Teaching

Bio.Sci. 101 Introduction to Biology Fall 2006.  Introduction to the science of biology, intended for biology majors.  This broad survey of biology includes cell, molecular, and physiology;  genetics, development, evolution, and ecology.  Students enroll also in the laboratory course, Bio. 103-4.

BioNB 222 Introduction to Neurobiology Spring Semesters -- Course Director Spring 2008
[Drs.Fetcho, Harris-Warrick, Hopkins, Bass, Hoy, and Booker]
A broad survey of neurobiology,  from the cellular and molecular levels to the level of integrated neural systems, and from the biology of animal nervous systems to the human brain, both in normal function, and in disease. This team-taught course is intended for students who have already taken Introductory Biology, but who wish to gain an introduction to the biology of the nervous system from a broad perspective.  Offered as a 3 credit (lecture only) option, or as a 4 credit (with discussion section), or as a writing-intensive option.  

BioNB 424 "Neuroethology" Fall 2007
A lecture course on the neural mechanisms of animal behavior. This course is intended upper- level undergraduate students who already have some background in biology, animal behavior or psychology and neurobiology. Prerequisites: BioG101-104 or equivalent (8 credits of Introductory Biology for Majors) or Instructor Approval. Highly recommended course background: BioNB 221 (Introduction to Animal Behavior) or BioNB222 (Introduction to Neurobiology); or Introductory BioPsychology, Psych223. S-U or Letter grades optional (C- passing grade for S/U). Offered Fall 2007.

BioNB XXX (NEW COURSE) BIOELECTROGENESIS Fall 2008
A lecture course devoted to the study of electricity and life -- the generation and use of electricity by biological organisms, including discovery, physical and biochemical basis, evolution, and importance to human health and technology.

Draft: All biological organisms are capable of generating electrical potentials across cell membranes as a way of controlling acid balance within cells, keeping cell volume constant, and storing energy. But over evolutionary time, electrogenesis evolved to serve other critical functions including fast acting intercellular communication systems such as the nervous systems of animals. In some fishes, electrogenesis is even used for social communication, navigation and defense. This course takes us on a broad journey back to the electrical biology of organisms exploring both the physical basis for electricity and the biochemical basis for its control and regulation. The course examines the history of discovery of electrogenesis which led to early inventions and developments in the fields of physics, engineering, and medicine. Interest in electrogenesis continues to influence developments in medicine, chemistry, and technology.

BioNB 720 "Temporal Coding" Spring 2003
A graduate course introducing the topic of temporal coding in the nervous system. The seminar explores how the nervous system represents sensory information as firing patterns of single neurons and neural networks. Although temporal coding is most often associated with the special senses of hearing and electroreception where time-varying signals are naturally represented as temporal patterns of spikes, temporal coding is also important to other sensory modalities including olfaction and vision where the temporal variation in the stimulus is of less importance. Students will explore the basic principles of temporal coding including computational approaches to spike train analysis, cellular and molecular approaches to neurons, axons, synapses and channels; and comparative and evolutionary approaches to time-coding in the brain and peripheral nervous systems.

Biology Dining Discussions (2007-2008)

A weekly series of dining-discussions devoted to modern biology and its impact upon society.
Free and open to Cornell Undergraduate Students. Host: Carl D. Hopkins, Professor of Neurobiology and Behavior.

Dinner discussions with invited guests will cover a broad range of topics on biological research, advances in health sciences, global and local biodiversity and ecology, evolution, genetics, and ethical and cultural issues associated with the new biology. Other discussions will center on career, research, and educational opportunties for students. Mondays at 5:45 PM in Appel, North Star Dining, room 302A.