A foundation course that focuses on the study of life at the cellular and molecular level, including eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell structure, function of biological macromolecules, molecular genetics, cellular metabolism, and key topics in cell biology. This course provides the fundamental tools for exploration of cellular and molecular biology with the aim of enhancing conceptual understanding. Laboratories focus on experimental approaches to these topics

A foundation course that provides an integrated introduction to the application of chemical principles to understand biological systems. It is designed for students whose interests lie at the interface of chemistry and biology. Students will learn how structure and function of biological systems are shaped by principles of atomic properties and chemical bonding. Cellular metabolism and molecular genetics are integrated with quantitative introductions to thermodynamics, equilibrium, and kinetics. Other topics motivated by the application of chemistry to biology include nuclear chemistry and cellular growth and differentiation. The laboratory is a hands-on introduction to spectroscopy, microscopy, and other experimental techniques, as well as quantitative analysis, experimental design, and scientific writing.

This course explores the underlying mechanisms of a variety of human diseases whose causes have been heavily studied at the cellular and molecular level. We take a research-oriented approach to the material through critical reading and analysis of primary literature on each topic and we explore how this knowledge informs the design, development and implementation of treatments. Topics of study may include diseases related to: metabolism, genetics, protein folding, cytoskeleton, membrane trafficking, inflammation, and/or pathogenic infection. This course utilizes a combination of lectures to introduce general concepts, seminar-style discussions of primary literature articles, and student presentations throughout the semester.