BIOL 351 Special Topics

Fall 2025

Biology 351*: Applied Scientific Computing in Python
Instructor: Dr. Melinda Yang

This co-taught course provides an introduction to Python programming for scientific applications for advanced biologists and geographers, with a particular focus on large-scale data analysis and visualization. Examples will derive primarily from biology and physical geography, and key topics include common data structures in these fields, application of numerical and statistical methods for large-scale data analysis, and popular packages for data visualization. Through hands-on projects applied to real-world scientific problems, particularly in the biological and environmental sciences, students will develop computational skills essential for tackling complex challenges in their field of study.

BIOL351*:  Comparative Sensory Biology
Instructor:  TBD

This course explores how organisms perceive the world. Taking a comparative approach, students will learn how different organisms acquire and process signals from chemical, visual, auditory, and thermosensory stimuli to perform the remarkable behaviors that facilitate their survival and reproduction. Emphasis will be on the neuroethology of arthropod and mammalian systems.

BIOL351:  Insect Biodiversity & Natural History
Instructor:  TBD

Focusing on one of Earth’s most diverse and ecologically significant groups, this course covers the natural history, taxonomy, and morphology of insects. Students will learn field collection and preservation methods, gaining practical skills in specimen handling and identification, and also explore the phylogenetic relationships among major insect orders, highlighting their distinctive adaptations, behaviors, and ecological roles.

 

*Courses will have no labs.