OEB Courses

Instructor(s): David Foster
Description: The conservation of land and waters has become a major tool in determining the patterns of land use, conserving biodiversity, combating global change, and ensuring that the benefits of nature are secured for society. With a focus on the U.S., this course will examine the history and changes in conservation rationale and approach, the ecological theory and research that helps guide conservation planning and execution, and the policies, finances, and practice that enable land conservation to be a powerful agent of landscape change. Field trips will focus on case studies and discussions with practitioners engaged in New England conservation from Boston to extremely rural landscapes.
Cross Reg: Available for Cross Registration

Instructor(s): David Haig
Description: Viviparity has evolved many times in vertebrate phylogeny. The course reviews the diversity of parental care in vertebrates and explores the selective forces that have favored the evolution of live-bearing. The evidence for intergenerational conflicts is considered.
Recommended Prep: Life Sciences 1b or permission of instructor
Cross Reg: Available for Cross Registration

Instructor(s): Scott Edwards
Description:  A survey of theory and applications of DNA technologies to the study of evolutionary, ecological and behavioral processes in natural populations. Topics to be covered will span a variety of hierarchical levels, timescales, and taxonomic groups, and will include the evolution of genes, genomes and proteins; the neutral theory of molecular evolution and molecular clocks; population genomics and phylogenetic principles of speciation and phylogeography; metagenomics of microbial communities; relatedness and behavioral ecology; molecular ecology of infectious disease; and conservation genetics.
Enrollment:  No Limit
Course Notes:   Weekly computer laboratories will introduce the use of the internet and computational software in DNA sequence alignment and phylogenetic and population genetic analysis.
Recommended Prep: Life Sciences 1b, OEB 10, OEB 53 or MCB 52.

Instructor(s): Benton Taylor
Description: Experimental Design and Statistics for Ecology provides a practical “how to” introduction to conducting ecological research.  Students gain hands-on experience forming testable questions and hypotheses, designing experiments to test these questions, implementing experimental designs, taking and managing data, and conducting an array of statistical analyses in R statistical software.
Course Notes: This course is geared toward senior undergrads and early graduate students.
Recommended Prep: OEB 55
Cross Reg: Available for Cross Registration

Instructor(s): James Mallet
Description: Speciation, or the origin of species, has been a controversial topic ever since Darwin's 1859 book. Even in the genomic era we are now experiencing, speciation is a frequent topic that demands attention. In this course, we will cover in approximate order:

• History of ideas in speciation; pre-Darwin, Darwin & Wallace, 1930-1940s, recent
• The concept of reproductive isolation
• Ecological "races" and ecological speciation
• Idealized population genetic models of speciation
• Beyond the species: macroevolution and diversification
• What are species? Species concepts and species delimitation
• Brief introduction to coalescent theory and the multi-species coalescent
• Behavioral divergence and mate choice, including "reinforcement"
• Chromosomal evolution, genomic rearrangements, and speciation
• What is needed to understand speciation? The population genetics of gene flow, and genetic divergence via mutation, drift, and selection
• The geography of speciation, including allopatric, parapatric, and sympatric speciation
• Hybrid inviability and hybrid sterility between species
• Speciation: caused by natural selection or by genetic drift?

Instructor(s): Gonzalo Giribet
Description:  Biogeography aims to explain distributions of organisms through historical and ecological factors. This course will focus on the history of biogeographic research, developments in the area of historical biogeography, and on ecological processes that affect distributions of whole clades. Topics include plate tectonics and earth history, vicariance and dispersal, areas of endemism, phylogenetic niche conservatism, latitudinal gradients in species richness, and the theory of island biogeography. Software for biogeographical analysis will be discussed and evaluated.
Enrollment:  No Limit
Recommended Prep: Two following courses: Life Sciences 1b, OEB 10, OEB 51, OEB 52, OEB 53, OEB 54, OEB 55, OEB 181, or permission of the instructor. There will also be a lab component in addition to the lecture component of the course.

Instructor(s): Yun Zhang
Description:  Behavior is inheritable and regulated by genes. This lecture course explores causal links between genes and behavioral traits, aiming to provide mechanistic understanding of how gene products control and influence behavioral outputs. The course will start with discoveries of genes whose mutations contribute to neurological diseases and psychiatric disorders, followed by main research approaches used to investigate genetic basis of behavior and brain function. The class will then have in-depth lectures and discussion on genes that regulate several behavioral traits including olfaction, itch and pain, circadian rhythm, sexual behavior, sleep, learning and memory
Class Notes:   One lecture and one discussion session per week via Zoom.  Meeting times will be based on the needs of students enrolled.
Recommended Prep: Life Sciences 1a or permission of the instructor

Instructor(s): Naomi Pierce
Description:  An introduction to the major groups of insects. The life history, morphology, physiology, and ecology of the main taxa are examined through a combination of lecture, lab, and field exercises. Topics include the phylogeny of terrestrial arthropods with a review of the extant orders, an analysis of abiotic and biotic factors regulating populations, including water balance, temperature, migration, parasitism, mutualism, sociality, insect/plant interactions, medical entomology, and the use of insects in biological control.
Class Notes:   The lab and field exercises will be offered as part of  the "remote" version of the course, but modified to accommodate students who are working in different locations.

Instructor(s): Michael Desai
Description: Course taught in Fall (13344) and Spring (13359)

Instructor(s): Brian Farrell
Description: Physical concepts necessary to understand atmospheric structure and motion. Phenomena studied include the formation of clouds and precipitation, solar and terrestrial radiation, dynamical balance of the large-scale wind, and the origin of cyclones. Concepts developed for understanding today's atmosphere are applied to understanding the record of past climate change and the prospects for climate change in the future.
Course Notes: E-PSCI 132 is also offered as ESE 132. Students may not take both for credit. This course fulfills the EPS sub-discipline requirement of Atmosphere(s) and Oceans.
Recommended Prep: mathematics 21 or Applied Mathematics 22a and 22b; Physical Sciences 12; or permission of instructor.
Jointly Offered with: ESE 132

Instructor(s): Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan
Description: Abstracting the essential components and mechanisms from a natural system to produce a mathematical model, which can be analyzed with a variety of formal mathematical methods, is perhaps the most important, but least understood, task in applied mathematics. This course approaches a number of problems without the prejudice of trying to apply a particular method of solution. Topics drawn from biology, economics, engineering, physical and social sciences.
Course Notes: Engineering Sciences 115 is also offered as Applied Mathematics 115. Students may not take both for credit. Undergraduate Engineering Students should enroll in Engineering Sciences 115.
Recommended Prep: Applied Mathematics 105. Additional skills in analysis, algebra, probability, statistics and computer programming will increase the value of the course to students.

Instructor(s): Noel Holbrook, Robert Paarlberg, Forest Reinhardt
Description: This seminar examines the world’s systems for the production and distribution of food as they relate to the earth’s physical, chemical, and biological systems.  Using scientific readings, papers about economics and politics, and cases about firms, we consider agriculture and food from scientific, public policy, and business strategy perspectives and in relation to environmental issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, carbon and nitrogen cycles, water and soil conservation (including erosion, pollution, and salinization), and the use of genetically modified organisms.  Geographic and topical coverage will be broad:  the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa; as well as water, seeds, fertilizers, animal protein, trade and development. We expect to have numerous guests from the scientific community, government, and business. Some background in biology, government or economics is useful, but not required.

Instructor(s): Paul Moorcroft
Description: Supervised reading and research on topics not covered by regular courses of instruction. Students must complete a registration form, including permission from their faculty sponsor, with the concentration office before course enrollment. A final paper describing the research/reading completed during the term is due in duplicate to the Head Tutor on the first day of reading period.
Course Notes: Intended for junior and senior concentrators in Environmental Science and Public Policy; open to sophomore concentrators only under exceptional circumstances. Permission of the Head Tutor is required for enrollment. May be counted for concentration only with the special permission of the Head Tutor.
Class Notes: Hours to be arranged.
Course taught in both Fall (12193) and Spring (12250).

Instructor(s): Brian Farrell
Description: We do not sing alone. On land, four kinds of animals produce songs or calls: birds, frogs, mammals, and insects. Some of these (and fish) also do so underwater. The principal sounds such animal species make are signaling behaviors directly related to mating success. They are of individuals, usually males, marking territories, and wooing mates. However, in any one location, species may also compete with one another for occupation of acoustic space (that is, for bandwidth) and otherwise optimize their sound signals to features of their environment. We will explore these topics and others as we listen to and read about each of the various kinds of singers on earth, the biology of their sound production and reception, and the ways they attract mates while avoiding becoming meals for eavesdropping predators. We will listen to many different kinds of acoustic signalers across a wide array of acoustic communities in tropical and temperate settings, both terrestrial and aquatic, and we will examine sound spectra on a large screen as we listen and slow down and isolate sounds to help distinguish their parts. Finally, we will consider the biology and evolution of music in humans, considering evidence from brain studies, archaeology and anthropology, and the music of indigenous peoples. We will look at music parallels in different kinds in animals of other species. There will be field trips to listen to and record assemblages of local species. The overall objective is to awaken the students’ sense, understanding, and appreciation of the acoustic environment from which we come, and the role of this environment in shaping human biology and culture. There is a fair bit of reading required in preparation for weekly discussions. Accordingly, participation will be expected for discussion of the readings and listening experiences.
Course Requirements: Course open to Freshman Students only

Instructor(s): William Friedman
Description: Do you think you know who Charles Darwin was?  The legend and sober-looking bearded scholar behind the most important paradigm shift in human history?  In this seminar, we will read a selection of Darwin's publications (including parts of Darwin's seminal work, On the Origin of Species), as well as his private correspondence, paying close attention to the man behind the science as revealed by his writings.  We will get to know Charles Darwin—the avid breeder of pigeons, lover of barnacles, devoted father and husband, gifted correspondent and tactician, and remarkable backyard scientist.  In this latter vein, we will reproduce ten of Charles Darwin's classic Down House experiments that were central to making his case for natural selection and evolution in On the Origin of Species, as well as his many other books on natural history.  Field trips to the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, the Museum of Comparative Zoology, and a local pigeon fancier will provide the setting for recreating a selection of the myriad observations of organisms and their interactions with the environment and each other that made Darwin the master of minutia and provided the foundation for his grand synthesis of evolutionary pattern and process.  Each week, we will also read, react to (through writing), and discuss Darwin’s published writings and letters.
Course Notes: Required field trips to the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, the Museum of Comparative Zoology, and a local pigeon fancier will be included. Transportation will be provided.
Course Requirements: Course open to Freshman Students only

Instructor: Colleen Cavanaugh
Description: This course examines the remarkable diversity of symbiotic associations on Earth, their ecology and evolution, and their roles in human health and disease, agriculture, and biotechnology. Symbioses - "living together" - with microbes are ubiquitous in nature, ranging from lichens to the human microbiome. Symbiosis drives evolution, resulting in "new organisms" and charges us to think about biodiversity on a new level. In this freshman seminar, microbial symbioses with animals (including humans), plants, fungi, protists will be discussed, complemented by microscopy and field trips to local environs including Boston Harbor Islands, the New England Aquarium, and your own microbiome
Course Requirements: Open to Freshman Students only
 

Instructor(s): David Haig
Description: A human interest in ancestry and kinship is found in most cultures. This interest is not a construct of the modern age, but recent advances in genetics can now provide a wealth of previously unavailable information about our genetic descent. The seminar will discuss examples of what genetics can tell us about where we are from and address the kinds of questions genetics can answer and the kinds it cannot answer. What should we conclude when cultural tradition and genetics tell different stories? Are genetic answers relevant or irrelevant to competing cultural narratives of identity? Is the question “Where are you from?” an invitation to explore our common humanity amid diversity or is it a microaggression that constructs barrriers between us?
Course Requirements: Course open to Freshman Students Only

Instructor(s): Peter Girguis
Description: There have always been tales of sea monsters. For as long as we humans have ventured into the ocean, our imaginations have conjured images of serpents, krakens, leviathans, and other creatures, all of whom seem bent on the destruction of those who dare set foot into the sea. Humankind’s conviction that sea monsters are real is so powerful that -even today- rumors abound of sea monsters lurking in the depths. Indeed, every major religion –eastern and western- features sea monsters. Are these declarations true? Do giants roam the deep sea? Did the explorers of centuries ago see creatures from their small wooden boats that we do not see today? During this course we will explore sea monsters through a social, spiritual, literary, and scientific “lens”. We will study the sea monsters that flourish on ancient maps to understand the minds of 16th century scholars. We will examine the bodies of real sea monsters, and consider the world in which such grotesque creatures might evolve. We will busy ourselves with tales of creatures from classic and contemporary literature. Most importantly, we will develop a better understanding of how humans perceive the world, and how our consciousness can simultaneously embrace our wildest dreams and cower from our greatest fears. Sea monsters, both real and imagined, tell us much about life in the deep sea, and even more about humankind.>
Course Notes: Required field trips related to the sea are included. There will be no cost to the student.
Course Requirements: Course open to Freshman Students Only

Instructor(s): Hopi Hoekstra, Andrew Berry, Pardis Sabeti
Description: How are observable characteristics of organisms influenced by genetics? How do genomes change over time to produce the differences we see among species? This course takes an integrated approach, showing how genetics and evolution are intimately related, together explaining the patterns of genetic variation we see in nature, and how genomics can be used to analyze variation. In covering Mendelian genetics, quantitative genetics, and population genetics, this course will emphasize developments involving our own species.
Course Notes: This course, in combination with Life Sciences 1a, constitutes an integrated introduction to the Life Sciences. This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the General Education requirement in Science of Living Systems.

Instructor(s): Andrew W. Murray, Michael Desai, Cassandra Extavour, Aravinthan Samuel, Emma Nagy
Description: This is an intensive two-semester, double course that introduces the natural sciences as an integrated whole to students who have a very strong interest in science. Our goal is to teach students how to solve scientific problems by drawing methods and concepts from biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. The course uses examples from biology as an integrating theme, principles from physics and mathematics to reduce complex problems to simpler forms, and computer simulation to allow students to develop their intuition about the behavior of the dynamical systems that control the physical and biological universe. The course includes bootcamps to introduce students to biological experiments and the computer language, Matlab. Each semester will include a project lab, in which students will work in small teams to do original research on unsolved biological problems.
Course Notes: Life Sciences 50a and 50b when taken together for a letter grade fulfill the General Education requirements of Science of Living Systems, Science of the Physical Universe, and Empirical and Mathematical Reasoning. LS 50a taken alone fulfills two of these requirements.
Class Notes: Lab is scheduled for Tuesdays OR Thursdays

Course is taught Monday through Friday. LIFESCI 50A taught Fall Term. LIFESCI 50B taught Spring Term.

Instructor(s): Martin Nowak
Description: Introduces basic concepts of mathematical biology and evolutionary dynamics: evolution of genomes, quasi-species, finite and infinite population dynamics, chaos, game dynamics, evolution of cooperation and language, spatial models, evolutionary graph theory, infection dynamics, somatic evolution of cancer.
Recommended Prep: Mathematics 19a,b or 21a,b or 23a,b or 25a,b or 55a,b; or an equivalent background in mathematics

Instructor(s): Martin Nowak
Description: Course taught in Fall (12563) and Spring (12600).

Instructor(s): Ethan Garner, Bence Ölveczky
Description: The biology of the individual cell lies at the heart of multi-cellular phenomena such as development and neural function. This course will emphasize critical evaluation of the primary literature, experimental design and scientific writing.
Course Notes:  Required for first year graduate students in the Molecules, Cells and Organisms (MCO) Program, but open to graduates of all programs.
Related Sections:  Discussion TBA

Instructor: Benjamin de Bivort
Description: Automation and robotics have revolutionized molecular biology. Liquid handling robots are already facilitating the “omics” revolution in genome sequencing, proteomics and high throughput screening. Now, neuroscience and microscopy are adopting robotics for throughput and experiments requiring precision and repeatability, like targeted microelectrode placement. In this nano course, students will learn 1) basic principles of practical robotics including the interaction of software and hardware, 2) the roles of drivers, control cards, microcontrollers and sensor electronics, and 3) practical engineering skills including basic soldering, measurement of voltage, conductivity, polarity and resistance. Students will explore the challenges of translating conceptual operational algorithms into physical implementations.
Course Notes: To enroll, students must be apart of a Life Science Graduate Program, or permission of the instructor.

Instructor(s): Benjamin de Bivort
Course Title: Characterizing the Molecular, Neural Circuit & Ecological Underpin. of Behavior'l Diver in the Fruit Fly

Instructor(s): Michael Desai
Description: Upper level Systems Biology students register for this course when they permanently join a lab. Students should register under the supervising PI.
Course taught in Fall (15634) and Spring (15428).

Instructor(s): Martin Nowak
Description: Upper level Systems Biology students register for this course when they permanently join a lab. Students should register under the supervising PI.
Course taught in Fall (15657) and Spring (15451).

Instructor(s): Pardis Sabeti
Description: Upper level Systems Biology students register for this course when they permanently join a lab. Students should register under the supervising PI. Course taught in both Fall (15664) and Spring (15458).