Instructor: Lauren Yaich, Ph.D.
Telephone: 362-0260
e-mail: yaich@pitt.edu
Office: 203F Fisher Hall

Lecture Times: M W F 9-9:50 am
Lab Times: Th 8-12 am or Th 2:30-6:30 pm
Office Hours: 10 -11 am ; 2-3 pm Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
Also by appointment and on a "drop-in" basis.

Textbook: Becker, Kleinsmith, and Hardin. (2003) The World of the Cell (Fifth Edition).
Benjamin Cummings: San Francisco.

Lab Manual: Lab exercises will be provided in the form of handouts.
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Class Description and Philosophy

Cell biology is the study of the structure and function of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. In this course we will examine many different areas of cellular biology including: the synthesis and function of macromolecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins; control of gene expression; membrane and organelle structure and function; bioenergetics; and cellular communication. Examples of relevant human disorders will also be used to help the student understand what happens when cells don't work as they should! Laboratories will focus both on exercises that help illustrate cellular phenomena, as well as on the introduction of techniques and procedures commonly utilized in modern cell and molecular biology research. The development of critical thinking processes and proficiency in scientific reading and writing will be emphasized throughout the course.
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Lecture Schedule:

August
26 Introduction (Chapter 1)
28 Cell Chemistry (Chapter 2)
30 Macromolecules: Part I (Chapter 3)

September
2 Labor Day: No Classes !
4 Macromolecules: Part II (Chapter 3)
6 Cells and Organelles (Chapter 4)
9 Microscopy Techniques (Appendix)
11 Bioenergetics (Chapter 5)
13 Enzymes (Chapter 6)
16 Discussion Session
18 Lecture Exam #1
20 Cell Membranes (Chapter 7)
23 Membrane Transport (Chapter 8)
25 Electrical Signaling (Chapter 9)
27 Signal Transduction: Part I (Chapter 10)
30 Signal Transduction: Part II (Chapter 10)

October
2 Extracellular Structures (Chapter 11)
4 Discussion Session
7 Lecture Exam #2
9 Intracellular Compartments and Trafficking: I (Chapter 12)
11 Intracellular Compartments and Trafficking: II (Chapter 12)
14 Chemotrophic Energy Metabolism (Chapter 13)
16 Aerobic Respiration (Chapter 14)
18 Photosynthesis: Part I (Chapter 15)
21 Photosynthesis: Part II (Chapter 15)
23 Discussion Session
25 Lecture Exam #3
28 Chromosomes and the Nucleus: Part I (Chapter 16)
30 Chromosomes and the Nucleus: Part II (Chapter 16)

November
1 Cell Cycle (Chapter 17)
4 Control of Cell Cycle and Cancer (Chapter 17)
6 Meiosis and Gamete Formation (Chapter 18)
8 Recombination and Genetic Variability (Chapter 18)
11 Discussion Session
13 Lecture Exam #4
15 Transcription and the Genetic Code (Chapter 19)
18 RNA Processing (Chapter 19)
20 Translation and Protein Sorting (Chapter 20)
22 Regulation of Gene Expression: Part I (Chapter 21)
25 Regulation of Gene Expression: Part II (Chapter 21)
27 No Class: Thanksgiving Break !
29 No Class: Thanksgiving Break !

December
2 Cytoskeleton (Chapter 22)
4 Cell Motility (Chapter 23)
6 Last Day Class - Discussion Session

Final Exam:
Wednesday, December 11 9-11 am

The final exam is partly cumulative. A list of terms and concepts for the final will be distributed in early December.
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Laboratories

Laboratory attendance is required. An unexcused absence from lab will result in a 10 point deduction from your lab grade. Occasionally you may be asked to set up or take down part of an experiment at other times than the standard lab period. The tentative lab schedule is listed below. We will try to follow this as closely as possible, but late-arriving orders or uncooperative "critters" may necessitate a last minute change at times. The lab handouts will be provided to you in advance. You will be expected to have read through the lab handouts carefully before coming to lab.

Lab Safety Policy:
Students are expected to demonstrate suitable laboratory conduct and to practice standard laboratory safety procedures. Approved safety glasses must be worn at all times when working with chemicals or doing procedures which may involve potential eye hazard. It is the student's responsibility to provide their own safety glasses (and/or lab coat if desired). Safety glasses can be purchased in the bookstore at a modest cost. Lab coats are available at most uniform supply stores. While a lab coat is not required, it is recommended that you do not wear "good" clothes to lab. If you must do so, cover them up with a lab coat or an old shirt. No eating, drinking, or smoking will be tolerated in the lab. Treat all chemicals, biological materials, and lab equipment with respect. Failure to do so can adversely affect one's experimental results or personal well being. Remember to report all accidents to the instructor, no matter how minor they seem to be. Additional safety rules specific to each individual lab will be specified in the relevant laboratory handout.

Lab Schedule (Tentative)

August
29 Introduction to Cell Biology Lab / Computers in Biology

September
5 Microscopy
12 Spectrophotometry: Enzyme Kinetics
19 Cell Membranes
26 Proteins I: Ion-Exchange Chromatography

October
3 Proteins II: SDS-PAGE
10 ELISA Immunoassay
17 Organelle Isolation
24 Drosophila Chromosome Squash
31 Spectrophotometry: Cell Growth

November
7 DNA I: Competent Cell Transformation
14 DNA II: DNA Extraction / Gel Electrophoresis
21 Cell Motility
28 Thanksgiving Break - No Lab !

December
5 Recitation: Final Exam Review
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Blackboard Web-Site:

This course has a web site that you can use to access handouts, PowerPoint notes, interesting Web links, and even a record of your grades! The address for this site is: http://courseweb.pitt.edu. Important announcements will be posted on Blackboard, so please get in the habit of checking the web site at least a couple times a week. Every student should also get an email account, provide me with the address, and check it on a regular basis. I may even decide to offer an extra credit assignment via email or Blackboard announcement, so please check on these items at least a couple times per week. You should get used to using both email and the Internet, as most modern businesses and institutions now use it for their primary means of communication. Email is also a great way to get answers for quick questions, especially if my office hours are inconvenient for you

Cell Biology Resources Web-Site:

I have also started a web-site with links to Cell Biology resources. Although this site is still under construction this semester, there are already many resources available, so please check it out! It is a good place to start looking for references for your lab reports, as it has links to on-line Cell Biology texts and to the University of Pittsburgh collection of electronic journals. If you find any terrific external sites that you think should be linked to this site, please let me know. This site can be found at http://www.pitt.edu/~yaich/cell%20biology%20homepage.htm.
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Grading:

Lecture Exam #1 100 points
Lecture Exam #2 100 points
Lecture Exam #3 100 points
Lecture Exam #4 100 points
Final Lecture Exam 150 points
Exercises 100 points
Class Participation 30 points
Lab Reports 100 points
Total 780 points

Final Grade:
Total Number Points
780 points X 100 = % Grade

The percentage grade will correspond to the following letter grades:

A+ 96.7 - 100%
A 93.4 - 96.6%
A- 90.0 - 93.3%
B+ 86.7 - 89.9%
B 83.4 - 86.6%
B- 80.0 - 83.3%
C+ 76.7 - 79.9%
C 73.4 - 76.6%
C- 70.0 - 73.3%
D+ 66.7 - 69.9%
D 63.4 - 66.6%
D- 60.0 - 63.3%
F <60%
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Class Policies:

1. Attendance at all lectures is strongly recommended. Most of the material appearing on the exams will be based on what we cover in lectures. Attendance at labs is REQUIRED! An unexcused absence from lab will result in a ten-point deduction from your lab grade. If you will be missing a lecture exam or lab, contact me as soon as possible, preferably in advance. More than two absences in a semester due to illness will necessitate a note from your doctor or the college nurse. Make-up exams will only be given if I feel that the absence was justifiable. Arrangements for any make-ups should be made within three days of the absence.

2. At my discretion, I may occasionally offer an extra credit assignment at various times throughout the semester. This is primarily to allow you to catch up on a few points if you had bad luck on an exam or assignment. However, these will only be worth a minimal number of points! Extra credit alone will not be able to take you from a D to an A, so you should try to do your best in all aspects of this class.

3. There will be a homework exercise related to the current material handed out almost every week. These exercises will help you refine your understanding of the material before exam time comes along!

4. Class Participation will also be part of the grade. To earn the maximum number of class participation points, you must contribute 10 questions or comments over the course of the semester (up to 3 points each). HOWEVER, you can only earn points for one question/comment per class period. Of course, you are naturally welcome to participate more (they just won't count for points)!! Also, the question/comment must be reasonable and pertain to the subject material. For those of you who are feeling a little shy, you can also send me email questions. The same rules apply and the question must be received 24 hours in advance of the class that you want credit for. Also, each email must be sent on a different day - in other words, you can't send all ten out on the same day in order to "get it out of the way".

5. Please establish your personal e-mail account as soon as possible. Any special announcements will be made by e-mail and/or in lecture. Also, e-mail is a great way to reach me for simple questions or to arrange for an appointment.

6. This syllabus is subject to change. While I will try my best to adhere to the schedule, occasionally changes may be necessary. If so, I will announce the change(s) both in lecture and by e-mail. Exam dates, however, will NOT be changed unless there is an emergency situation.

7. Students in this class will be expected to adhere to The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford's Academic Integrity Policy that reads as follows:

Members of a university community, both faculty and students, bear a serious responsibility to uphold personal and professional integrity and to maintain complete honesty in all academic work. Violations of the code of academic integrity are not tolerated. Students who cheat or plagiarize or who otherwise take improper advantage of the work of others, face harsh penalties, including permanent dismissal. The academic integrity guidelines set forth student and faculty obligations and the means of enforcing regulations and addressing grievances.

Please pay particular note to the prohibition against plagiarism. You must use your own words in any written work! Any evidence of plagiarism will immediately result in a failing grade for that assignment. Continued plagiarism beyond this initial warning or cheating on exams may result in the student being brought before administrative review. If you are unsure of how to properly "paraphrase" sources, please come see me and I will be happy to help you with this.

8. Student Disability Statement: If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact me and the Academic Success Center's Disability Resources and Services Office (215 Hanley Library), as early as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.
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Tips for Success:

1. Read the material BEFORE coming to class!! We will be covering a lot of material relatively quickly. If you are prepared before coming to class, your understanding of the lectures will be immensely enhanced. Although the exams will be primarily (but not entirely!) based on what is covered in lecture, the readings are critical for strengthening your comprehension of the material. There will often be a few questions on each exam that are from the readings.

2. Review your lecture notes before the next class. I strongly recommend re-writing them or outlining them - believe it or not, there is a direct link between the hand and the brain! This is a good time to coordinate what you are learning in lectures with what you are reading in the book, BEFORE the class moves ahead to the next topic. Be careful about becoming too dependent on PowerPoint lecture notes that you download from Blackboard. These are only a rough outline of what we cover and are not intended to take the place of careful listening, reading, and note-taking.

3. DO NOT GET BEHIND!! And I don't just mean with the readings!! Biology is built from simple principles, but eventually we will be learning about relatively complex phenomena. If you don't understand the basics, then you won't understand the more advanced materials. Please come to me if there are concepts that you are really stuck on. Which again leads to yet another point...

4. Take advantage of your instructors!! (And I don't mean that in the negative sense.) We have office hours and discussion sessions for a reason. And, remember there is no such thing as a "stupid question"! Nonetheless, please make at least some effort to find out the answer yourself before coming for help. Part of being a college student is learning how to find the answers on your own. e-mail is another good way to get some help, especially for relatively simple queries.

5. Find the study aids that work best for you. Some students learn well in informal study groups with their friends. Others prefer aids such as flashcards, etc... A combination of all of the above often works well. An excellent method to really see if you know the material is to get a blank piece of paper and see if you can write a coherent paragraph (with diagrams!) about a given topic, giving a reasonable amount of detail! Then compare this paragraph with your notes and the book to see if there are any "holes" in your understanding that you still need to work on.

6. Check out the seminars and tutors provided by the Academic Success Center. This is located on the 2nd floor of Hanley Library. Their phone number is 362-7533. They are an excellent resource for additional help with developing effective academic skills.

 

 

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