REGULARLY SCHEDULED TEACHING DUTIES
Undergraduate Courses of Instruction:
Physiology and Biochemistry of Plants (PLANTBI 135, Fall semester, 3 credit units);
Bioenergy and Bioproduction (PLANTBI 122, Spring semester, 2 credit units)
Graduate Seminar Class:
Plant and Microbial Photosynthesis (PLANTBI 290, Fall semester, 1 credit unit)
A study of physiological and biochemical processes in plants, including cell and molecular physiology, evolution of photosynthesis, photosynthetic light reactions and carbon assimilation, carbohydrate biochemistry, carbon concentrating mechanisms, nitrogen fixation and assimilation, respiration, plant-specific biosynthetic pathways, ion transport, hormone physiology and signaling, cell wall structure and function, plant biotic/abiotic stress responses, and biochemistry of specialized metabolites.
Course offers an assessment of global energy supply and demand, addresses the chemistry of climate change, examines the response of plants and microbes to changes in the environment, and emphasizes the role of biology and photosynthesis in offering solutions to related energy, biosynthetic chemicals, and associated societal problems. The emerging field of bioenergy is examined from the point-of-view of synthetic biology, including aspects of the biological generation of hydrogen, plant essential oils, fatty acids, lipids and other bio-oils, alcohols, polymers and related molecules. Discussion of bioenergy is extended to cover plant and microbial organisms, product yields, and techno-economic analyses of commercially viable products.
The class reviews classic and recent papers in the field of Plant and Microbial Photosynthesis. Discussion focuses on mining papers to uncover interesting details and knowledge that goes beyond the main conclusion in the abstract. Included are interesting methods, novel or unusual experimental designs, proper (or improper) organization of results and manuscript presentation, and anything else that would enhance the learning value of the selected paper. Students present their own "learning point" from each paper.