Regulatory Science in Agriculture

Units: 3

This course covers laws, regulations and agencies involved in the registration of conventional, biotechnology and biological crops, crop protectants and growth regulators. US and International laws and regulations will be discussed from technical proof of concept through commercial release.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

This course goes into additional depth and provides hands-on exercises concerning agriculture regulatory topics covered in CS 418/518. The course will introduce laws, regulations and agencies involved in the fertilizer, animal and waste management as well as the role of public policy in the regulatory process. CS 418/518 is a prerequisite for this class.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

An advanced laboratory to give students practical experiences in purification and quantitative characterization of enzymes and nucleic acids. Studies with carbohydrates and membrane lipids. Credit may be applied toward biotechnology minor.

Offered in Fall and Spring

Units: 3

Structure and function of nucleic acids and proteins. Synthesis of DNA, RNA, and proteins. Gene expression and Regulation. Methodologies of recombinant DNA research. Credit is not allowed for both BCH 453 and BCH 553.

Offered in Fall Spring Summer

Units: 3

Principles of protein structure and function, protein folding, enzymology, ligand binding, protein transport, and metabolic pathways.

Offered in Fall and Spring

Units: 3

Introduction and history of the field of proteomics followed by the principles and applications of proteomics technology to understand protein expression and protein post-transitional modifications. Laboratory sessions include growing yeast with stable-isotope labeled amino acids, protein purification, Western blots, protein identification and quantification, and protein bioinformatic analysis. This is a half-semester course.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

Survey of the present state of understanding of the molecular mechanisms leading to the emergence of sustainable self-replicating systems in the prebiotic era on the early Earth, including historical context, experimental studies, and theoretical foundation. The course will include a focus on the fundamental chemistry of and mechanisms for the plausible prebiotic formation of diverse biomolecules [including amino acids, sugars, nucleotides, lipids, tetrapyrroles] and self-organizing chemistry leading to protocells, the proposed early progenitors of living cells. Credit will not be given for both CH 463 and CH 563.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

First semester of two-semester integrated sequence covering advanced methods for extraction and interpretation of chemical information from electronic/optical signals in chemical analysis. Digital and analog electronics, signal acquisition and processing, chemometrics, and instrumentation.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

Introduction to physical organic chemistry. Topics include: bonding/introductory molecular orbital theory, reactive intermediates, aromaticity, pericyclic reactions, thermochemistry, linear free-energy relationships, kinetics, and transition-state theory. Topics and concepts are related to molecular reactivity and reaction mechanisms.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

Introduction to acid-base theory and mechanistic organic chemistry as applied to synthetically useful organic reactions.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 1

Chemical properties of pesticides including hydration and solvation, ionization, volatilization, lipophilicity, molecular structure and size, and reactivity and classification according to chemical description, mode of action or ionizability. Taughtduring the first 5 weeks of semester. Drop date is last day of 3rd week of the minicourse.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 2

Sorption/desorption, soil reactivity, movement, volatilization, bioavailability, degradation and stability of pesticides in the environment. Taught during the last 10 weeks of semester. Drop date is last day of 3rd week of the minicourse.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

Provides frameworks for understanding emerging technologies and their social, political, and cultural contexts. Presents historical case studies, ethnographic accounts, and theoretical perspectives that introduce students to ways of thinking about science and technology, nature and culture, and democracy and expertise. Graduate standing is required.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

Comprehensive review of principles, theory, research, and practices involving consensus building; associated with environmental, health and safety; enabling analysis and management of risks. Emphasis on risks associated with emerging science and technology. No quantitative experience necessary. Graduate standing required.

Offered in Fall Only

YEAR: Offered Alternate Odd Years

Units: 3

Introduces students to how organisms are affected by and respond to changes or stressors - both natural and human-induced - in the environment. With a focus on the concepts most significant to the field of environmental assessment, the course emphasizes the fundamental processes and effects of pollutants and naturally-occurring substances in the environment, including emerging issues and historically significant cases.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

This course provides students with an appreciation and understanding of the principles of environmental risk assessment including: Hazard Identification, Toxicity Assessment, Exposure Assessment, and Risk Characterization. Emphasis is placed on contemporary problems in human health and the environment, and it will be based on the most current methodologies described in the "Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund." Enrollment in the course requires graduate standing or consent of the instructor. Two semester sequence of college biology & college chemistry.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

Provides students with an appreciation and understanding of the principles of environmental exposure assessment including the sources, transport and fate of chemicals in the environment. Emphasis is on contemporary problems in human health and the environment, covering topics such as: transformation and degradation processes, classes of contaminants a well as predicting environmental fate and exposure. Enrollment in the course requires graduate standing or consent of the instructor. Two semester sequence of college biology & college chemistry.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

Monitoring and analysis of chemical and biological impacts to the environment. Theory of chemical, physical, biological, and ecological monitoring. Planning and conducting environmental sampling and monitoring programs. Management, analysis, and quality assurance and control. Enrollment in the course requires graduate standing or consent of the instructor.

Offered in Summer

Units: 3

This course provides students with an appreciation for and understanding of the principles of environmental law and policy. Emphasis is on the US legal system and litigation process relevant to environmental law, covering topics such as: the National Environmental Policy Act [NEPA], the Pollution Prevention Act [PPA], the Clean Water Act, and the Clean Air Act. Throughout the course, a case study is integrated into the conceptual lecture material with the intent of providing practical examples to conceptual material.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

Application of current theories of the public policy process to current issues in public policy and management. Emphasis on the dominant theories of the process, including policy streams, advocacy coalitions, punctuated equilibrium, institutional and rational choice models. Graduate standing or seniors with instructor's permission.

Offered in Fall Only

YEAR: Offered Alternate Even Years

Units: 3

Methods and techniques of analyzing, developing and evaluating public policies and programs. Emphasis given to benefit-cost and cost-effectiveness analysis and concepts of economic efficiency, equity and distribution. Methods include problem solving, decision making and case studies. Examples used in human resource, environmental and regulatory policy.

Offered in Fall and Spring

Units: 3

Focus on formation and impact of environmental policy in the U. S. Examination on decision-making processes at all levels of government. Comparisons between political, economic, social and technological policy alternatives. Emphasis upon applicationof policy analysis in environmental assessment and consideration on theoretical perspectives on nature of the environmental crisis.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

This course explores multiple methodologies and disciplinary perspectives to examine the public policies involving or affected by science and technology [S&T]. Course themes include the history and evolution of S&T policy, current national and international S&T policy systems and the interactions and conflicts within and surrounding them, and responsible governance of S&T.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

Examination of public policy process at federal level in the United States. Analysis of constitutional foundations of this process and the role of governmental institutions, political culture, parties, interest groups, and public opinion in policy making. Case studies of policy making and implementation in selected policy areas.

Offered in Fall Only

YEAR: Offered Alternate Years

Units: 3

Sources and subjects of international law, domestic and international jurisdictions, judicial settlement, legal and illegal uses of force and substance of law in selected policy areas.

Offered in Fall and Spring

Units: 3

Identification and evaluation of basic factors influencing movement of potential pollutants through soil and their underlying strata. Development of understanding of processes of soil and site evaluation for waste disposal and transport of pollutants through soils.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

Theory and advanced principles of utilization of chemical instruments to aid research on the heterogeneous systems of soils and plants.

Offered in Spring Only

YEAR: Offered Alternate Years

Units: 4

Introduce students to the basic principles of toxicology. Will cover the history and scope of the field; absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination of toxicants; types and mechanisms of toxic action; carcinogenesis; environmental toxicology as well as human and ecological risk assessment.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 1 - 6

Topics include responsibility in science, environmental fate of chemicals, developmental toxicology, lab rotations, journal club and wildlife toxicology.

Offered in Fall Spring Summer

Units: 3

Fundamental understanding of biochemical, molecular and cellular mechanisms through which xenobiotics alter cellular homeostasis, produce toxicity and alter organ function. Current biochemical, molecular and cellular experimental approaches for study of biochemical mechanisms of toxicity.

Offered in Spring Only