This course satisfies the investigative lab requirement of the B.S. degree or a lab requirement for the B.A. degree. Goals include basic research training to allow students to have an idea of what scientific research entails, knowledge training to provide students with certain important principles operating inside the cell, and biotechnology training to expose students to modern techniques in cell and molecular biology. This course satisifies the Investigative Laboratory requirement. The course surveys current topics in the study of adaptation to habitat, the biology of populations, and interactions between species, communities, and ecosystems. An effort is made to integrate principles with such practical issues as global climate change and conservation.
Students also participate in an experimental field project.
The final grade is the score of the final exam or the average of all the exams, whichever is higher. The course is taught by a faculty member. Grading is based on two midterms and a semicomprehensive final exam. The course is taught by a professor. The course is representative of classical experiments in endocrinology.