Biological Design Course Descriptions

BDE 701 Fundamentals of Biological Design I, 9 credit hours, Fall semester of first year:
The goal of this intensive initial course is to provide training in the essentials of fields underlying interdisciplinary research in the biosciences and in the integration of multiple disciplines in use-inspired research. Modules concentrate on key concepts and current questions in the biological sciences, biochemistry, and engineering. Examples of topics include chemical biology, protein biochemistry, molecular biology and biotechnology, bioenergetics, imaging techniques, environmental biotechnology, biosensing systems, and immunobiology. Throughout the course, researchers give examples of the integration of multiple disciplines into projects addressing complex challenges. The course also includes discussion of ethical and regulatory issues concerning the responsible conduct of research and the larger societal context of science and technology.

BDE 702 Fundamentals of Biological Design II, 3 credit hours, Spring semester of first year:
The second semester of the core course emphasizes integrative areas such as systems biology, bioinformatics, and synthetic biology, and their application in biomedical research. The computational modeling and statistical treatment of data from genome sequencing and microarray technologies is discussed. The further extraction of gene expression patterns, proteomic information and the modeling of interaction networks and metabolic pathways is also covered. Examples of research focus in on topics such as complex genetic diseases, cancer prediction and diagnosis, and the use of biomarkers in presymptomatic diagnostics.

BDE 721 Integrative Research, 3 credit hours, Fall semester of second year:
In this course students tackle large problems in small interdisciplinary teams. The comprehensive solution developed by each team is expected to include a proposal for research in an integrated science area and to give consideration not only to the scientific problems but also to issues of intellectual property, commercialization and the societal impact and value.

BDE 722 Research Design, 3 credit hours, Spring semester of second year:
For this practicum in research design, each student writes and presents a research proposal. The proposal will be in the form of a grant application, including an abstract, specific aims, background, preliminary results, proposed research, and timeline, as well as a budget, biosketch, facilities requirements, and a training component. Students will engage in regular peer review sessions to provide feedback on their progress and examine the grant review and funding process.

BDE 751 Teaching in Science, 1 credit hour, Fall and Spring semesters of second year:
Students in this course are offered guidance in teaching and exposition. One component of the course involves teaching in the Biological Design core course, where students work closely with a faculty teaching mentor. A second component includes participation in outreach experiences in the community, communicating ideas in science and technology to diverse audiences. Throughout the course, students focus on the development of professional presentation skills.

BDE 791 Seminar, 1 credit hour, Fall and Spring semesters from third year until final semester:
At least once each year, students will present and defend their current research and plans to a group of students and faculty. The Dissertation Committee for each student will convene after the seminar to discuss the progress of the student. At least once in their third or fourth year, each student will present an invention that addresses an important problem, including an analysis of the need, review of the state of the art, and the pathway to reduction to practice. In the semester before graduating, each student will present his or her dissertation in a public seminar.

BDE 792 Research, variable number of credit hours, every semester:
Students perform research in the laboratory of their rotation or thesis mentor.

BDE 799 Dissertation, 12 credit hours, terminal semester: Students focus on preparation of their dissertation, including literature review, data analysis, and writing.