Harvard:Biophysics 101/2018
Spring 2018 Course overview
Focuses on modern technologies with exponential growth and their impact on global quality of life through weekly updated Wiki class project (in-depth case studies on synthetic biology and personal genomics). Integrating knowledge, tools for research, and commercial decision-making concerning new aspects of bioengineering, personalized medicine, genetically modified organisms, and stem cells. Interplays of biophysical, ecological, economic, and social/ethical modeling will be explored through multi-disciplinary teams of students, and individual brief reports.
This course can be cross-registered through MIT under HST.510. Also listed as Harvard Biophysics 242r.
Potential course projects
- Genome-wide codon recoding : Industrial microbes, agricultural plants & animals, human therapies
- Global warming reversal
- H. sapiens 2.0 : Space Genetics & Colonies
- Aging Reversal Roadmap : GenAge Database
Logistics
- Meeting time: Tue & Thu 10-11:30 AM
- No exams ; no prerequisites; please bring a laptop (or phone or share) for google doc demo.
- Grading: Based on problem sets and project milestones. The problem sets are imbedded in the slides in the table below and will be discussed and clarified in section 2 days after Tuesday class and due the following Thursday via email.
Syllabus
| Day / Date | Lead | Slides | Topic | Day Date Room | Lead | Title |
| Tue Jan 23 MEC-106 | George | #1 | (1) Exponential, Logistic, Prioritizing global challenges | Thu Jan 25 C-115 | Max, Eswar | (1) Problem set discussion |
| Tue Jan 30 MEC-L008 | George | #2 | (2) Sequencing & understanding biosphere omes, 3D molecular design | Thu Feb 1 C-115 | Dennis, Eswar | (2) Problem set discussion |
| Tue Feb 6 C-115 | George | #3 | (3) Genome Editing, Codon Recoding, Gene drives | Thu Feb 8 C-115 | David, Nancy | (3) Problem set discussion |
| Tue Feb 13 Mudd-302 | George | #4 | (4) In situ Sequencing : Mammalian Cell Atlas & BRAIN Initiative | Thu Feb 15 C-115 | Paul, Yu | (4) Problem set discussion |
| Tue Feb 20 C-115 | George | #5 | (5) Epigenetic programming, signaling pathways, SynEvoDevo | Thu Feb 22 C-115 | Songlei, Jeremy | (5) Problem set discussion |
| Tue Feb 27 C-115 | Jonathan | #6 | (6) Microbiomes : therapeutics, diagnostics, nanopores | Thu Mar 1 C-115 | Max, Jonathan | (6) Problem set discussion |
| Tue Mar 6 C-115 | George | #7 | (7) Synthetic Organs for VUS & Transplantation | Thu Mar 8 | No class | Biophysics recruitment |
| Tue Mar 13 | No class | Spring break | Thu Mar 15 | No class | Spring break | |
| Tue Mar 20 C-115 | George | #8 | (8) Aging Reversal & mutation/cancer resistance | Thu Mar 22 C-115 | Jeremy, Dima, David | (7,8) Problem set discussion |
| Tue Mar 27 C-115 | George | #9 | (9) Global Warming & closed ecosystems | Thu Mar 29 Rm-TBD | Paul | (9) Problem set discussion |
| Tue Apr 3 C-115 | George | #10 | (10) Germline editing & H. sapiens 2.0 | Thu Apr 5 C-115 | Dennis, David | (10) Problem set discussion |
| Tue Apr 10 Mudd-302 | Paul | Pre-presentation 1 | Thu Apr 12 C-115 | Paul, Yu | Pre-presentation 2 | |
| Tue Apr 17 C-115 | Students | Final Presentations | Thu Apr 19 C-115 | Students | Final Presentations | |
| Tue Apr 24 C-115 | Students | Final Presentations | Thu Apr 26 C-115 | All TFs | Follow up |
Additional Documentation
Please visit the Documentation page for information on publications, computational resources & team projects.
Discusssion Lead, Teaching Fellows
Church, George <arep.med.harvard.edu/gmc/email.html>;
Fang, Nancy <Nancy_Fang [at]hms.harvard.edu>;
Filsinger, Gabriel <filsinger [at] g.harvard.edu>;
Grishin, Dennis <dgrishin [at] g.harvard.edu>;
Huang, Jeremy <Jeremy_Huang [at] hms.harvard.edu>;
Iyer, Eswar <Eswar.Iyer [at] wyss.harvard.edu>;
Liu, Songlei <songleiliu [at] g.harvard.edu>;
Nageshwaran, Sathiji <sathiji [at] hms.harvard.edu>;
Ogden, Pierce <pierceogden [at] g.harvard.edu>;
Palla, Mirko <mirko.palla [at] wyss.harvard.edu>;
Reginato, Paul <Paul_Reginato [at] hms.harvard.edu>;
Scheiman, Jonathan <jscheiman [at] genetics.med.harvard.edu>;
Schubert, Max <mschubert [at] g.harvard.edu>;
Ter-Ovanesyan, Dima <dterovanesyan [at] fas.harvard.edu>;
Thompson, David Brandon <David_Thompson [at] hms.harvard.edu>;
Volf, Verena <verenavolf [at] g.harvard.edu>;
Wang, Yu <yuwang01 [at] fas.harvard.edu>
Previous & Related Course Links
- Biophysics 101 2009 , 2007 , 2005
- 2003 and earlier
- Publications resulting from Biophysics 101 class projects
- 2011-2016 SysBio 204
- 2007 SynBio Nano course
- 1988-2018 Other GC courses]
