Catalogue

Biology

biology.bard.edu

Faculty

Bruce Robertson (director), Cathy Collins, M. Elias Dueker, Taylor Hart, Brooke Jude, Craig Jude, Felicia Keesing, Gabriel G. Perron, Michael Tibbetts, Rob Todd

Overview

In order to meet the needs and interests of students within this diverse field, the biology curriculum at Bard is designed to be flexible. Students are encouraged to consult with their advisers to design a personal curriculum that covers requirements for advanced study and satisfies varied interests (biochemical, molecular, ecological) and approaches (laboratory-based, field-based, computational). Students are encouraged to gain additional expertise in chemistry, physics, mathematics, or computer science to prepare for the interdisciplinary nature of modern biological research. Bard’s laboratory facilities, field station, and relationship with Rockefeller University allow students to undertake sophisticated Senior Projects in a variety of areas. Funds for summer research are available on a competitive basis.

Requirements

In addition to the college-wide distribution requirements, First-Year Seminar, and Citizen Science, biology majors must complete a Senior Project of original scientific research; at least 6 credits of 100-level coursework (from among courses numbered above 140); Biology 201, Genetics and Evolution; Biology 202, Ecology and Evolution; Biology 244, Biostatistics; two courses outside of the Biology Program within the Division of Science, Mathematics, and Computing; at least two 300-level biology courses with labs; and 4 credits of 400-level biology seminar courses.

Recent Senior Projects in Biology 

• “Are Harvester Ants the Tick Predators We Thought They Were?” 
• “Fire Retardant: Friend or Foe? How Fire Retardant Affects Growth and Germination Rates in C-Ferns” 
• “Localization and Mortality of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Danio rerio Embryos”
• “Prehistoric Populations: Determining the Age-Old Number of Albertosaurus sarcophagus across the Continent of North America”

Facilities

Biology equipment includes standard and real-time PCR machines, tissue culture facilities, growth chambers, fluorescence microscopes, a confocal microscope, and a variety of ecology field equipment. Biology students may also use the facilities of the Bard College Field Station, which is located on the Hudson River and affords access to freshwater tidal marshes, swamps, and shallows; perennial and intermittent streams; and young and old deciduous and coniferous forests, among other habitats. 

Courses

Elective courses in biology cover ecology, animal physiology, neurobiology, microbiology, conservation biology, cell biology, animal behavior, virology, metagenomics, and cancer biology, among other topics. Upper College courses emphasize exposure to experimental techniques, examination of the primary literature, and written and oral presentation of scientific material.

Food Microbiology
Biology 102
Designed for nonmajors, the course examines the microorganisms that inhabit, create, or contaminate food. The first half introduces topics in food safety such as spoilage, food-borne infections, and antibiotic resistance. In the second half, students learn how to harness the capabilities of the many microbes present in our environment to turn rotting vegetables or spoiling milk into delicious food. They also learn how to design, conduct, and analyze simple experiments while working with microbiology techniques, including DNA sequencing. 

Mammals
Biology 106
DESIGNATED: THINKING ANIMALS INITIATIVE COURSE
Mammals are a specialized group of creatures with two notable features: they produce milk to feed their offspring and they maintain a constant internal body temperature, though doing so requires them to eat with near comical frequency. This course explores the ecology, behavior, physiology, diversity, and evolution of mammals, as well as what they can teach us about life on Earth in the 21st century, as the planet warms and little of the land or sea is untouched by humans, a particularly adaptable species of mammal.

Genetics and Identity
Biology 115
This course explores the biological bases of three aspects of the human condition, which are, to varying degrees, also social constructs: race, gender, and sexuality. A particular focus is on human evolution and our current understanding of how genetics and the environment interact to generate the variation we observe in these human characteristics.

Often Awesome: The Science and Humanity of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Biology 119
A look at the science behind Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, with a focus on the journey of one man from diagnosis through death, as told through his own words and those of his loved ones. Topics discussed include genetic testing and opportunistic infections. In the lab, students examine the causes and complications of ALS, including respiratory function, nerve conduction, and physiological response to stress.

Obesity
Biology 121
CROSS-LISTED: GPH
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of U.S. adults, and 17 percent of children and adolescents, are obese. This course explores the potential factors contributing to the obesity epidemic, including behavior, evolution, genetics/physiology, and microbiome. Lab work investigates the influence of genetics on obesity as well as the efficacy of interventions. Prerequisite: passing score on Part I of the Mathematics Diagnostic.

Existential Neuroscience
Biology 131
CROSS-LISTED: MBB
Neuroscience as a field is undoubtedly useful to medical professionals, but would knowing some neuroscience change the way we behave as humans? If you learn more about those little cells in your brain that make you the conscious being that you are, will it make you more cynical and materialistic? Or will it fill you with a sense of something beautiful and complex arising from virtually nothing? This course looks at the neuroscience of music, visual art, pain, emotions, free will, consciousness, and other things that make us human.

From Egg to Organism
Biology 135
How does a single fertilized egg develop into a whole organism? How does one cell diversify into many different cell types, from blood to skin to muscle? How do these cell types develop into organs and organ systems? How do organisms derive cells that can reproduce and regenerate other cells? In this course, which includes a number of hands-on activities and labs, students focus on a basic understanding of how these events occur and speculate on discoveries yet to come.

Natural History of the Hudson Valley
Biology 136
The course trains students in the field, lab, and museum skills of natural historians. Lectures introduce concepts in systematics and taxonomy, the history of natural history, and how citizen science is exploiting crowdsourcing of data. The lab portion focuses on identifying plants, birds, amphibians, aquatic and terrestrial insects, and fish of the Hudson Valley. Students learn how to use binoculars, dissecting scopes, traps, nets, and other tools to visualize or capture specimens; and use field guides, phone apps, dichotomous keys, and other resources to identify them. 

Microbes and Me: How Microscopic Organisms Shape Our Lives
Biology 137
Designed for nonmajors, the course explores the relationships between humans and microscopic organisms, with a primary focus on viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Topics include microbial diversity, public health, and infectious disease. During the laboratory portion, the class dives deeper into understanding how we, as a species, use microbes to our benefit, and what happens when normally benign microbes become pathogenic and start to cause disease.

Marine Diversity
Biology 139
Marine ecosystems are incredibly diverse. By current estimates there may be up to 2.2 million species in our oceans, yet only 11 percent have been described. Lab activities acquaint students with marine species local to the northwest Atlantic. Lectures provide ecological and evolutionary context to the organisms observed in the lab. In addition, students learn field-based techniques for assessing marine algal and invertebrate biodiversity. Intended for students who are not considering majoring in biology.

Environmental Microbiology
Biology 145
CROSS-LISTED: GPH
This introduction to current research in environmental microbiology covers such basic biological concepts as DNA, RNA, protein production, cellular replication, metabolism, respiration, and Mendelian genetics. Topics specific to microbial life include ecological life cycles and microbial habitats, the microbiomes of plants and humans, biodegradation and bioremediation, antibiotic resistance, biofilms, and quorum sensing. A laboratory component allows students to culture environmental microbes and learn techniques for identification and characterization of phenotypes.

From Genes to Traits
Biology 151
CROSS-LISTED: GIS, STS
An introduction to molecular genetics. Among the topics covered: protein structure, transcription, translation, DNA replication, genomics, and evolution. In the laboratory, students join an ongoing research program, using molecular techniques to investigate the prevalence of an agriculturally important parasite in the region, as well as the prevalence of antiparasitic drug resistance within the local population of the parasite.

Case Studies in Medical Biology
Biology 158
CROSS-LISTED: GPH
To fully understand the major systems of the human body, in the context of both healthy and diseased states, one must examine aspects of the biological, chemical, and physical properties contributing to their function. This course utilizes MCAT-style questions and case studies as a platform to learn scientific theories and principles in basic biology, genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, physiology, and other sub disciplines. In laboratories, students gain hands-on experience in testing these principles. They also practice evaluating evidence and interpreting and presenting data.

Principles of Developmental Biology
Biology 159
Developmental biology seeks to understand how complex organisms go from a single cell to highly developed and specialized entities. The course explores how organisms used in scientific research, often referred to as model organisms, develop from fertilization, including the early cellular divisions, to the formation of tissue layers and then to specialized organs. Select topics highlight fundamental concepts in this broad and rapidly evolving field.

Introduction to Neurobiology
Biology 162
CROSS-LISTED: MBB
Many neuroscience textbooks begin with descriptions of the brain’s nuts and bolts (neurons, synapses, ion channels) while fun topics, such as behavior, cognition, and memory, are lumped at the end. This is because the majority of what we know about the human brain we learned from rats, flies, sea slugs, and other model organisms. This course gradually climbs the ladder of complexity—from single neurons in invertebrates to large-scale networks in primates—to show how simple elements can combine and interact to produce meaningful behaviors.

Biological Inquiry
Biology 163
This 2-credit laboratory course is designed for intended biology majors in their first year of study. The laboratory experiences expose students to the various ways that modern biologists ask questions. These include correlations, experiments, and models. Emphasis is placed on study design, data collection, data analysis, and data presentation.

Methods in Field Ecology
Biology 166
This 2-credit course provides students with essential skills for future course work or research in ecology. Skills are learned through a series of individual and collaborative field studies that test core hypotheses in the science of ecology, with a special focus on Hudson Valley ecosystems. Field techniques include time budgets, point counts and transects of wild birds, line-transects of amphibians and plants, sweep netting and pitfall trapping of insects, seine netting of fish, and acoustic sampling of insects and birds.

Course-Based Research Experience (CRE): Disease Ecology
Biology 170
Students participate in the primary research program of a Bard biology professor. As participants in an immersive research experience, they ask and address questions to which the answers are unknown. The process of discovery involves delving into the biological premise of the research question, designing a study to address the question, then collecting and interpreting data. Working collaboratively across a semester allows students time for the trial-and-error inherent to the scientific process. In this CRE, students explore the concept of pathogen niche breadth. 

Tree of Life
Biology 171
Starting from the adage “nothing in biology makes sense except in light of evolution” (Theodosius Dobzhansky), this course focuses on taxonomy and systematics, and the embedded evolutionary concepts therein. The class explores how species emerge and how scientists name, classify, and organize them. From the molecular level to the global scale, the methodological and theoretical underpinnings of taxonomy/systematics are also considered. Labs involve studying a new and undescribed species, exposure to molecular techniques, and using data sets to build phylogenetic trees. 

Course-Based Research Experience (CRE): Marine Climate Change Biology
Biology 173
In this CRE, students investigate the impacts of temperature and environmental variability on a marine organism. While climate change is one of the biggest threats to marine and terrestrial biodiversity, the study of climate change presents an opportunity for gaining insights into how ecosystems function today.

The Physical Context of Life
Biology 180
This course explores concepts in physics that have direct implications for how biological systems have evolved and how they function. Two major themes are the mechanics of motion in fluids and the ways that organisms produce and consume energy. The goal is to study how biological structure and function are better understood by learning the basic physics that constrains them. Prerequisites: high school biology and physics, and a passing score on Part I of the Mathematics Diagnostic.

Genetics and Evolution
Biology 201
CROSS-LISTED: GPH, MBB
The course takes a modern approach to the study of genetics in which classical ideas about genotype, phenotype, and inheritance are integrated into the modern molecular and genomic understanding of the processes involved in the generation of diversity. The laboratory consists of a semester-long project involving the genetic manipulation of a model organism’s genome to address one or more topics in the course. Prerequisite: one year of college biology.

Ecology and Evolution
Biology 202
CROSS-LISTED: ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
DESIGNATED: ELAS COURSE
In addition to studying foundational ideas in both ecology and evolution, the class explores how genetic variation among individual organisms can influence ecological interactions and how these interactions can influence fitness. Students use model building to inform a mechanistic understanding of processes. Prerequisite: successful completion of Biology 201.

Biology Seminar
Biology 208
This 1-credit course provides students with broad exposure to biology through visiting speakers. Students hear about the wide-ranging research interests of invited biologists and have opportunities to interact informally with them. The course is graded pass/fail. Recommended for sophomore and junior biology majors.

Biostatistics
Biology 244
CROSS-LISTED: ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, GPH, MATHEMATICS
An introduction to the statistical methods biologists use to describe and compare data. Topics covered include elementary probability and statistics, characteristics of frequency distributions, hypothesis testing, contingency tests, correlation and regression analysis, different ways to compare means, nonparametric tests, and multivariate tests. Biology students should take this course before their senior year, if possible. Prerequisites: passing score on Part I of the Mathematics Diagnostic and one introductory biology course.

Biochemistry
Biology 301
CROSS-LISTED: MBB
Students are introduced to protein structure, enzyme mechanisms and kinetics, coenzymes, thermodynamics, central metabolic pathways, biological membranes, DNA structure and replication, and ribosomal translation. An emphasis is placed on integrating knowledge of fundamental organic chemistry into a biological context. Laboratory work provides practical experience in the topics covered.

Molecular Biology
Biology 302
An exploration of the molecular aspects of gene expression in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems. Topics include DNA structure, replication, and repair; DNA transcription; RNA structure and processing; and polypeptide synthesis. Also covered are the various mechanisms involved in the regulation of gene expression. Lab work provides practical experience in techniques such as molecular cloning, restriction enzyme mapping, DNA sequencing, and nucleic acid hybridization. Prerequisites: Biology 201 and Chemistry 201-202.

Microbiology
Biology 303
This course investigates the principles of microbiology that make microbes unique, taking a systems-based approach to such topics as microbial cell structure and function, bacterial motility and chemotaxis, secretion systems, biofilm formation, quorum sensing, and antibiotic resistance. The course focuses on bacterial species, but some time is devoted to the biology of eukaryotic microbes. The lab portion is a semester-long team project that involves examination of local microbial populations using culture, molecular, and biochemical approaches. 

Cell Biology
Biology 304
Students in the course examine the molecular and biochemical mechanisms involved in processes relating to eukaryotic cellular organization, communication, movement, reproduction, and death. These topics are considered through close reading of the primary and secondary literature. The laboratory portion consists of a semester-long project. Prerequisites: Biology 201 and 202 and Chemistry 201-202.

Plant Ecology
Biology 308
DESIGNATED: ELAS COURSE
A study of plant populations and communities through the lens of key species interactions, such as herbivory, completion, pollination, plant-fungal mutualisms, and plant-pathogen interactions. The class also explores the ways species diversity is generated and maintained at local and landscape spatial scales, and how plant community ecology theory can be applied to habitat restoration. Prerequisite: Upper College standing in biology.

Field Ornithology
Biology 311
CROSS-LISTED: ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
DESIGNATED: ELAS COURSE, THINKING ANIMALS INITIATIVE 
Birds are presented as a unique group and as representative of vertebrates, with emphasis on adaptation, ecology, behavior, bird conservation, the physical basis of flight, and laboratory and field methods used in modern ornithology. Students also consider current views of the systematic relationships among living birds and the evolutionary history of birds, including the debate regarding their relation to dinosaurs and the origin of flight. Field trips to local habitats and biological reserves, as well as study of museum specimens.

Fieldwork in Animal Behavior
Biology 316
CROSS-LISTED: MBB
Have you ever asked yourself, why did that animal do that? There are many levels at which we could seek answers, running from proximal mechanisms (firing neurons and hormonal stimuli) through ultimate mechanisms (evolutionary selective pressures, which produce adaptive behaviors through natural selection). This course is primarily about the latter. Students seek answers as to why organisms evolve various mating strategies and how organisms use signals, among other questions. For moderated biology students or with permission of the instructor.

Marine Biology
Biology 319
CROSS-LISTED: ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) over 80 percent of the world’s oceans are “unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored.” Because organisms in the ocean have lifestyles so different from our own, understanding their form and function is less intuitive than when considering their terrestrial counterparts. Lab activities focus on developing methods for studying marine organisms; the class also spends time outside perfecting field sampling techniques such as tidal height surveys, plankton trawling, and water measurement protocols. Prerequisite: Moderation in Biology.

Entomology
Biology 320
Understanding insect biology is crucial to addressing some of the biggest scientific challenges of our time, including climate change, public health, and food security. Insect species remain poorly understood and documented, and face threats such as habitat loss, overuse of pesticides, and climate change, making stewardship of our insect communities increasingly vital. This course is primarily focused on insect systematics—the study of evolutionary relationships, classification, and taxonomy. Over the course of the semester, students curate a museum-grade insect collection.

Physiology
Biology 324
How do animals work? How do the veins, membranes, and tissues make it possible for animals to move, feel, and reproduce? Why are all those things there, and how are they different in different animals? Why do you have a spleen, and how can a crane breathe through a neck that long? Do fishes need to drink, and do they urinate? The course tackles these kinds of questions and compares human physiology to that of other animals. Prerequisite: Upper College standing in biology.

Developmental Genetics
Biology 325
This course covers the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms, genetic pathways, and signaling events that regulate animal development. The class explores evolutionary mechanisms in a variety of model systems, including vertebrates (mouse, chick, frog, fish) and invertebrates (flies, worms); and examines cell determination and differentiation, the formation of the early body plan, organogenesis, morphogenesis, stem cells, and how principles of developmental biology apply to modern medicine. Prerequisite: successful moderation into biology or permission of the instructor.

Computational Biology
Biology 336
Students learn to model, visualize, and analyze biological processes. Throughout the semester, they work on two long projects, gradually building up their complexity and improving their code. The course leads to a four-week individual project. Prerequisite: Biology 202 or Computer Science 210, or permission of the instructor.

Computational Neuroscience
Biology 417
The brain consists of multiple functional regions that each host multiple neural networks, which in turn are built of anything from dozens to millions of neural cells. To understand how brains work we need to know how individual neurons within these networks are connected and how their properties are tuned to make the network function as it should. In this seminar, students read and present primary papers that use imaging, electrophysiology, advanced statistical analysis, and modeling to study how neural networks are tuned and shaped in various biological systems.

Advanced Conservation Biology
Biology 424
Biodiversity conservation spans many disciplines, including ecology, economics, sociology, finance, and psychology. Utilizing articles from the primary literature, this course focuses on the effects of habitat fragmentation, loss of genetic diversity, endangered species breeding programs, introduced species, climate change, and how to determine appropriate conservation priorities. The class also explores controversial and cutting-edge topics such as novel and designer ecosystems and assisted migration.

Distilling Biotechnology
Biology 432
CALDERWOOD SEMINAR
Tissue and organ generation, CRISPR genome editing, the creation of synthetic genomes and the use of modified viruses to cure deadly disease are all biotechnological advances that a few decades ago would have read as science fiction. The course examines these 21st-century realities while also addressing ethical concerns. Prerequisites: junior or senior standing and Moderation in biology, or permission of the instructor.

Alzheimer’s Disease: Past, Present,and Future
Biology 436
Alzheimer’s disease affects millions worldwide and costs billions of dollars to treat, making it an enormous public health issue. This course looks at the molecular underpinnings and genetic basis of Alzheimer’s, and the public health effects of the disease. Prerequisite: Moderation in biology or permission of the instructor.

In It Together: Symbiosis on a Changing Planet
Biology 439
Symbioses abound in natural systems. Their evolutionary significance ranges from the evolution of the eukaryotic cell to mycorrhizal symbioses—a key innovation in the evolution of land plants—and endosymbionts implicated in diversification of arthropods. Symbioses span a continuum from antagonistic (e.g., pathogens) to cooperative (e.g., mutualists) relationships. The nature of symbiotic relationships may shift along the continuum depending on environmental context. Topics span common symbioses such as corals and lichens, and lesser-known symbioses such as endophytic fungi in plants and gut bacteria insects. 

Marine Algal Biology
Biology 441
The algae are a diverse group of organisms encompassing evolutionary lineages and body plans found in many of the most extreme environments on Earth. The first evidence of life on Earth comes from a unicellular prokaryotic alga. By contrast, the secondary endosymbiosis event that led to the evolution of the forest-forming kelps didn’t occur until after there were already dinosaurs roaming the terrestrial environment. This weekly seminar, appropriate for upper-level biology students, explores the ecology, evolution, and modern application of this weird group. 

The Brain on Journalism
Biology 442
Science and journalism are natural bedfellows. Science writers go a step beyond explaining “what happened” and dig into the “how” and the “why.” But news media are also constantly influencing our emotions, memories, and perceptions of the world around us. This course meets in the middle. Students practice the basics of journalism, working with three different mediums: print, audio, and video. Concurrently, the seminar explores how editorial choices within those mediums can influence an audience’s mentality, psychological experiences, worldviews, and the dissemination of misinformation.

Queer Ecology
Biology 443
Queer ecology is the exploration of biological systems using a queer and feminist theoretical lens. This interdisciplinary framework looks critically at knowledge formation, pushing back against long-held perspectives in the sciences. Queer ecology can be used to examine phenomena such as climate change, extinction, pollution, species hierarchies, agricultural practices, resource extraction, and human population debates—all of which are tied to cultural valuations of the natural world. Students read primary literature from biology/ecology, as well as works in queer theory, ecofeminsim, philosophy of science, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK).

Antimicrobial Resistance
Biology 444
The use and misuse of antimicrobials in medicine and agriculture led to the rapid emergence and spread of infections that traditional antibiotics can no longer cure. Moreover, the pharmaceutical industry abandoned research and development in this area due to the limited commercial value of antibiotics. This impasse will require a combination of scientific discovery and political acumen to be resolved. In this seminar, students explore the literature that led to the discovery of antibiotics, the subsequent evolution of resistance, and the critical role of environmental health when considering public health.