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| Genetics
and Biotechnology |
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Honors level course, semester-long
Honors Genetics and Biotechnology is an online course provided by the
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. Now that "source
code" for
human development, the human genome, has been deciphered, revolutionary
developments in medicine, agriculture and criminal justice are reported
seemingly every day. Innovations in biotechnology, empowered by genetics,
are likely to be major drivers of economic development in the 21st century
in North Carolina and around the world. This class is designed to provide
students with a broad understanding of genetics and the laboratory techniques
that are widely used in academic research and the biotech industry.
This course will cover the following topics:
- Mitosis and Meiosis
- Classical Mendelian Genetics
- Pedigree Analysis
- Human Reproduction and Sex Determination
- Linkage Mapping
- Population Genetics and Evolution
- DNA Structure and Replication
- RNA Transcription and Protein Translation
- Recombinant DNA Technology
- Gel Electrophoresis and DNA Fingerprinting
- The Polymerase Chain Reaction and DNA Sequencing
- Bioinformatics and the Human Genome Project
- The Origin of Life
- Viruses and HIV
- 21st Century Medicine
- Biotechnology in North Carolina
For each of these topics, students will read a number of articles "ripped
from the headlines" in this dynamic field. They will also work through
a number of problem sets and online simulations and discuss the implications
of some of the developments in genetics with their peers via a discussion
board. Finally they will get a chance to practice modern laboratory techniques.
Prerequisites:
No course prerequisite
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Course Instructor
- Mr. Jon Davis
Jon Davis is an instructor of biology at the North Carolina School of Science
and Mathematics in Durham, NC where he has taught environmental science and
genetics. Jon holds an undergraduate degree in biology from Reed College
in Portland, Oregon, and earned a master's degree in botany at the University
of Georgia. He has taught this course via videoconferencing for 4 years and
is looking forward to making the jump to an online course. In the summers
he has taught ecology courses in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia and
in rainforests of Costa Rica.
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