Mount Ida College

This course is designed to provide students with a basic knowledge of biology. It explores the study of the plant and animal cell, its structure, division, energetics, genetics, metabolism and photosynthesis. Upon completion of this course a student may continue her/his study of biology with BI 108 or elect Animal Biology and/or Plant Biology. The course meets for three hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory per week.

This course explores the diversity of life, its ecology, evolution and structure. It includes a study of the general anatomy and development of organisms. Upon completion of this course a student may continue his/her study with BI 107. The course meets for three hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory per week.

This is a comprehensive, integrated study of the structures and functions of the human body. It includes a review of basic histology followed by the study of the integumentary, skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems, supported by laboratory study of the structures and function of each. Course meets for three hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory each week.

This course is a continuation of BI 140. Through lecture and laboratory work it covers the endocrine, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems. Each system is explored not only by the physiological and anatomical studies included in BI 140, but also by the systematic dissection of the fetal cat. Course meets for three hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory each week. Prerequisites:BI 140

In this course, students will learn about the diversity of animals. Students will learn the taxonomy of these organisms and learn to identify features of different organisms within kingdoms Protista and Animalia. In addition, students will examine the ways in which these organisms have adapted to their environments and how they deal with the ubiquitous problems of existence.

Although this course provides a basic background in microbial physiology and immunology, special emphasis is placed upon application to funeral service and the allied health fields. Important aspects of disinfection control, prevention. pathology, and epidemiology of representative bacterial, fungal, protozoan, and viral diseases are covered. Laboratory assignments focus on an awareness of the ubiquity of microbes and the control and handling of infectious agents. This course meets for three hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisites:BI 140 or SC 160

In this course, students will learn about plants and fungi. Students will learn the taxonomy of these organisms and learn to identify features of different plants and fungi. In addition, students will examine the ways in which plants have adapted to their environments, how they deal with water and nutrient stresses. The end of the semester will focus on functional uses of flora and ecology. This course meets for three hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisites:C- or better in BI 107 and BI 108

This course will introduce students to two major areas in biology. Ecology is the study of living organisms (in populations, communities, and ecosystems), interactions within and between species, and interactions between organisms and the physical environment. Students will examine the relationships between the different levels of ecological structure to understand the impact individual species (such as humans) can have on their surroundings. Evolution explains both the similarity between species and the tremendous diversity of organisms on earth. An understanding of evolution is essential to all biologists, as it is an underlying component of the study of living organisms. This course meets for three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites:C- or better in BI 107 and BI 108. Completion of BI 340 prior to, or concurrent with, BI 302 is also recommended.

This course will provide students with an overview of available computer applications used to analyze data and solve problems in biology. Students will learn how to access biological databases, import data into and use various computer programs, and understand the principles behind the different analyses. Topics will include nucleic acid and protein sequences, biological modeling and simulation, and biological imaging. This course meets for three hours of lecture and one hour of recitation per week. Prerequisites:C- of better in BI 107, BI 108, and MA 203

The course will focus on principles related to the inheritance of traits regulated by genes. The chemical and physical nature of chromosomes and genes and gene expression and regulation will be covered. Systems in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms exemplifying Mendelian and modern molecular genetic principles will be discussed. Prerequisites:BI 108 or BI 140

All senior biology students must complete a Biology Senior Research Project under supervision of a faculty mentor. The student will meet with his/her mentor on a regular basis to discuss the literature relevant to a chosen area of biology. Under the faculty member’s guidance, the student will select a question of interest, develop hypotheses to address the question and design an experiment to test the hypotheses. Data collection will span both fall and spring semesters and will culminate with statistical analysis and interpretation of collected data. The student will complete a senior thesis that details the process and interpreted results along with a review of relevant literature. The thesis will be presented to interested members of the college community during the final weeks of spring semester. Prerequisites:Restricted to seniors in the Biology Program

All senior biology students must complete a Biology Senior Research Project under supervision of a faculty mentor. The student will meet with his/her mentor on a regular basis to discuss the literature relevant to a chosen area of biology. Under the faculty member’s guidance, the student will select a question of interest, develop hypotheses to address the question and design an experiment to test the hypotheses. Data collection will span both fall and spring semesters and will culminate with statistical analysis and interpretation of collected data. The student will complete a senior thesis that details the process and interpreted results along with a review of relevant literature. The thesis will be presented to interested members of the college community during the final weeks of spring semester. Prerequisites:Restricted to seniors in the Biology Program