Attention current students!  Are you interested in learning why genomes vary so much in size (from less than 50 to over 100,000 megabases)?  What lurks in genomes besides genes?  How do these different genomic components evolve?

In Fall 2020, a new special topics seminar (BIOL 495) will be taught on Genome Evolution that addresses these and many other questions.  The course is worth 2 credits that will satisfy advanced biology degree requirements and meet on Tuesdays, from 2:10 to 4:00 pm.  Students should have completed BIOL 313 (genetics) and BIOL 315 (evolution).  You can add the course to your Fall 2020 schedule with the reference number 2075265.  

Professor Tom Jurik is offering a new seminar in the Spring 2020 semester for students interested in exploring how climate change impacts biology.  The seminar will count as an advanced biology course for Biology majors and is graded on a satisfactory-fail basis.  Students should have a good grasp of ecology before enrolling in the course and course activities will include reading the primary literature on the subject, guiding discussions, and giving presentations.  There is a lot to study when it comes to the impacts of climate change on living organisms ranging from ocean acidification to changes in community structure. More information

The Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology has recently received a generous gift that enables the Biology Program and Genetics Program to offer a new scholarship.  The donors created this fund to honor the legacy and profession of Dr. Staniforth (1919-1984) who was a pioneer in the field of weed science.  See the Dr. David W. Staniforth Legacy Scholarship page for more information and how to apply.  

A new advanced biology course will be offered Spring 2020 taught by Dr. Dior Kelley (GDCB).  

BIOL 420X. Plant Molecular Biology. (3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereqs: BIOL 211 & BIOL 212.  Molecular aspects of plant biology with an emphasis on model seed plants. Topics include plant metabolism, genome organization and expression, cell architecture, membrane transport, protein trafficking and special topics related to development and response to biological and environmental stimuli. Includes examples from contemporary experimental plant biology research.

 

Topics in Cell Biology (BIOL 428) will be offered again for the Spring 2020 semester!  This course will be co-taught by Dr. Mohan Gupta and Dr. Diane Bassham. 

 

This past summer, the Biology faculty voted on two proposals brought forward by the Biology Program Committee.  The results of these votes mean a few changes in Biology Program degree requirements for students.  

More Flexibility with Lab/Field Courses for Students

To meet the degree requirements for Biology at Iowa State, students must complete two advanced biology courses with a laboratory or field component.  The first approved change grants students more flexibility when selecting these lab/field courses.  Previously, Biology majors needed to select these courses from Biology Program offerings only (i.e., those listed as BIOL in the university catalog).  The Biology faculty voted to allow any approved advanced biology course with a laboratory component to satisfy the lab/field requirement.  

Dr. Xun Gu will be teaching an undergraduate-level introduction to transcriptome genomics this coming Fall 2019.  For more information about this opportunity, see here.

All biology majors must complete ecology (BIOL 312) to complete their Bachelor of Science in the program.  It includes both lecture and laboratory components in a single course.  There are currently two lecture sections (A and B) and twenty lab sections scheduled for Fall 2019.  The following information is to help students select which lecture section they wish to register for.  

Lecture Section A

Section A typically has enrollment of 260-300 students and requires students to be individually responsible for all their activities and grades.