AEP 2520 - [The Physics of Life]

(crosslisted) ENGRD 2520

Spring. Next Offered: 2020-2021. 3 credits. Letter grades only.

Prerequisite: MATH 1920, CHEM 2070 or CHEM 2090. Corequisite: PHYS 2213.

Staff.

Introduces the physics of biological macromolecules (e.g., proteins, DNA, RNA) to students of the physical sciences or engineering who have little or no background in biology. The macromolecules are studied from three perspectives. First, the biological role or function of each class of macromolecules is considered. Second, a quantitative description of the physical interactions that determine the behavior of biomolecular systems. An introduction is provided to probability and statistical methods used to describe the behavior of biological systems. Finally, techniques that are commonly used to probe these systems, with an emphasis on biotechnology applications, are discussed.

Outcome 1: An introductory-level understanding of molecular biology.

Outcome 2: An understanding of the importance of basic physics, math and chemistry concepts to molecular biology.

Outcome 3: An understanding of the importance of physics/math/engineering in developing techniques to probe biological systems.