Columbia University - Department of Biological Sciences
UN1908 - First Year Seminar in Biology - Fall 2024

 
Thursdays  3pm-3:55pm, 601 Fairchild

This course gives you a chance to hear about the latest research being conducted by scientists at Columbia University. Attendance at lectures is required, including the first lecture on 9/12. After each lecture, you should write a summary of the talk (1/2 to 1 page single spaced, maximum) and submit on Canvas quizzes by the following Wednesday (6 days later) at 8am. Rewrite the notes you take during class into 1-2 coherent paragraphs.

September

October

November

December

5 12 19 26 3 10 17 24 31 7 14 21 28 5

September 5

No Class
September 12

Dr. Laura Duvall, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University

  Getting Mosquitoes to Stop Biting
September 19

Dr. Oliver Hobert, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University

  Determing which Type of Neuron to Become
September 26 Dr. Franck Polleux, Department of Neuroscience, MBBI
  Genetic Changes Underlying the Development of Human Cognition
October 3 No Class

October 10

Dr. John Hunt, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University
  Cystic Fibrosis
October 17 Dr. Lars Dietrich, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University
  The Good and Bad of Bacteria
October 24 Dr. Simon Tavare, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University
  Cancer by the Numbers
October 31 Dr. Stuart Firestein, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University
  Smell
November 7 Dr. Alice Prince, Department of Pediatrics, CUIMC
 

Respiratory Pathogens

November 14 Dr. Alice Heicklen, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University
  Stem Cells
November 21 Dr. Robert Bauer, Department of Medicine, CUIMC
  Coronary Artery Disease and Blood Lipids

November 28

Thanksgiving Holiday
December 5 Dr. Samuel Sternberg, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, CUIMC
  Editing the Code of Life with CRISPR

Grading
You must attend class, turn in your weekly summary on time and participate in class (ask at least two questions during the semester and participate in class activities) to maintain your grade. If you attend class but do not turn in a summary, this counts as if you missed the class. Everyone begins with an A. Every missed class decreases your grade one step: A to A-, A- to B+, etc. You can check the Grade Book in Canvas to verify that your assignments have been recorded. Recording of the grade in Canvas may take up to a week. Each assignment (attendance and summary) is worth 2 points. 2 points=submitted, 1 point=some issue, and 0 points=not submitted.