BNFO 300 
Molecular Biology Through Discovery
Path to class (Thursday, Aug 22) - Intro to Class & Strategies of Life
(please press SUBMIT button when finished)
Please submit your responses no later than 6:00 AM the day of class
Fall 2019  


My advice on what to do before coming to class, regarding the matters listed in the calendar:

Introduction to Course
  • Exam 1: [What is the course?]: Nothing new to read (that's what [ ] means), beyond what is up for Aug 20. I won't bring up anything on my own, but this is your chance to air your questions and concerns based on what you've heard and what you've read. If you have any, bring them with you, or enter them in the appropriate box, below.
     
  • Notes: How to find articles: Take a brief look at How to Find Articles. You'll take a longer look later when you do Problem Set 1. For now, see if you have a handle on what is a research article and what PubMed and Web of Science can give you that Google cannot.
     
  • Practice: Results vs Conclusions: Nothing to prepare with this. I'll introduce this practice in class.
     
  • Investigation: What is a Gene?: A good idea to get started on this, just to make sure there aren't technical problems. No need to get far into it.
Strategies of Life:
  • Notes: Self Assembly: Go through this short tutorial.
     
  • Notes: Strategies of Life: Go through these notes, paying particular attention to the study questions.
     
  • Problem Set 1: Take a look at these problems if you like, particularly PS1.2. We'll do this in groups.
Research Proposal
  • How to find a mentor: Read the advice, particularly on How to find a candidate mentor. Won't take long.

 

Please respond only to those questions below you feel will be useful to you

I. Basic Information

A. Your name 
II. The nature of the course

Any questions, comments, or concerns?
     

III. Research articles and how to find them

A. Are you clear on what distinguishes a research article from, say, a news article or a peer-reviewed review article?

B. If your view as to what is a research article has changed since you described it in the last questionnaire, please explain here.

C. After looking at How to Find Articles, any issues you'd like to discusson how to find full text research articles?
     

IV. Strategies of Life - Self Assembly
  1. How far have you gotten in the tutorial on Self Assembly?   Self Assembly):
    • How the interaction between water molecules determines the interaction between (hydrophobic) plastic beads
    • How the interaction between water molecules determines the interaction between (hydrophilic) glass beads
    • How these properties can determine the shapes of complex structures, e.g. membranes and proteins

    With this in mind, how could class time best be spent to meet your needs?
    Do you have any other questions concerning the material in the notes?

V. Strategies of Life - Notes
  1. How far have you gotten in the notes Strategies of Life? 
    (You can answer by referring to the last section you read or study question you addressed.)
     
  2. Consider how comfortable you are with the following topics (as defined by the notes Strategies of Life):
    • How information passes from DNA through RNA to protein?
    • The mechanism by which genes might determine the function of an organism?
    • How amphipathic lipids can self-assemble into the sphere shown in Fig. 2B?
    • The relationship between monomers and the four major types of biological polymers?
    • How in general enzymes might determine the nature of a cell?
    • Study Questions 1 through 9?

    With this in mind, how could class time best be spent to meet your needs?
    Do you have any other questions concerning the material in the notes?

VI. What is a Gene?
  1. Have you experienced any technical obstacles in going through What is a Gene and its companion?
    Any problems accessing BioBIKE (CyanoBIKE)?
  2. To get a basal measurement... Provide a statement that describes as accurately and completely as possible your current understanding regarding how a cell determines where a gene begins. What could you observe or measure that gives meaning to "how a cell determines where a gene begins"?
VII. Miscellaneous

Any other comments, questions, suggestions, or concerns you may have?
For example, are you concerned about your laptop maintaining power over the course of class?
If so, perhaps I can dig up some additional power strips.

Thanks!

REMEMBER TO CLICK SUBMIT!