Biology 190: Freshman Biology Seminar

Next offered: TBA
Description: This course provides perspectives and insight into being a successful Biology major at Loyola Marymount University. The course introduces students to the wide range of resources available at LMU and walks students through several important activities such as course registration and meeting with academic advisors. Students will also learn about how to identify and get involved in scientific research on campus and will hear professional seminars from Biology Department faculty and visiting biologists.
Current Students: For syllabus and course information login to Brightspace.
Previously Offered: Fall semesters 2023, 2024

Biology 201: Cell Function

Next offered: TBA
Description: The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the core concepts of cellular biology that needed to succeed in upper-division biology courses. The overall theme for this course is how structure implies function for macromolecules and cells. Course topics include: cellular and sub-cellular structures and functions, DNA and RNA structure and function, protein synthesis and structure, enzyme function, metabolic pathways, and membrane function.
Current Students: For syllabus and course information login to Brightspace.
Previously Offered: Fall semesters 2005-2011, 2013-2015, 2017, 2019, 2021-2024, Summer Sessions 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024

Biology 367-01 / Computer Science 367-01

Next offered: TBA
Description: The disciplines of biology and computer science come together in bioinformatics, where computational tools are needed to manage and analyze the flood of data coming from new genomics technologies. Biological databases form a significant part of this young and exciting field. This course introduces students to both the biology and computer science expertise needed to understand, use, and develop biological databases. Biology topics include the fundamentals of genetics, molecular biology, and biochemistry needed to understand the data stored in biological databases, as well as the biotechnologies used to gather these data in a high-throughput fashion. Computer science topics include what biological databases are, why they are important (and needed), and the challenges that arise in compiling them effectively. Biology and computer science lectures on topics that are relevant to biological databases are coupled with hands-on experience with a variety of software packages ranging from bioinformatics utilities to general-purpose database and software development tools. After learning how to use a biological database, students will be asked to build one of their own.
Previously Offered:
Spring 2024: Course website and public wiki
Fall 2019: Course website and public wiki
Fall 2017: Course website and public wiki
Fall 2015: Course website and public wiki
Fall 2013: Course web site and public wiki
Fall 2010
Fall 2009
Fall 2008

Biology 368: Bioinformatics Laboratory

Fall 2020: R 1:30 - 5:30 PM
Description: Bioinformatics is the application of information technology (informatics) to biological data. Informatics is the representation, organization, manipulation, distribution, maintenance, and use of digital information. When applied to biological data, informatics provides databases and analytical tools for answering biological questions. Bioinformatics is inherently interdisciplinary, involving aspects of biology, computer science, mathematics, physics, and chemistry. While computers have been used to analyze biological data since their invention, the need for computational methods has recently exploded due to the huge amounts of data produced by genome sequencing projects and other high-throughput technologies. Bioinformatics techniques are being used to move the field of biology from a "one gene at a time" approach, to the analysis of whole systems. In this course, students will learn current bioinformatics techniques to address systems-level biological questions. Topics include biological databases, sequence alignment and phylogeny, comparative genomics, protein structure prediction, modeling pathways and networks, and the analysis of high-throughput genomic and proteomic data.
Previously Offered:
Fall 2020: Course website at OpenWetWare.org
Spring 2020: Course website at OpenWetWare.org
Fall 2016: Course website at OpenWetWare.org
Fall 2014: Course website at OpenWetWare.org
Fall 2011: Course website at OpenWetWare.org
Spring 2010: Course website at OpenWetWare.org
Fall 2008: Course Google Site (enrolled students only)

Biology 388: Biomathematical Modeling/Mathematics 388: Survey of Biomathematics

Next offered: TBA
Description: Introduction to mathematical and statistical concepts closely related to research problems in biology. Biological topics include the structure, function, and regulation of the three major types of cellular pathways: metabolic, signaling, and gene regulatory pathways. Mathematical topics include statistical analysis of biological measurements, dynamic modeling of biological systems, and fitting models to observed data. Students will critically evaluate the primary literature and carry out three major modeling projects throughout the semester.
Previously Offered:
Spring 2025: Course website at OpenWetWare.org
Spring 2019: Course website at OpenWetWare.org
Spring 2017: Course website at OpenWetWare.org
Spring 2015: Course website at OpenWetWare.org
Spring 2013: Course website at OpenWetWare.org
Spring 2011: Course website at OpenWetWare.org

Biology 478: Molecular Biology of the Genome

Next offered: TBA
Description: The completion of the Human Genome Project 50 years after Watson and Crick first described the structure of DNA marks a fundamental shift in the way we view ourselves and practice biology. This course will examine the fundamental concepts in molecular biology required to understand the biotechnology that has brought us to the genomics era and beyond. In the laboratory, students will become proficient in the basic techniques of molecular biology and then will get to work with cutting-edge genomics technology. Students will design and carry out a DNA microarray experiment. Students will then use bioinformatics tools to analyze their DNA microarray data and to model biological pathways and networks. By the end of this course, students will be working independently on a research project.
Current Students: For syllabus and course information login to Brightspace.
Previously Offered: Fall 2005, Spring semesters 2007-2010, 2013-2020, 2025

Biology 479: Molecular Mechanisms of Disease

Next offered: TBA
Description: In this course we will conduct an analysis of the molecular mechanisms which underlie the pathology of genetic and infectious diseases. We will pay particular attention to molecular mechanisms of disease treatment and experimental analysis in the field of human molecular genetics through the primary literature and hands-on bioinformatics exercises.
Current Students: For syllabus and course information login to Brightspace.
Previously Offered: Summer Session 2024

Biology 585: Issues in Biotechnology

Next offered: TBA
Description: LMU has as its mission, the encouragement of learning, the education of the whole person, and the service of faith and promotion of justice. Using this mission as a foundation, we will explore the science behind and the ethical, legal, and social implications of various areas of biotechnology. In particular, we will pursue the education of the whole person as we discover the personal qualities required to succeed as a scientist and examine the shared values of the scientific community. We will use social justice as a lens to determine whether certain areas of biotechnology research should be pursued. Topics may include: privacy of genomic information, race and genomics, embryonic stem cell research, somatic cell nuclear transfer, gene therapy, clinical trials, health care in developing nations, and proper scientific conduct. We will use a variety of media to explore these topics, including the primary scientific literature, biography, novels, and movies.
Current Students: For syllabus and course information login to Brightspace.
Previously Offered: Spring semesters 2007, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2022, Fall 2023

Biology 5996: Biology Senior Thesis / Biology 5997: Biology Honors Thesis

Typically offered in Spring semesters, for students who have already performed a semester of research in the Dahlquist Lab
Description: Senior thesis for biology majors (optional) or Honors Thesis for members of the University Honors Program where it fulfills the requirement for the preparation, research, and publication of the Honors Thesis. Research may include bioinformatics, biomathematics, and/or functional genomics techniques.

FFYS 1000 (First Year Seminar): Sleep: Your Hidden Superpower!

Next offered: TBA
Description: Sleep impacts everything. Although good sleep habits are as important to academic success, health, and well-being as eating properly and being active, only 1 in 10 college students get the recommended 7-9 hours of healthy sleep per night, in comparison to 4/10 of all adults. During this seminar, we will consider the scientific advances in sleep research in the context of society, policy, health, and even fiction. The semester will begin with a short sleep tutorial that asks you to reflect on your sleep habits. Over the course of the semester, you will begin to explore the science of sleep and answer fundamental questions such as: Why do we sleep? How do caffeine and alcohol affect sleep? What are circadian rhythms and why is jet lag so debilitating and long-lasting? What is happening during REM sleep? How does sleep affect our immunity? What is the role of sleep in learning and memory? After a short introduction to sleep you will define a sleep-related research question to pursue and will ultimately share the results of your research in a written paper and through an oral presentation. All active participants in this course will begin developing the research, communication and collaborative skills that lead to academic success. In addition, each student will have a better understanding of their own sleep habits and how to improve them in order to reach their full potential.
Previously Offered: Spring 2023

Honors 240: On the Nature of Things / Honors 2200: Nature of Science, Technology, and Mathematics

Next offered: TBA
Description: The completion of the Human Genome Project 50 years after Watson, Crick, and Franklin first described the structure of DNA marks a fundamental shift in the way we view ourselves and practice biology. This course will examine the fundamental concepts in genetics and molecular biology required to understand the biotechnology that has brought us to the genomics era and beyond. We will explore how having the complete “parts list” for a human being is accelerating the pace of discoveries about human health and disease and is generating new insights into our evolutionary history. The ethical, legal, and social consequences of recent advances in biotechnology will also be explored. We will use a variety of media to explore these topics, including the scientific texts and databases, science fiction, and film.
Previously Offered:
Spring 2009: Google Site (enrolled students only), Spring 2024

Last modified: 1/14/2026