This course will provide undergraduate students the fundamentals of developmental biology in plants and animals with an emphasis on developmental genetics approaches that have connected specific genetic pathways to developmental traits. The emphasis is on the concepts that connect animal and plant development, such as signaling mechanisms that maintain stem cell niches and the factors that determine the developmental potential of a cell. The entire span of development will be examined, from the formation of germ cells and fertilization through embryonic development and even up through post-embryonic development, senescence, and death.
The course also provides hands-on application on the basic experimental methods and laboratory models used in developmental biology research. A particular emphasis is the intimate connection between developmental biology and evolution, which will be a theme throughout the course. Additional emphasis is on the connection between mechanisms of normal development and disease etiology. The course will cover general principles of development and current important issues. Relevant ethical issues will be discussed. Both invertebrate and vertebrate model systems will be covered, including Drosophila, C. elegans, chick, frog, mice and human and flowering plants.
- Teacher: Joycelyn Jumawan