BIOL 1108: Principles of Biology (Fall semester, annually since 2015)
“Principles of Biology” introduces the fascination and diversity of life on earth, while showing anybody ready to learn the many different ways of studying it. The lecture and lab course that will take you from the biochemical components of life to the functioning of the cell, genetic inheritance, the diversity and evolution of plants all the way to a glimpse into ecology! Book: Biology, by Campbell & Reece; Benjamin/Cummings Co. (10th; 8/9th ed)
Enrollment fall 2015: 32 (TA: Jacob Snyder), Enrollment fall 2016: 22 (TA: Julie Pringle)
Enrollment fall 2017: 26 (TA: Julie Pringle), Enrollment fall 2018: 16 (TA: Halle Berger)
Enrollment fall 2019: 14 (TA: Hannah Collins), Enrollment fall 2020: 24 (TA: Melissa Wojcicki)
Enrollment fall 2021: 14 (TA: Tyler Griffin)
MARN 4018/5018: Ecology of Fishes (Spring semester, annually since 2016)
“Ecology of Fishes” introduces and discusses classic topics of fish ecology such as distribution, feeding, bioenergetics, growth, larval fish ecology, biotic interactions or life history evolution, with the additional goal of providing a forum to discuss contemporary research of these topics. Each week, a lecture is followed by a paper discussion on topic-relevant publications of their choice. In addition to passing on a glimpse of the breadth of existing knowledge, a major objective of the course is to identify issues that are still insufficiently understood and thus require further research. I’ll try to emphasize issues that are somehow still debated, novel, or unresolved. Although we won’t be able to avoid touching on fish anatomy, physiology, or taxonomy, these have been covered elsewhere and are thus not the priority of this course.