Paradis (Volen National Center for Complex Systems) Molecular mechanisms of synapse development.

Kene Piasta Biology education and protein structure-function.

Avital Rodal (Rosenstiel Center, Volen National Center for Complex Systems) Endosomal membrane traffic in neurons.

Michael Rosbash (Volen National Center for Complex Systems) Circadian rhythms, behavior and gene expression.

Piali Sengupta (Volen National Center for Complex Systems) (on leave fall 2024 - spring 2025) Behavioral and neuronal development in C. elegans.

Neil Simister, BIOL 93a and BIOL 99/199 Senior Honors Coordinator (Director, Professional Science Master’s Program in Biotechnology; Rosenstiel Center) Molecular immunology. Antibody transport.

Gina Turrigiano (Volen National Center for Complex Systems) Activity-dependent regulation of neuronal properties.

Stephen Van Hooser (Volen National Center for Complex Systems)  Development and function of cortical circuits.

Rachel Woodruff, Undergraduate Advising Head Teaching genetics and genomics and molecular biotechnology.

Affiliated Faculty

Requirements for the major.

Option I: The BA Degree in Biology

The BA is the standard biology option that provides students with a general background in biology. In addition to the Core courses required of all candidates (listed above), students must complete one course from the Quantitative Course List below. Also, students must complete a total of five Elective Courses, at least three of which must be taken at Brandeis. At least three electives must come from the Biology Elective Group; up to two may be chosen from the General Science Elective Group.

Courses required of all BA candidates or those used to fulfill the Quantitative Course requirement cannot also be used for Elective credit.

Option II: The BS Degree in Biology

The BS is the intensive biology option that provides students with a strong background in several areas of biology. In addition to the Core courses required of all candidates (listed as in A above), students must complete two courses from the Quantitative Course List. They must also complete PHYS 10a,b or PHYS 11a,b or PHYS 15a,b; and PHYS 18a,b or PHYS 19a,b lab. In addition, students must complete six elective courses, at least four of which must be taken at Brandeis. At least four electives must come from the Biology Elective Group; up to two may be chosen from the General Science Elective Group.

Courses required of all BS candidates or those used to fulfill the Quantitative Course requirement cannot also be used for Elective credit.

Quantitative Course List

Statistics (one of BIOL 51a, ECON 83a, or PSYC 51a*) BIOL 107a any COSI course numbered 10 or higher ECON 181b ECON 184b HSSP 100b any MATH course numbered 10 or higher NBIO 136b any QBIO course PSYC 148a

*Students matriculating in or after fall 2020 cannot use more than one of BIOL 51A, ECON 83A, or PSYC 51A toward the Biology Major

Biology Electives

BIOL 17b any BIOL course numbered 23 or higher (excluding courses numbered 90-99) ANTH 116a BCHM 88b or 100a (one but not both) COSI 178a any BIBC course any CBIO course any NBIO course any QBIO course PHYS 105a

Two semesters of supervised research (BIOL 93 plus BIOL 99, or two semesters of BIOL 99), if both supervised by the same Brandeis professor, may count as one elective in biology. 

*Students matriculating in or after fall 2024 may use either NBIO 140b or NBIO 240a to satisfy the Biology major, but not both. Most students will take NBIO140b; NBIO 240a is intended for PhD students and advanced undergraduates or masters students who intend to perform basic research in neuroscience. Students matriculating in or after fall 2021 cannot use more than one of BIOL 51A, ECON 83A, or PSYC 51A toward the Biology Major

General Science Electives (no more than 2 full course electives can come from this group): Any course from BCHM, CHEM, COSI, EBIO, MATH, PHYS numbered 10 or higher (excluding courses numbered 90-99 and courses in the Biology Elective Group). Lab courses not listed as a requirement for A. Option I (BA) or A. Option II (BS) can be used as electives in the General Science elective group.

Note: Two-credit laboratory courses are counted as one-half of a regular semester course and 4-credit laboratory courses will be counted as a full semester course.

AP credit cannot be used to satisfy the quantitative requirement or the elective requirement. The Biology AP cannot be used to fulfill BIOL 14a or 16a.

• Fulfill the writing intensive requirement by successfully completing: BIOL 18a, BIOL 26a,  or any course approved for the major with the Writing Intensive designation.
• Fulfill the oral communication requirement by successfully completing: BIOL 39b, BIOL 78b, BIOL 101a,  or any course approved for the major with the Oral Communication designation.
• Fulfill the digital literacy requirement by successfully completing one of the following: BIOL 39b, BIOL 51a, BIOL 107a, COSI 178a, ECON 83A, ECON 184B, HSSP 100b, PSYC 51a, NBIO 136b,  or any course approved for the major with the Digital Literacy designation.

Any junior or senior majoring in biology may enroll in BIOL 93 (Independent Research). This course on its own does not count as an elective but may be used for course credit. This on-campus internship may be done during the summer or during one academic semester. No more than one BIOL 93 course may be taken. Students must petition the department for participation in BIOL 93. Petitions and information about the research internships are available online .

Students may enroll in a 1-credit BIOL 91g section to engage in Biology research by working in the laboratory of a faculty member for a minimum of 3 hours per week for one semester.  Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis and may be repeated for credit, this course does not fulfill any requirements for the Biology major.  Students who have declared a Biology major must receive permission from the Biology Undergraduate Advising Head as well as the faculty sponsor to enroll in BIOL 91g.  Students who have not yet declared a major must receive permission from their academic advisor as well as the faculty sponsor.

• Senior Research Any senior majoring in biology may enroll in senior research. This two-semester program is taken as a combination of two courses, which can be either BIOL 93 and BIOL 99 , or BIOL 99a and BIOL 99b .  In the first option, the student can do the BIOL 93 research internship in the summer of junior year followed by BIOL 99a in fall semester of senior year; or the student may do the BIOL 93 research internship in fall semester, followed by BIOL 99 in spring semester of senior year.  In the second option, the student enrolls in BIOL 99a in fall semester and BIOL 99b in spring semester of the senior year. The combination of BIOL 93 and BIOL 99, or the combination of BIOL 99a and BIOL 99b, may be used as one elective in biology. BIOL 93 and 99 must be taken sequentially; BIOL 93 may not be taken at the same time as, or after, BIOL 99. No more than 3 courses (combinations of BIOL 93, BIOL 99) may be taken for course credit. Students petition the department for participation in BIOL 93 or BIOL 99. Information about the research internship and senior research are available on the petition forms for BIOL 93 and BIOL 99 .
• Senior Honors Program Seniors can receive credit for senior research in biology by petitioning the biology honors coordinator during the fall of their senior year. Candidates must enroll in BIOL 99a and 99b to carry out a senior research project and submit a thesis. Candidates interested in honors must state this in their petition and also present an oral defense of their thesis upon completion of BIOL 99b. Students must meet university eligibility for honors, and, in addition, a minimum grade of B+ must be earned in BIOL 99a and BIOL 99b to be eligible for honors.
• No course offered for major requirements in either Option I or II may be taken on a pass/fail basis.
• Satisfactory grades (C- or above) must be earned in all Biology Core courses with BIOL designations (BIOL 14a, 15b, 16a, 18a, 18b), all Quantitative courses and in all Elective courses from the Biology Elective and the General Science Elective groups offered for the major in Biology. No more than one D or D+ may be earned in any other courses offered for the major. No grade of D- will be allowed.

Combined BS/MS Program

Four-year Combined BS/MS Program in Biology

An undergraduate student majoring in Biology may be admitted to the four-year BS/MS program upon recommendation by the faculty research sponsor. In addition the student must meet with and receive approval from the Biology BS/MS Advising Head. It is recommended that this meeting take place no later than February 1 of the student’s junior year.

In order to complete the BS/MS program in biology, students must successfully complete courses earning 152 credits. These courses must include those needed to satisfy the requirements for the Biology BS degree, two additional biology electives chosen from the electives listed in the Bulletin, and BIOL 199a and 199b (BS/MS Senior Research). Of the 8 electives (not including two quantitative electives, and not including BIOL 199a,b) required for the BS/MS degree, at least 6 must be at the graduate level, and completed with a grade of B- or above. One of the 6 can be a general science elective. BS/MS students must complete a senior thesis (BIOL 199a and BIOL 199b Senior Research). The award of the MS is dependent on students achieving departmental honors in biology.

Special Notes Relating to the Undergraduate Program

School for Field Studies: SFS offers programs at a number of different sites around the world, including East Africa, Costa Rica, Baja Mexico, Australia, and the West Indies.

School for International Training: SIT offers programs around the world in ecology, conservation, and sustainable development.

Denmark's International Studies Program : DIS offers a range of programs in marine biology and ecology, environmental biology, medical practice and policy, and molecular biology and genetics.

Students should see Mr. D.L. Perlman for further information on these programs, including information on the transferability of course credits as biology electives.

• AP exam credit: Students receiving an AP or IB score of 5 or higher may elect to pass out of BIOL 15b. You should be aware, however, that a high AP score does not necessarily indicate readiness to continue with upper-level biology electives. For this reason, we strongly recommend all students considering opting out of BIOL 15b take the Biology placement exam available on the registrar’s placement exam site to determine preparedness for opting out of BIOL 15b. Please note that most medical, dental and veterinary schools require two semesters of in-residence introductory biology. If you elect to pass out of BIOL 15b, these schools will require you to take both BIOL14a and another biology lecture course, such as BIOL 16a, to fulfill this requirement. Students receiving AP credit as per university guidelines may use these to satisfy the general chemistry (CHEM 11) or physics (PHYS 10, 11) requirements. However, neither AP Math AB scores of 4, 5 nor AP Math BC scores of 3, 4, 5 may be used to satisfy the quantitative course requirement for the biology major.

(1-99) Primarily for Undergraduate Students

Prerequisites: BIOL12b, BIOL 14a, and sophomore standing. Yields half-course credit. Biology majors should take BIOL 18b and BIOL 18a.

Provides firsthand experience with a wide array of organisms and illustrates basic approaches to experimental design and problem solving in genetics and genomics. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisites: BIOL 15b, and sophomore standing. Yields half-course credit. Biology majors should take BIOL 18b and BIOL 18a.

Provides firsthand experience with modern molecular biology techniques and illustrates basic approaches to experimental design and problem solving in molecular and cellular biology including applications of biochemical techniques. Usually offered every year.

Studies fundamentals of genetics, molecular biology and genomics through analytical thinking and problem-solving. Topics include heredity, meiosis, molecular basis of phenotypic variations, and an introduction to tools and techniques used by past and current researchers in genetics and molecular biology . Usually offered every semester.

Introduces contemporary biology with an emphasis on cells, organs, and organ systems. Topics include the forms and functions of macromolecules, organelles, and cells, the integration of cells into tissues, and the physiology of fundamental life processes. The course is intended to prepare students to understand the biology of everyday life, and to provide a strong foundation for those who continue to study the life sciences. Usually offered every semester.

"Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution," the geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky said famously. Evolution is the unifying theory of biology because it explains both the unity and diversity of life. This course examines processes and patterns of evolution. Specific topics include the history of Earth and life, evolution and its mechanisms, phylogenetic trees, and the diversity of life. We will take time to read Darwin’s On the Origin of Species and end with a discussion of human evolution and the impact we are having on the planet. Usually offered every fall.

Prerequisite: BIOL 16a or ENVS 2a.

Considers the current worldwide loss of biological diversity, causes of this loss, and methods for protecting and conserving biodiversity. Explores the science of conservation focused on the biological aspects of the problems and their solutions. Usually offered every spring.

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a, BIOL 18b, sophomore standing, and a declared biology major. Yields full-course credit. This lab is time-intensive and students will be expected to come in to lab between regular scheduled lab sessions. In order to accommodate students with time conflicts it may be necessary to re-assign students without conflicts to another section of the course. Students' section choice will be honored if possible. Provides firsthand experience with a wide array of organisms and illustrates basic approaches to experimental design and problem solving in genetics and genomics. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisites: BIOL 15b, sophomore standing, and a declared biology major. Yields full-course credit. This lab is time-intensive and students will be expected to come to lab between regular scheduled lab sessions. In order to accommodate students with time conflicts it may be necessary to re-assign students without conflicts to another section of the course. Students' section choice will be honored if possible. Provides firsthand experience with modern molecular biology techniques and illustrates basic approaches to experimental design and problem solving in molecular and cellular biology including applications of biochemical techniques. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisite: BIOL 15b. Provides online experience with modern molecular biology techniques and illustrates basic approaches to experimental design and problem solving in molecular and cellular biology including applications of biochemical techniques. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisites: BIOL 16a, or a score of 5 on the AP Biology Exam, or permission of the instructor. Illustrates the science of ecology, from individual, population, and community-level perspectives. Includes participatory science ecological research to contextualize theory. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a and BIOL 15b. Adopts a molecular and chemical approach as we explore various concepts in plant biology including plant metabolism, structure-function, development, genetics and taxonomy. Intended for students who are familiar with central dogma, structure-function relationship and genetic inheritance, but have not yet applied those concepts in plant systems. Usually offered every second year.

Introduces students to basic field research methods, the skills of species identification, and the use of dichotomous keys and field guides to identify the biodiversity of southern New England. Field explorations use campus as an outdoor classroom and are complemented with nearby local field trips. The course introduces the basic principles of natural history to understand how these principles are shaped by natural selection and evolution, and in turn, how they inform other biological fields, particularly ecology, behavioral and community ecology. Some flexibility with campus departure/return required for field trips. Usually offered every fall.

Prerequisites: ENVS 2a, BIOL 16a or BIOL 17b. Examines the biology of global climate change from how biology informs understanding climate change to the evolutionary and ecological responses to climate change. This course includes an exploration of the primary literature. Usually offered every spring.

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a and BIOL 15b.

Introduces basic physiological principles. Topics include the physiology of the human nervous system, sensory system, the musculoskeletal system, endocrine systems, cardiovascular system, respiratory systems, digestion and absorption, reproduction, and renal system. Usually offered every year.  

Prerequisite: BIOL 42a. BIOL 42b may be taken concurrently with BIOL 42a. Yields half-course credit. Students will be introduced to laboratory techniques used to study human physiology including electromyography, electrocardiography, exhaled gas analysis, and spirometry. Students will set up equipment, make predictions, record results and analyze how their observations reveal physiological principles. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisite: BIOL 15b and 16a. Yields six semester-hour credits towards rate of work and graduation. Focuses broadly on vertebrate anatomy, with an emphasis on human anatomy . The gross and microscopic morphology of each organ system is considered in depth. Comparative anatomy, embryology, and the relationship between structure and function are explored. Lectures, laboratory dissections, and clinical cases are used to illustrate the anatomy of vertebrates. Usually offered every spring.

Prerequisite: BIOL 42a or BIOL 43b. BIOL 42a or 43b may be taken concurrently. Examines the physiology and anatomy behind exercise science looking specifically at how the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory and nervous systems respond to physical activity. We will consider how the body reacts differently depending on activity type, environment and age. Usually offered every second year.

Prerequisites: BIOL 23a or BIOL 16a. Examines a wide range of animal behavior, including mating and reproductive tactics, territoriality, and social behaviors. Why does an animal perform a given behavior? We will explore the approaches to answering this question and learn a logical framework to examine the various aspects of animal behavior. Class meetings will focus on understanding behavior from both an ecological and evolutionary perspective. We will start the term by understanding how to study behavior and end the term examining key topics in behavior. Usually offered every second year.

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a and BIOL 15b. An introductory level biostatistics class providing an overview to statistical methods used in biological and medical research. Topics include descriptive statistics, elementary probability theory, commonly observed distributions, basic concepts of statistical inference, hypothesis testing, regression, as well as analysis of variance. Basic statistical analysis using the R software package will be introduced. Usually offered every semester.

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a and BIOL 15b. Designed for students interested in learning the fundamentals of animal science. The course is intended for students who are familiar with central dogma, cellular structure and genetic inheritance, but have not yet applied those concepts in animal systems. Usually offered every second year.

Prerequisite: BIOL 15b must be successfully completed prior to taking BIOL 55b.

  Explores the current evidence-based concepts linking foods and nutrition to health and prevention of chronic diseases. We also examine how specific nutrients--carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, fiber and water--influence our well-being. We will explore the concept of “Food as Medicine,” and optimal, planet-friendly food choices and dietary patterns for prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. Usually offered every second year.  

Prerequisite: BIOL 14a. Extends from the basic principles students learned in BIOL 14a Genetics and Genomics to give them a deeper understanding of genetics, including molecular genetics, transmission genetics, population genetics, and genomics. Usually offered every second year.

Prerequisite: Student must complete online safety training relevant to the research group. Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields quarter-course credit. May be repeated for credit. Students engage in Biology research by working in the laboratory of a faculty member for a minimum of 3 hours per week for one semester. Students who have declared a Biology major must receive permission from the Biology Undergraduate Advising Head as well as the faculty sponsor to enroll in BIOL 91g. Students who have not yet declared a major must receive permission from their academic advisor as well as the faculty sponsor. Usually offered every year.

Supervised biological research experience in a Brandeis University laboratory. In consultation with a Brandeis faculty member, the student will design and execute an individual research project, culminating in an oral and written presentation. Students seeking to do biology research in Brandeis laboratories outside the biology department but still within Brandeis must obtain permission of the departmental BIOL 93a coordinator. This course is not intended to and will not provide credit for off-campus internships. BIOL 93a is offered both semesters but is a one-semester course and may be taken only once. Students must petition the department for permission to enroll in BIOL 93a. Course requirements include laboratory research, a written report and an oral presentation, as specified in the BIOL 93a petition. Students wishing to do a summer internship for academic credit must obtain permission from the BIOL 93 coordinator prior to commencing the internship; complete the summer internship (a minimum of 10 weeks full-time); and complete the appropriate academic work. Credit will be awarded via the student enrolling in BIOL 93a in the subsequent fall term. BIOL 93a may also be used as one of the two courses needed for Senior Research (see BIOL 99), but does not count as a Biology elective alone . Usually offered every semester.

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a, BIOL 15b. Does NOT meet requirements for the major in biology. May not be taken for credit by students who have satisfactorily completed BIOL 98b. Students must petition the department for permission to enroll in BIOL 98a and receive permission from the departmental Undergraduate Advising Head as well as the faculty sponsor. Open to exceptionally well-qualified students. This is a tutorial course with readings in a specified biological field. The student will be given a reading list, including current literature and reviews of the topic to be discussed. Course requirements include weekly discussions and the writing of several papers. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a, BIOL 15b. Does NOT meet the major requirement in biology. May not be taken for credit by students who have satisfactorily completed BIOL 98a. Students must petition the department for permission to enroll in BIOL 98b and receive permission from the departmental Undergraduate Advising Head as well as the faculty sponsor. See BIOL 98a for course description. Usually offered every year.

The first of a two-semester course involving the student in an independent research project conducted under the supervision of a staff member and serving as an intensive introduction to specific methods of biological research. Two semesters of BIOL 99 may be used as one elective for the biology major. Students may also use one semester of BIOL 93 and one semester of BIOL 99 to count as senior research and one elective. To fulfill the BIOL 99 requirements, students must (1) submit to their research sponsor, at the conclusion of their first BIOL 99 semester, a paper that reviews the literature pertinent to their field of research (or, fulfill the BIOL 93 requirements), and (2) submit to their research sponsor, at the conclusion of their second BIOL 99 semester, a senior thesis that includes an abstract, an introduction, a review of materials and methods, results, discussion, and references. Students must petition the department for permission to enroll in BIOL 99. Usually offered every year.

A continuation of BIOL 99a. See BIOL 99a for course description.

We live in a microbial world. This course will address the role of how microbial interactions with other microbes, plants and humans shaped our world. Most of the time, these interactions are beneficial, but the principle of pathogenicity will also be covered. Classes will build up from basic microbiology, cell biology and evolution concepts and advance to mechanistic insights of how simple organisms can create complex ecosystems. We will discuss microbial interactions that have been known for centuries, long before any modern concept of the cell was established, and the current state-of-the-art knowledge.

This course will be divided into 3 modules: 1) broad conceptual background of what are microbes, the historical context of their discovery, and how to detect them; 2) development of critical reading and writing skills, transl ating scientific literature to popular news articles; 3) hands - on expertise in building simple microscope systems. Identify and describe environmental microbial life in the classroom through oral presentations.

The target public for this course is every st udent with the desire to understand and communicate about microbes, regardless of scientific background and major requirements. Usually offered every spring.

This is a two part course that yields half-course credit.

Part I is an online, asynchronous course consisting of 20 hours of instruction and assignments, covering the genetic, anatomical, and physiological aspects of women’s biology, including hormones and reproductive health. We examine disparities in the US healthcare system, and focus on several diseases, such as endometriosis and breast cancer, to explore the biological complexity of women’s health. Part II is an 8-day residential course on the Brandeis campus consisting of an additional 60 hours of instruction and assignments. In this segment, we investigate the molecular, genetic, medical, and clinical basis of several diseases impacting women’s health. Students conduct hands-on laboratories looking at viral structure and assembly, model clinical procedures for diagnosis, hear from experts in the field, and begin to develop an understanding of how governmental policy on these concerns is formed. Usually offered every summer.

Prerequisite: High school chemistry and biology. Does not meet the requirements for the major in Biology. Recent advances in public health have led to declines in the mortality from infectious diseases. But surprisingly outbreaks, epidemics, pandemics, and other diseases continue to evade public health defenses and ravage populations around the globe. This course explores how external factors like environmental alteration, climate change, and human activity interact to shape disease transmission and emergence. Students will learn fundamental concepts of infectious disease spread, including basic concepts of disease ecology, transmission, virulence, immunity, vector, and host susceptibility in the population. Then focus shifts to how natural and human-driven activities (e.g., climate change, deforestation, travel, and development) affect disease transmission and emergence.   Examples of diseases to be covered include COVID, influenza, Ebola, malaria, SARS, avian flu, etc. Students will draw on relevant case studies to explore how threats from previous outbreaks may shift under a changing climate, rising globalization, and environmental degradation. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisite: High school chemistry. May not be taken by students who have completed BIOL 15b wihtout permission of the instructor. Does not meet the requirements for the major in Biology. An exploration of biology of several protein folding diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, ALS, and mad cow disease and their effect on normal brain function. Examines the medical and ethical challenges of therapies, drug design, and clinical trials on patients afflicted with these disorders. Usually offered every second year.

Does not meet the requirements for the major in Biology. We will explore the molecular, genetic, medical, and clinical basis of several diseases impacting women's health. We will investigate viral structure and assembly, model clinical procedures for diagnosis, and begin to develop an understanding of how governmental policy is designed surrounding these concerns. Usually offered every year.

Does not meet the requirements for the major in Biology. Explores the evolution, extinction, and conservation of biodiversity. We will focus on the interactions among the world's biodiversity inclusive of humans. Usually offered every summer.

Citizen science (the public generation of science knowledge) from both a practical (through direct participation in research) and theoretical application will be explored as the basis for examining how research, scientific literacy, education, and advocacy projects are complementary. Usually offered every second year.

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a, BIOL 15b, BIOL 16a, and instructor permission. Does NOT meet the major requirement in biology. May not be taken for credit by students who have satisfactorily completed EBIO 98a. Yields half-course credit.

See EBIO 98a for course description. Usually offered every year.

(100-199) For Both Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Prerequisite: BCHM 88b or BCHM 100a. May not be taken for credit by students who took BIOL 126b in prior years. Explores biochemical changes in proteins, enzymes and metabolic pathways that underlie human diseases. Examines molecular mechanisms for a variety of diseases, with a particular focus on molecular mechanisms for therapies. Draws heavily on current literature. Usually offered every second year.

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a and BIOL 15b. An advanced course on cell biology. Topics include structure and organization of the cell, principles of signal transduction, and cell division and proliferation. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisite: BIOL 14a and BIOL 18b. Develops knowledge of molecular biology, and skills to research, choose and interpret the best experimental approaches for answering research questions in molecular biology. Studies molecular biology techniques such as PCR, DNA sequencing, genomics, cloning, microarrays, and CRISPR, and their research applications. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a and BIOL 15b, or permission of the instructor.  

This introduction to the structural basis of viral molecular biology examines the designs of proteins, their folding and assembly, and the means whereby we visual ize these structures. We will use several recent viral pandemics including SARS - CoV - 2, Ebola, and HIV as models of how to understand viral structure and assembly. Usually offered every second year.

Prerequisite: BIOL 100b. Focuses on the mechanistic basis of cell biological processes, with a heavy emphasis on how they are elucidated experimentally. Classic and modern research papers are used to illustrate a range of genetic, biochemical, and imaging-based experimental approaches. Topics include cell compartmentalization, membrane traffic, cytoskeleton, cell motility, and cell division. The primary learning goal is to understand how the scientific method is applied in cell biology research. Intended for graduate students and advanced undergraduates. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a and BIOL 15b. Examination of molecular processes in replication and expression of genetic information and techniques by which this understanding has been achieved. Topics include recombinant DNA and other molecular biological techniques, structure and organization of DNA in chromosomes, DNA replication, transcription and regulation of gene expression, RNA structure and processing, mRNA stability, and other mechanisms of post-translational control. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisites: BIOL51a, high school statistics, or similar course.

The interpretation of data is key to making new discoveries, making optimal decisions, and designing experiments. Students will learn skills of data analysis and computer coding through hands-on, computer-based tutorials and exercises that include experimental data from the biological sciences. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisite: BIOL 14a and BIOL 16a. Examines both the evolution of developmental processes and the impact of development on evolution. This course will draw on the many sub-disciplines that feed into Evo-Devo including developmental biology, evolution, genetics, molecular biology, ecology and paleontology. Usually offered every second year.

Prerequisite: BIOL 14a. Recommended prerequisite: BIOL 72a or another upper-level course in genetics, genomics, or molecular biology. A lecture- and literature-based course for students who have already taken a basic course in genetics and molecular biology. Organized somewhat historically, we will explore how genetic approaches have elucidated the nature of the gene and its regulation and the analysis of gene function. In other words, it's a course about 'genetic thinking,' with increasingly large doses of molecular biology added in as we progress. Recent advances in genomics and proteomics will be discussed. Before each class, students will be assigned one or t wo papers from the published literature that will form the basis of the next lecture/discussion. To facilitate this discussion, students will be required to post questions about the reading prior to class. In addition, each student will be responsible for writing a paper, due near the end of the semester, about a topic that they found particularly creative in using genetic approaches to delve into the mysteries of cell growth and development. Usually offered every second year.

Prerequisites: BIOL14a and BIOL 15b. CHEM 25a is recommended. May not be taken for credit by students who took BIOL 70a in prior years. Topics include properties and functions of cells involved in innate and adaptive immunity; genes, structure and function of immunoglobulins, B cell receptors and T cell receptors; lymphocyte differentiation; genetic regulation; MHC restriction; cell interactions and signaling; pathogen immunity (bacteria, viruses) and vaccines; tolerance and autoimmunity. Usually offered year.

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a and either BIOL 15b or BIOL 16a.

Survey of topics, including monogenic and multifactorial conditions, gene mapping, molecular methodology in genetics and genomics, population genetics, cancer genetics, and genetics of development. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a and BIOL 15b. Focuses on the rapidly developing field of Genomics. During the course, the students will be introduced to general concepts, technologies, and approaches for generating and analyzing genomic datasets. The specific applications will include the analysis of large-scale neurogenomics datasets. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a and BIOL 15b. May not be taken for credit by students who took BIOL 71a in prior years. Topics include the physiology and properties of bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms; microbial nutrition, metabolism, growth; bacterial genetics; horizontal gene transfer; microbial pathogenesis; immunity; antibiotics and other means of microbial control. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a, BIOL 15b, BIOL 12a and 12b or BIOL 18a and 18b.

During this course, students will learn about a common type of virus called bacteriophage. They will isolate novel bacteriophage from the marine environment and using modern molecular biology and bioinformatic techniques, they will sequence, analyze, and annotate the viral genome. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisites: BIOL 12a and 12b or BIOL 18a and 18b. A discovery-based laboratory to study the diversity of microorganisms in particular environments. Students will isolate microbes with ability to metabolize complex compounds from special environments, characterize their properties and identify them by DNA sequence analysis. After students learn foundational microbi ology concepts and techniques, they will choos e, design, and carry out a short research project. This project lab is primarily for seniors and master's students. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a and BIOL 15b. Course deals with hormonal, cellular, and molecular aspects of gametogenesis, fertilization, pregnancy, and birth. Pathological and abnormal variations that occur and the available medical technologies for intervention, correction, and facilitation of these processes are discussed. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a and BIOL 15b. DNA damage must be repaired to maintain genome integrity and prevent mutations and chromosome rearrangements associated with cancer. Understanding of these repair mechanisms has opened the door to precisely modify genes, for gene therapy or even to recreate extinct mammals. Usually offered every second year.

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a and BIOL 15b, and CHEM 25a.

Investigates the research that has revealed the molecular basis of cancer development and cancer treatments, including the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern cell growth, differentiation, and survival in normal cells, and how this regulation is disrupted in cancer. Usually offered every second year.

The first of a two-semester course for students pursuing the combined BS/MS in Biology, this is an intensive research experience. The student conducts an independent research project under the supervision of a faculty member. To fulfill the BIOL 199 requirements, students must (1) submit to their research sponsor, at the conclusion of their first BIOL 199 semester, a paper that reviews the literature pertinent to their field of research, and (2) submit to their research sponsor, at the conclusion of their second BIOL 199 semester, a senior thesis that includes an abstract, an introduction, a review of materials and methods, results, discussion, and references. Students enrolled in this course must defend their thesis, receive Departmental Honors, and submit their thesis to GSAS. If a student drops out of the BS/MS program, BIOL 199 will be replaced with BIOL 99. Students must petition the department for permission to enroll in BIOL 199. Usually offered every semester.

A continuation of BIOL 199a. See BIOL 199a for course description.

Prerequisites: A satisfactory grade (C- or better) in BIOL 14a, BIOL 15b, and CHEM 25a and b, or the equivalent. Explores how scientific work in chemistry led to fundamental understanding of and ability to manipulate biological processes. Emphasis is placed on chemical design and synthesis as well as biological evaluation and utility. Content based on scientific literature readings. Usually offered every second year.

Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade (C- or better) in BIOL 14a, BIOL 15b, and CHEM 25a and b, or the equivalents. Cover exciting instances in which chemical innovation has been used to fuel biological discovery that is not possible with standard biological techniques. Topics will vary but include a basic introduction to carbohydrate, peptide and bioorthogonal (i.e., 'click') reactions, incorporation of unnatural amino acids into proteins, chemically defined vaccines, and the use of directed evolution to produce biological macromolecules with desired recognition or catalytic functions. Readings drawn from textbooks and the original scientific literature. Usually offered every second year.

Prerequisites: Satisfactory grade in BIOL 14a, BIOL 15b, CHEM 25a and 25b, and BCHM 100a or the equivalent. Introduces students to the conceptual framework and experimental methods in medicinal chemistry. Topics include mechanisms of drug-target interactions, strategies for lead optimization and issues in metabolism, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Readings drawn from textbooks and the original scientific literature. Usually offered every second year.

Prerequisites: MATH 10a or higher and one of the following: NBIO 140b/240b, PHYS 10b/11b/15b, BIOL 107a, or any COSI course.

An introduction to concepts and methods in computer modeling and analysis of neural systems. Topics include single and multicompartmental models of neurons, information representation and processing by populations of neurons, synaptic plasticity and models of learning, working memory, decision making and neural oscillations. The course will be based on in-class computer tutorials, assuming limited prior coding experience, with reading assignments and preparation as homework. Usually offered every second year.

(200 and above) Primarily for Graduate Students

Introduces second-year Molecular and Cell Biology PhD students to the process of writing research proposals. Using their own research topics and materials, as well as readings from the literature and training sessions with the instructor and additional domain experts, each student will learn to analyze the relevant scientific literature, develop testable hypotheses, design well-controlled experiments, quantitatively analyze the resulting data, test for statistical significance, and communicate the results in visual plots and concise, well organized scientific writing. The end result will be a draft research proposal suitable for submission to a funding agency such as the NIH. Usually offered every year.

Enrollment limited to Life Science Masters students. In the life sciences, theories, methods and discoveries must be communicated effectively. Equally important is the ability to interpret and evaluate the work done by others. Students will have opportunities to learn, practice and evaluate oral and written methods of scientific communication. Usually offered every year.

Features experiments in protein biochemistry that are fundamental to the field of biotechnology. These include protein purification, characterization and quality assessment. Focus is placed on designing purification protocols for both tagged and untagged proteins using biochemical knowledge. The designed protocols are tested by purifying known proteins. As part of the course, students will contribute to research projects of unknown outcome by purifying and assaying novel proteins. Usually offered every year.

The primary goal of this course is to teach current methods in molecular biology to establish a foundational skill set that makes seniors and master’s students viable in today’s research job market or academic research positions. For juniors and seniors, it can also function to add laboratory experience for those that have not been able to fulfill such a proficiency. The course meets during its scheduled times with access to the laboratory during off time hours for any wishing to continue their work. The experiments done contribute to research projects sponsored by laboratories at Brandeis. This helps prepare students for a career in science and understand what attributes are necessary to be competent in the field of research. Some projects have spanned many semesters allowing successive classes to continue working on a project from previous years. New projects are also introduced providing a variety of research opportunities to pick from, adding to the dynamics of the course. Through these projects, some of the techniques taught will include DNA isolation, DNA sequence analysis, generation of mutations, recombinant DNA cloning, polymerase chain reaction, yeast two hybrid assays, screening small chemical libraries, Gateway & Gibson cloning techniques, training on an industry standard equipment, multiplate assays, and many more. Undergraduates will be responsible for one project, while master’s students will pick two projects from a group of projects to work on. There is a possibility of continuing a project as an independent researcher in the spring semester. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisite: Permission of the Program Director. Students engage in biological research by working in the laboratory of a faculty member for a minimum of 10 hours per week for one semester. Intended for students in the MS Program in Molecular and Cell Biology. Usually offered every semester.

Usually offered every year.

Primarily for the first-year student, with the purpose of introducing them to biological research and to the work in progress in the laboratories of a number of faculty members. In consultation with the graduate adviser, the student plans a sequence of such tenures, each comprising nine weeks, and then carries out experimental investigations under the guidance of the faculty members involved. Usually offered every year.

Independent research for PhD candidates. Specific sections for individual faculty members as requested.

Prerequisite: BIOT 203b or permission of the instructor. Biotechnology industries are based upon recombinant DNA methodology. Most are in areas of medicine, agriculture, and manufacturing. Business of Biotechnology gives an overview of these sectors and introduces their research and development models, regulation, financing, and marketing. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisite: BIOL 205a or permission of the instructor. Introduces basic business concepts and tools, with an emphasis on the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. It provides an overview of accounting, alliances, entrepreneurship, ethics, finance, human capital, leadership, marketing, mergers and acquisitions, organizational behavior, project management, and strategy. Usually offered every year.

Trains graduate students in computational analysis of complex data. Analytical techniques will be discussed using data from students' active research projects, with a focus on training in experimental design and analyses, advanced statistics and rigor and reproducibility. Usually offered every second year.

Introduces second-year Neuroscience PhD students to the process of writing research proposals. Using their own research topics and materials, as well as readings from the literature, and training sessions with the instructor and additional domain experts, each student will learn to analyze the relevant neuroscientific literature, develop testable hypotheses, design well-controlled experiments, quantitatively analyze the resulting data, test for statistical significance, and communicate the results in visual plots and concise, well organized scientific writing. The end result will be a draft research proposal suitable for submission to a funding agency such as the NIH. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisites: One year of college-level chemistry with lab, one year of college-level physics with lab, and any math course above 10a, b.

A lecture- and literature-based course examining the fundamental principles of neuroscience. Lecture topics include ion channel biophysics, resting potentials, action potentials, synaptic transmission, sensory systems, motor systems, learning, neural circuits underlying behavior, and neuropsychiatric diseases. Complementary readings of classical and current primary literature will give a deeper understanding of the fundamental underpinnings of nervous system structure and function. Intended for PhD students and advanced undergraduates or masters students who intend to perform basic research in neuroscience. Usually offered every year.

BIOL Digital Literacy

Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade (C- or better) in CHEM 18b or 19b or the equivalent. Corequisite: CHEM 25a. Dropping CHEM 25a necessitates written permission from the lab instructor to continue with this course. May yield half-course credit toward rate of work and graduation. Two semester-hour credits. Gives experience in the important techniques of organic chemical laboratory practice of isolation and purification of organic compounds by crystallization, distillation, and chromatography, and their characterization using analytical and instrumental methods. One afternoon of laboratory per week. One ninety-minute laboratory lecture per week. Usually offered every year.

Open only to students with no previous programming background. Students may not take COSI 10a if they have received a satisfactory grade in COSI 12b or COSI 21a. May not be taken for credit by students who took COSI 11a in prior years. Does not meet the requirements for the major or minor in Computer Science. Introduces computer programming and related computer science principles. Through programming, students will develop fundamental skills such as abstract reasoning and problem solving. Students will master programming techniques using the Python programming language and will develop good program design methodology resulting in correct, robust, and maintainable programs. Usually offered every semester.

Prerequisite: ECON 2a or ECON 10a. Students must earn a C- or higher in MATH 10a, or otherwise satisfy the calculus requirement, to enroll in this course. A first course in statistical inference. Topics include descriptive statistics, probability, normal and binomial distributions, sampling distributions, point and interval estimation, properties of estimators, hypothesis testing, regression, and analysis of variance. Usually offered every semester.

Prerequisites: ECON 83a. Corequisite: ECON 80a or permission of the instructor. Students must earn a C- or higher in MATH 10a, or otherwise satisfy the calculus requirement, to enroll in this course. This course may not be taken for credit by students who have previously taken or are currently enrolled in ECON 185a, ECON 213a, or ECON 311a.

An introduction to the theory of econometric regression and forecasting models, with applications to the analysis of business and economic data. Usually offered every year.

Core course for the HSSP major and minor. Open to juniors and seniors only. Provides an orientation to the science of epidemiology, the quantitative foundation for public health policy. As a comprehensive survey course, students from varying academic backgrounds are introduced to biostatistics and major epidemiological concepts, and provided with training in their application to the study of health and disease in human populations. Case studies examine how environmental, physical, behavioral, psychological, and social factors contribute to the disease burden of populations. Usually offered every semester.

Prerequisite: PSYC 10a or the permission of the instructor. This course normally should be completed by the end of the sophomore year. Covers the fundamentals of descriptive and inferential statistics. Techniques useful in the behavioral sciences will be emphasized. Students learn the theory of statistical decisions, practical application of statistical software, and how to analyze journal articles. Usually offered every semester.

BIOL Oral Communication

Biol writing intensive, biol quantitative.

Prerequisites: MATH 10a,b or equivalent, PHYS 11 or 15.

Covers fundamentals of physical chemistry underpinning macromolecular applications in BCHM 104b. Focus is placed on quantitative treatments of the probabilistic nature of molecular reality: molecular kinetic theory, basic statistical mechanics, introductory quantum mechanics, free energy, entropy, and chemical thermodynamics in aqueous solution. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisites: ECON 80a, ECON 83a, and MATH 10a or equivalent. Analysis of decision making in multiperson settings. Studies models of equilibrium and various kinds of games under perfect and imperfect information. The applications include business strategy and competition, auctions, and risk sharing. Usually offered every year.

People in environmental fields increasingly need career-ready technical skills for managing, analyzing, and representing diverse types of data. The goal of this course is to engage students in authentic work with environmental data through a combination of collaborative, hands-on Python programming and project-based learning. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisite: Students may not take MATH 10a if they have received a satisfactory grade in MATH 10b or MATH 20a. Introduction to differential (and some integral) calculus of one variable, with emphasis on techniques and applications. Usually offered every semester in multiple sections.

Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade of C- or higher in MATH 10a or placement by examination. Continuation of 10a. Students may not take MATH 10a and MATH 10b simultaneously. Students may not take MATH 10b if they have received a satisfactory grade in MATH 20a. Introduction to integral calculus of one variable with emphasis on techniques and applications. Usually offered every semester in multiple sections.

Prerequisites: MATH 5a and permission of the instructor, placement by examination, or any mathematics course numbered 10 or above. Students may take MATH 15a or 22a for credit, but not both. Matrices, determinants, linear equations, vector spaces, eigenvalues, quadratic forms, linear programming. Emphasis on techniques and applications. Usually offered every semester.

Prerequisites: MATH 10b and MATH 15a, or placement by examination. Students may take Math 20a or 22b for credit, but not both. Students may not take MATH 10a or 10b or 15a concurrently with MATH 20a. Among the topics treated are functions of several variables, vector-valued functions, partial derivatives and multiple integrals, extremum problems, line and surface integrals, Green's and Stokes's theorems. Emphasis on techniques and applications. Usually offered every semester.

Prerequisite: MATH 22a placement exam and permission of the instructor. Students may take MATH 15a or MATH 22a for credit, but not both. MATH 22a covers linear algebra. The material is similar to MATH 15a but with some additional content, a more theoretical emphasis, and more attention to proofs. Usually offered every fall.

Prerequisite: MATH 15a and permission of the instructor, or MATH 22a. Students may take MATH 20a or 22b for credit, but not both. Covers the calculus in several variables. The material is similar to MATH 20a but with some additional content, a more theoretical emphasis, and more attention to proofs. Usually offered every spring.

Prerequisite: MATH 36a or permission of the instructor. Probability distributions, estimators, hypothesis testing, data analysis. Theorems will be proved and applied to real data. Topics include maximum likelihood estimators, the information inequality, chi-square test, and analysis of variance. Usually offered every spring.

Prerequisites: M ATH 10a, b or equivalent; MATH 15a and/or some coding experience would be helpful. An introduction to the theory of nonlinear dynamical systems, including bifurcations, limit cycles, chaos, and coupled oscillators. Covers analytical, computational, and graphical methods of solving sets of nonlinear ordinary differential equations, as well as mathematical modeling of natural phenomena. Examples will be drawn from physics, chemistry, population biology, and neuroscience. Usually offered every third year.

Prerequisite: PSYC 51a or equivalent. Designed for graduate students and advanced undergraduates who like to learn the R statistical programming package, further their understanding of statistical modeling and its application in applied and academic research, use R to make the connection between statistical concepts, modeling, and their implementation, and use R to document their research process and enhance its reproducibility. Usually offered every second year.

Prerequisite: MATH 10a and b or equivalent. Modern scientific computation applied to problems in molecular and cell biology. Covers techniques such as numerical integration of differential equations, molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations. Applications range from enzymes and molecular motors to cells. Usually offered every second year.

BIOL Electives

Anthropology majors have priority for enrollment. Students wishing to enroll during early registration should waitlist themselves. Skeletal anatomy and application of forensic techniques to archaeological problems. Hands-on laboratory sessions focus on methods of estimating age at the time of death, determining sex, assessing skeletal variability, detecting instances of bone remodeling, and identifying cultural and natural modifications to bony tissue. Case studies exemplify bioarchaeological approaches. Usually offered every second year. Javier Urcid

Prerequisite: One year organic chemistry with laboratory, BIOL 14a, and BIOL 15b. Does not meet the requirements for the majors in Biochemistry or Chemistry, and does not serve as a prerequisite for most upper level BCHM, CHEM and CBIO classes. Topics include protein and nucleic acid structure; metabolism of biologically important compounds; formation and utilization of "energy-rich" compounds; introduction to enzyme mechanism; comparison of basic biochemical and chemical processes; and biochemical basis of disease. Offered primarily for majors outside of Biochemistry and Chemistry. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisite: One year of organic chemistry with laboratory. Topics include protein and nucleic acid structure; chemical basis of enzyme-catalyzed reaction mechanisms and enzyme kinetics; the chemical logic of metabolic pathways, including glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation; and regulation of enzymatic pathways through allosteric control. Usually offered every year in multiple sections.

Physical forces in living matter are studied from the perspective offered by statistical mechanics, elasticity theory, and fluid dynamics. Quantitative models for biological structure and function are developed and used to analyze systems such as single molecule experiments, transcriptional regulation networks, the forces arising during DNA packaging in a virus, and mechanisms underlying mammalian pattern formation. Usually offered every second year.

BIOL General Science Electives

Prerequisite: Instructor permission required.

An introduction to the engineering design process, with a focus on human-centered design. Students work in teams to solve authentic design problems under the theme of “design to repair the world.” Students are guided through a highly scaffolded process in which they form an idea, sketch it, and develop it through multiple iterations leveraging quick feedback loops and the Design Thinking methodology. Students will become fluent in basic additive and subtractive manufacturing, including 3D printing, laser cutting, and CNC machining. Usually offered every year.

Prerequisites: MATH 10a and PHYS 10a or higher, or permission of the instructor. PHYS 11a or 15a is strongly recommended.

Building models of physical systems is a critical aspect of science and engineering. While models are expressed through the languages of math and physics, developing a good mental picture of the system at hand requires drawing on experience. Towards providing students with this experience, this course will build connections between the theoretical, the experimental, and the designed. They will be guided through a structured series of labs on a variety of system classes including nonlinear mechanical systems, infectious disease dynamics, mass transport, and coupled oscillators. In three of the labs, students will not only analyze and model a physical system but also use digital fabrication (3D printing, laser cutting, or CNC milling) to build and test physical versions of their models. This course is intended as a first exposure to modeling. Prior experience in programming is not required. Students will receive Python notebooks for each lab to be used for data analysis, numerically solving dynamical models, fitting models to data, and visualizing results. Practical coding skills, such as debugging, elaborating notebooks and learning to leverage open-source software, will be taught in a lab environment where students and the instructor can readily collaborate and solve challenges. Usually offered every year.

What is the best way to communicate real science in the age of fake news? What role should science journalists play in the face of today’s biggest crises, from the pandemic to climate change? This course explores the hallmarks of sound science and medical writing and how to confront the public-health consequences of misinformation. Usually offered every second year.

• School of Arts and Sciences