Flier

Submitted by Nicholas C. Darnton (inactive) on Saturday, 1/24/2009, at 10:32 PM
Flier

Instructor

Submitted by Nicholas C. Darnton (inactive) on Saturday, 1/24/2009, at 10:02 PM

Professor Nicholas Darnton

Meeting times

MWF 1:1:50.  We are currently scheduled for ESNH 107 (Geology), but may (informally or formally) move to a more conventional location in Merrill.

Text

We will be using Physical Biology of the Cell, a great new biophysics textbook by Rob Phillips, Jane Kondev and Julie Theriot.  It is available at Amherst Books.

Grading

  1. Homework assignments will alternate between traditional problem sets and close readings of research papers.  The problem sets will be drawn primarily from the textbook.  For readings of research papers, I will ask you to explain or quantify statements in a current research paper relevant to the week's material.
  2. The term paper will synthesize several (at least three) published experimental papers that examine a single biological system using different experimental techniques.  
  3. The midterm and final exam will be open book / open notes, and contain a mixture of regular problems and questions about a published paper that you will be able to examine in advance.

The overall course grade will depend 2:2:1:2 on homework, term paper, midterm and final.