Graduate Students > Graduate Course Offerings 2009/2010

The attached list is provided to inform you of the graduate courses provided by members of the Botany Department. The main goal of the graduate program is to promote excellence in research. We acknowledge that specialization is almost inevitable but we encourage students to develop strengths in other fields closely related to the main research area. Graduate courses may serve to fill gaps or learn new techniques which are demanded by the research program, and to expand the knowledge base for comprehensive exams. The following courses are compulsory for all graduate students in Botany, Biology or Genetics registered in the Botany department:

BOTA 501 Seminar in Botany (3 credits)
BOTA 502 Thesis seminar (no credit)

Students in the Master's program have a total requirement of 30 credits. The compulsory courses (above) count for 3, the thesis (BOTA 549) is 18, and an additional 9 credits must be taken (6 of which may be at the undergrad. level, 300-499) at the graduate level. Students in the Ph.D. program may be assigned additional course work at the discretion of the supervisory committee.

Students considering a transfer from M.Sc. to Ph.D. must ensure that in their first year they can obtain 12 credits of first-class average, of which, normally at least 9 credits must be at the 500 level and at least 9 credits must be of first-class standing.

Botany 501
(Terms 1 : 3 credits)

Seminar Studies in Botany

The purpose of this course is to introduce graduate students to the techniques involved in delivering scientific presentations. Students and professors provide feedback on presentations by means of written and oral evaluations. The course is designed to improve verbal presentation skills and ability to communicate with plant biologists in diverse fields of research.

Instructors:
Dr. Sean Graham, Dr. Ljerka Kunst

Evaluation:
Students will be required to prepare and deliver various types of presentation and critique several departmental seminars. The final grade will be based on the presentations given and active participation in class activities.

Time:
Mondays, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

For further information, please contact:
Dr. Sean Graham (604-822-4816) swgraham@interchange.ubc.ca OR
Dr. Ljerka Kunst (604-822-2351) Kunst@interchange.ubc.ca

Botany 502

Thesis Seminar

This is the presentation of the M.Sc. and Ph.D. thesis to the department in the form of a seminar before the defense of thesis examination and between September and April of the last year of the graduate program. This course carries no academic credit and is required by all graduate students registered in the Department of Botany. It is the responsibility of students to consult with the Chair of the Seminar Program to schedule this seminar.

Botany 527
(Term 1: September 2009: 3 credits)

The Dynamics of Plant Populations

This course focuses on population aspects of plant ecology and particularly the biotic processes and abiotic conditions that generate the observed patterns of mass and numbers in plant populations, and how these relate to patterns at the community level.

The course is organized as 7 blocks, mostly 2 weeks each. Each block focuses on a specific subject area and will typically have a lecture block and either a discussion or tutorial period with an accompanying paper you are required to read.

The lectures and tutorials in this course are BIOL. 407 but students registering for BOTA. 527 will also be assigned two major term papers. Students registering for this course are presumed to have had at least one year of undergraduate ecology.

Instructor:
Roy Turkington, Department of Botany

Course Outline:
1. Grime's model
2. Tilman’s models
3. Hubbell’s models
4. Population dynamics
5. Competition
6. Herbivory
7. Biodiversity and coexistence

Course Reading:
There is no assigned text for the course, but a package of required "readings" is available at the bookstore. Also included in the package are a number of other papers which you will find useful for your essay assignment, and other assorted handouts.

Location:
This course meets in the same lecture slot as Biol. 407.

For further information, please contact Roy Turkington (604-822-2141) or royt@interchange.ubc.ca

Botany 528
(Term 2: January 2010: 3 credits)

Current Topics in Plant Biochemistry I
Recent Advances in Phenylpropanoid Metabolism

Plants cannot easily escape their environments. This simple fact provides constant challenges for plant survival and has shaped many fundamental aspects of plant biology. The common lack of escape, in time or space, is reflected in exciting features of plant chemistry and plant ecology. Plants use a plethora of chemicals to interact with their environment. For example, plants use fragrant chemicals to attract pollinators or toxins to defend herbivores. The course emphasizes on old and new concepts of plants interacting with components of a complex biotic environment, including their “friends” and potential “enemies”. A broad range of examples of plants using chemicals to interact with their environment will be discussed and analyzed during a mandatory companion course Biol 462 (Ecological Plant Biochemistry). In the “Current Topics Botany 528” course students will select a topic of their interest and develop, with guidance from their instructor, a detailed proposal for a future research project of their choice in chemical ecology.

Requirements: Students registering in this course must have taken Biol 462 (Ecological Plant Biochemistry) previously or must take Biol 462 as a companion course.

Instructor: Dr. Joerg Bohlmann, Department of Botany

For further information, please contact Dr. Joerg Bohlmann (604-822-0282) or bohlmann@msl.ubc.ca

Botany 544/Forestry 503/Plant Science 540
(Term 1: September 2009: 3 credits)

Techniques in Plant Molecular Biology

This is a laboratory course dealing with techniques of purification, cloning, sequencing, PCR amplification of plant nucleic acids, as well as electrophoresis and immunodetection of proteins. The course includes a lecture component conducted during waiting periods determined by the laboratory experiments.

Instructor: Dr. David Ng

Admission: Limited. Instructor permission and consultation with student supervisors may be necessary for the purpose of prioritizing students in case of over-enrollment. The course is also listed as Forestry 503 and Plant Science 540.

Evaluation: Lab Book and a final exam.

Time:
Every Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Except first day class (orientation type class) will start at 2:00 p.m.

Location: T. B. A.

For further information, please contact:
Dr. David Ng; Michael Smith Laboratories (MSL) (604-822-6264) db@interchange.ubc.ca

Botany 546

Topics in Botany

Botany 546 is a 'tailor-made' course in special topics not available in the regular array of graduate courses which can be arranged with specific instructors and can be taken for 2, 3, 4, or 6 credits. The 546 option may also be suggested when enrollment in a regular graduate course is too small to warrant offering it in a conventional format.

Students interested in enrolling for BOTA 546 courses should first consult with their supervisors. A maximum of 9 credits of Directed Studies (BOTA 546, BIOL 548) are permitted, with no more than 6 credits being under the supervision of one person.

Biology 548

Advanced Topics in Biology

This course is the BIOLOGY counterpart of the BOTANY 546 series. See the Registration Guide for further details.

Biology 509
(Term 1: Sept 2009 - 3 credits)

Population and Quantitative Genetics

Note: This course has been revised substantially recently. No course description was available at the time of printing this booklet. Please check with the course instructor listed below.

Instructors: Dr. Mike Whitlock (whitlock@zoology.ubc.ca; Room 4370, Biosciences; Tel: 822-2069)

Time: Tuesday and Thursday 3:30 am – 5:00 pm

Room: Hennings, Room 301

Biology 525 – General Description
(see individual descriptions on the following pages)

Systematics and Evolution

This flexible, 3 credit or 6 credit ‘course’ consists of a series of alternative units in methods and theory of systematic research. Options include structured workshops and courses (see descriptions on the following pages). This course also provides a mechanism for students to earn academic credit by participating in professional activities. In past years, students have earned credit by participating in reviewing scientific manuscripts. Some students have written successful NSERC equipment grants for credit. Some students have contributed to mini-reviews. To arrange for credit for reviewing, grant writing or other professional activities, discuss the possibilities with either Mary Berbee or Martin Adamson and identify a potential supervisor.

Instructor: The course is jointly taught through the Faculty of Forestry, and the Departments of Zoology and Botany.
In charge: Mary Berbee (Botany) and Martin Adamson (Zoology).

EVALUATION
See the following pages. For students doing some combination of, say, reviews and proposal-writing, supervisors for each unit will submit a grade to either Berbee or Adamson and the total mark will be the average of the marks for the individual activities, weighted by number of credits per elective. 

ADMINISTRATION
If you wish to enroll in one or more of the structured workshops or courses on the following pages, contact the instructor for details and register online.  

For further information, please contact: Mary Berbee (604-822-2019) or berbee@interchange.ubc.ca

Biology 525C (Term 2: January 2010)

Topics in Systematics and Evolution: Molecular Evolution and Evolutionary Genomics

This course will cover selected current topics in molecular evolution and evolutionary genomics of eukaryotes. The emphasis will be on reading, presenting, discussing, and critically analyzing recent primary literature. Possible topics include: genome duplication, genome size evolution, intron evolution and alternative splicing, gene duplication and gene families, evolution of genes involved in developmental processes, evolution of plant disease resistance genes, comparative plastid and mitochondrial genome evolution, and evolution of cis-regulatory elements. Students who are enrolled in the course as of December 1, 2007 will be asked to provide input into which topics are covered. Evaluation will be based on presentations of research papers, leading discussion, and participation during discussion. 

Instructor:
Keith Adams

Time: 
Mondays and Thursdays 9:30 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

For further information, please contact: Ketih Adams - keitha@interchange.ubc.ca

Biology 530 (Term 1: September, 2009 - 3 credits)

The Biology of the Cell

This course focuses on developing a student’s oral communication skills and ability to critically evaluate research papers in the cell and developmental biology literature. The exercises require the student to deliver clear, effective and polished oral and poster presentations describing data and summarizing important topics in cell and developmental biology. This course is now incorporated into a 6-credit package as part of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Cell and Developmental Biology. Spaces are reserved for BOTA and ZOOL students in Biol. 530. The course following Biol. 530 is CELL 501 a 3-credit course. All course offerings in the CELL Graduate Program are open with permission of the instructor, until enrollment of the program reaches capacity.
Please see www.cell.ubc.ca . Also see course list attached as pdf file.

Please contact the course Instructor, Dr. Vanessa Auld, for permission to register.

Instructor: Dr. Vanessa Auld auld@zoology.ubc.ca Life Sciences Centre (LSC), Room 3358. Tel: 604-822-1977.

Time: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Location: Check website (was scheduled in LSC 1510 for 2008W)

Also contact: Alan Jay, Graduate Program Assistant, alan.jay@ubc.ca or
604-822-2671 for further information regarding the Cell and Developmental Biology Program.

Biology 535
(Term 2: January 2010 - 3 credits)

TEACHING AND LEARNING IN THE LIFE SCIENCES

Life sciences graduate students: Are you headed for a career involving university or college teaching?

Many MSc and PhD students in the life sciences will take up careers involving teaching. Appointment committees look favourably on applicants with a proven commitment to teaching. For those who go on to a job as a Principal Investigator (PI), in some university or college, at some stage you will come before a promotion and tenure committee, and many such committees are now looking specifically not only for teaching evaluation ratings, but for statements of sound teaching philosophy in teaching dossiers.

As graduates of an advanced teaching and learning course you will develop the skills of a professional instructor. Furthermore you will be able to apply these skills within the context of the special challenges of teaching in the life sciences.

This is an advanced teaching and learning 3-credit offering, in term 1, including the following topics:

• constructivist philosophy of learning

• active learning methods

• inclusivity

• critical thinking

• modes of assessment

• teaching dossier and portfolio

• technology in teaching and learning.

Students in this course will:

• as a prerequisite, complete an Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW), prior to the course, at the UBC Teaching and Academic Growth Centre. This free workshop introduces students to the basics of teaching. The ISW can be taken in the summer or fall term (register as soon as possible at www.tag.ubc.ca).
• attend one three hour class per week in term 1.
• deliver three minilessons; one to fellow students and two in real undergraduate classrooms
• observe and critique your peers' and other teaching professionals' lessons.
• write a weekly reflection on the events and ideas of the week
• develop a teaching portfolio

Instructors: Dr. Gulnur Birol, Dr. Lacey Samuels

For further information, please contact Dr. Gulnur Birol, 7-3414 Gulnur.Birol@science.ubc.ca or Dr. Lacey Sanuels, 2-5469 lsamuels@interchange.ubc.ca

BIOL 436/FNH436
(Term 1: September, 2009 - 3 credits)

Integrated Functional Genomics

Genomics is a fast growing field of science with potential applications in the areas of medicine, biotechnology, genetics, breeding, and evolutionary biology. The technologies developed and utilized in genomics allow the study of biological systems at an astonishing level of sensitivity and throughput never before achieved. BIOL436/FNH436 is designed to provide in-depth understanding of this exciting field. Exposure to these advanced ‘omics’ technologies and an understanding of how they are applied in an integrated manner to study biological systems is becoming essential, especially for those students interested in pursuing research and teaching careers in molecular biology. BIOL436/FNH436 students will achieve a good working knowledge of current high throughput technologies in use for addressing specific biological questions in plants. They will be able to use the knowledge gained to understand and critically evaluate published literature in the field. Students will also be able to see how integration of the different technologies covered in the course can be used to dissect and model complex biological questions in biology.

Topics covered in BIOL 436/FNH 436:

• High throughput DNA Sequencing, sequencing libraries, library construction, and DNA sequence databases
• transcriptome analysis using microarray technology
• proteome profiling
• metabolite analysis
• “omics” data integration, relational databases

Requirement: Students in this course will:

• Attend three lectures per week
• Be prepared to actively participate in discussions led by the Instructors on key current papers in the area of plant “omics”
• Lead one 20 minute class discussion on a key current paper in the area of plant “omics”
• Write a midterm and final examination covering lecture material and concepts discussed in the research papers

Grades will be determined based on: Midterm exam 30%, Classroom participation 10%, Paper presentation 20%, and Final exam 40%

Instructor: Sunita Chowrira (822-5508 or chowrira@interchange.ubc.ca) Steven Lund (822-5708 or stlund@interchange.ubc.ca)