Master of Science in Life Science (MS-LS)

LS 511    Microbiology     (3-0-3)

Principles of microbial growth and control, microbial genetic, industrial and biocatalyst, microbial evolution aspects, metabolic diversity and various concepts of immunology, and human diseases caused by microorganisms with some emphasis on marine microbiology.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

 

LS 512    Virology         (3-0-3)

Biochemical, molecular, clinical, and biotechnological principals of animal viruses. Plant viruses and viroid, viral structure, classification and assembly, viral replication, viral recombination and evolution, virus-host interactions, viral transformation and the use of viral vectors in biotechnology.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing


LS 513    Microbial Biotechnology      (3-0-3)

The history of microbial biotechnology; microbial biodiversity, production of proteins by bacteria; fuel alcohol, and amino acids, vitamins, alkaloids; biomass transformation and microbiology of pulp and paper; polymer synthesis; bioremediation using microbes; patents and regulations in biotechnology.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

 

LS 521    Biochemistry      (3-0-3)

Principles, mechanisms, chemical structures and synthesis of macromolecules of life, including lipid, polysaccharide, protein and nucleic acids, enzyme mediated catalytic reactions, and catabolic reactions leading to energy generation. 

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing.      

 

LS 523    Human Physiology and Anatomy      (3-0-3)

Physiological principles governing the function of major organ systems (nervous, circulatory, respiratory, endocrine) and their interactions in vertebrates emphasizing mammals especially humans. Anatomic descriptions of these major organ systems will also be presented. Illustration of physiological principles using modern approaches.  

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

 

LS 524    Toxicology      (3-0-3)

General principle of toxicology, including adsorption, distribution, metabolism, biological elimination, sequestration, and remediation of toxicant. Toxicant as poisons, pesticides, solvents and metals, hydrocarbon pollutants and drugs, Biotransformation of toxicants, drug-metabolizing enzymes, activation and mechanism of detoxification.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

 

LS 526    Protein Structure and Function      (3-0-3)

Types of proteins with various functions, levels of protein structure and bioinformatics tools to study structure and predict function, Levinthal folding paradox, Anfinsen experiment, catalytic Proteins, protein regulation, OMICS revolution and proteomics, functional genomics, extremophilic proteins.

Prerequisite: LS 521

 

LS 541    Cellular and Molecular Biology        (3-0-3)

Chemical basis of life, the basic unit of life (the cell) in relation with structure and function, photosynthesis, cellular respiration, cell reproduction (mitosis & meiosis), cell cycle regulation. Cell communication, signal transduction, molecular basis of carcinogenesis Molecular structures and mechanisms involved in the storage, transmission and utilization of genetic information in simple and complex organisms, gene transcription and translation, principles and methodology of recombinant DNA.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

 

LS 542    Biotechnology      (3-0-3)

Application of genetics and molecular biology to the developments of biotechnological products in medicine, environment, agriculture and industrial manufacture, fundamental issues of biotechnology, development of biotechnology, practical techniques of biotechnology, implication of biotechnology applications to the lives of humans and other animals, plants and  the environment.                  

Prerequisite: LS 541

 

LS 546    Techniques in Biology        (2-2-3)

Electrophoresis, chromatography, Uv-Vis spectrophotometry, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism, biocalorimetry (isothermal titration calorimetry, iTC; differential scanning calorimetry, DSC), Mass spectrometry (MS), light and electron microscopy.

Prerequisite: LS 521

 

LS 551    Ecology and Evolution     (3-0-3)

Understanding of resource sharing among communities, and fundamental concepts of terrestrial and aquatic environments, Global changes and nutrient cycling, nutrient availability, resource competition among individuals and within a community, abundance of organisms and human interactions, primary production, decomposition, and microbial ecology.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing; LS 551 is equivalent to ENVS 533.

 

LS 562    Invertebrate     (3-0-3)

Evolutionary and physical diversity of invertebrates, phylogenetic relationships among the metazoans; biodiversity represented by invertebrates; patterns of evolution within the major phyla, classification, systematic, and phylogeny, animal development, life histories and origin of various invertebrate phyla.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

 

LS 563    Paleobiology     (3-0-3)

Evolutionary aspects of paleobiology as science, including; the growth of theoretical paleobiology, punctuated equilibrium, Taphonomy and the quality of fossil record, toxic paleobiology, macroevolution, paleoecology and paleoclimate.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing       

 

LS 564    Plant Biotechnology     (3-0-3)

History of plant tissue culture, different basic media and their components, totipotency, callus culture, haploid production, organogenesis, embryogenesis, in vitro multiplication, cell and protoplast culture, cryopreservation, germ plasma preservation. Plant genetic engineering, delivery system, transgenic plant production and molecular analysis, genetically modified (GM) crops and their assessment; bio-safety guidelines, marker assisted selection, DNA finger printing, bio-fertilizers and bio-insecticides

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

 

LS 565    Ethics in Biology     (3-0-3)       

Writing, oral and critical analysis skills needed to link science to ethics in biology. Current issues that involve biology, ethics, society and learning plan that integrates their Biology concentration, capstone and internship interests, and personal and professional goals.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing       

 

LS 571    Biological Oceanography     (3-0-3)

History of biological oceanography, Marine organisms and their interrelationships with chemical, geological and physical aspects of their environments. The diversity of pelagic and benthic marine organisms, bioelemental cycling within these life forms and the factors that influence their abundance and distributions. The consequences of shifts in the ocean biota throughout geological time and how they may be affected by future climate change.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

 

LS 572    Physiology of Mammals         (3-0-3)

Analysis of the functional biology of mammals with emphasis on the mechanistic basis of physiological functions and their adaptive significance in a variety of environmental conditions.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

 

LS573    Plankton Ecology and Process        (3-0-3)

Biology and ecology of marine phytoplankton, with emphasis on quantitative aspects of growth, production and distribution in space and time. The diversity, distribution, identification of the main phytoplankton groups. Emphasis will also include Ecology and Process.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing                   

 

LS 574    Aquaculture     (3-0-3)

Understanding techniques used for stocking fish and commercial invertebrate’s with emphasis of utilizing various techniques to commercialize production of marine fishes, invertebrates and other marine organisms.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

 

LS 590    LS Special Topic I      (3-0-3)

Advanced topics selected in area of life sciences.    

 

LS 591    LS Special Topic II      (3-0-3)

Advanced topics selected in area of life sciences.    


LS 599    Seminar         (1-0-0)

Presentation of a seminar on a timely and important topic in life sciences. Attendance to seminars given by faculty members and visiting scientists is also required.          

 

LS 606    Independent Research     (0-0-3)

Independent reading of a particular topic in LS under the supervision of a faculty member, preferably the one supervising the project. The topic is strongly recommended to be related to the research in the project.

 

LS 610 MS Thesis    (0-0-6)

A research topic under the supervision of a faculty member in order to probe in depth a specific problem in Biology.

Prerequisite: LS 599