Transcript Slide 1

The Department of
Biological Sciences
Wednesday 3rd September 2008
Presenter: Dr. Stephen Reid
1
What is required to obtain a degree?
1.
Complete 20 credits (40 courses); 5 courses per semester
2.
Complete the requirements for either:
1 Specialist Program or
2 Major programs or
1 Major + 2 Minor Programs
3.
Earn a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 1.6
(equivalent to a C minus or 60-62%)
2
Programs in Biological Sciences
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Cell and Molecular Biology
Conservation Biology
Human Biology
Integrative Biology
Integrative Biology
Biology
Specialist
Specialist
Specialist
Specialist
Major
Minor
7. Cell and Molecular Biology Co-op
8. Conservation Biology
Co-op
9. Neuroscience
Joint Program with Psychology
10. Paramedicine
Joint Program with Centennial College
11. Industrial Microbiology Joint Program with Centennial College
3
First Year Courses
Integrative Biology Major
1. Introductory Biology: Part 1
2. Introductory Biology: Part 2
3. Introductory Chemistry: Part 1
4. Introductory Chemistry: Part 2
5. Six additional courses
Program Supervisor: Dr. Kamini Persaud
4
First Year Courses
Integrative Biology Specialist
1. Introductory Biology: Part 1
2. Introductory Biology: Part 2
3. Introductory Chemistry: Part 1
4. Introductory Chemistry: Part 2
5. Calculus: Part 1
6. Calculus: Part 2
7. Introduction to Physics: Part 1
5. Three additional courses
Program Supervisor: Dr. Kamini Persaud
There are two calculus streams;
one for students who have taken high school calculus and
one for students who have not taken high school calculus.
5
First Year Courses
Conservation Biology Specialist / Co-op
1. Introductory Biology: Part 1
2. Introductory Biology: Part 2
3. Introductory Chemistry: Part 1
4. Introductory Chemistry: Part 2
5. Introduction to Planet Earth
6. The Geography of Global Processes
7. Geographic Information Systems
5. Three additional courses
Program Supervisor: Dr. Lisa Manne
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First Year Courses
Cell & Molecular Biology Specialist / Co-op
1. Introductory Biology: Part 1
2. Introductory Biology: Part 2
3. Introductory Chemistry: Part 1
4. Introductory Chemistry: Part 2
5. Calculus: Part 1
6. Calculus: Part 2
7. Introduction to Physics: Part 1
5. Three additional courses
Program Supervisor: Dr. Clare Hasenkampf
There are two calculus streams;
one for students who have taken high school calculus and
one for students who have not taken high school calculus.
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First Year Courses
Human Biology Specialist
1. Introductory Biology: Part 1
2. Introductory Biology: Part 2
3. Introductory Chemistry: Part 1
4. Introductory Chemistry: Part 2
5. Calculus: Part 1
6. Calculus: Part 2
7. Introduction to Physics: Part 1
8. Introduction to Physics: Part 2
9. Introduction to Physiology: Part 1
10. Introduction to Physiology: Part 2
Program Supervisor: Dr. Kamini Persaud
There are two calculus streams;
one for students who have taken high school calculus and one for
students who have not taken high school calculus.
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Second Year Courses
All biology programs contain a core of six courses
that everyone must take.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Cell Biology
Molecular Aspects of Genetic Processes
Mammalian (Human) Physiology I
Plant Physiology
Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
A physiology or anatomy or cell biology or ecology lab course
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Third & Fourth Year Courses
Students begin true specialization in their third year.
Some of our third and fourth year courses include:
•Biochemistry (Proteins and Enzymes)
•Biochemistry (Metabolism)
•Practical Approaches to Biochemistry
•Molecular Endocrinology
•Mammalian (Human) Physiology II
•Comparative Environmental Physiology
•Pathologies of the Nervous System
•Animal Developmental Biology
•Microbiology: The Bacterial Cell
•Seminars in Cellular Microbiology
•Vertebrate Histology (Cells and Tissues)
•Vertebrate Histology (Organs)
•Animal Behaviour
•Evolutionary Biology of Insects
•Marine Biology
•Animal Communication
•Molecular Aspects of Plant Development
•Genetics
•Genomics
•Molecular Biology Lab (Cloning)
•Molecular Biology Lab (Nucleic Acids)
•Special Topics in Molecular Genetics
•Consequences of Global Change
•Advanced Population Ecology
•Restoration Ecology
•Role of Zoos in Conservation
•Conservation Biology
•Environmental Toxicology
•Biology of Plant Stress
•River Ecology
•Directed Research in Biology I
•Directed Research in Biology II
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Programs in Biological Sciences
Entry requirements after First Year
1) Complete (pass) 4 credits (8 courses) which must include:
Introductory Biology: Part I
Introductory Biology: Part 2
Introductory Chemistry: Part 1
Introductory Chemistry: Part 2
One course in mathematics or statistics
2) A cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of at least 2.0 (“C” average)
Some programs are highly competitive and may require
a higher CGPA for entry.
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Applying to a Biology Program
•
•
•
There are two subject post (program) application periods per year:
1) Early April to early May.
2) Early July to early August.
Go on to your ROSI (Repository of Student Information) account and select
the subject post that identifies the program of study that you wish to pursue
(you may select more than one subject post).
Admission decisions are announced in mid-June and mid-September.
Follow this link for information and instruction.
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Pre-Requisites, Co-Requisites and
Exclusions
• A pre-requisite must be taken before you can take the course in question.
• A co-requisite must be taken before or at the same time.
• You cannot take, for credit, a course for which you have taken an exclusion.
BGYB10H3 Cell Biology
This course is designed to introduce theory and modern experimental techniques in
cell biology. Emphasis will be on eukaryotic cells. Structure and function of major
animal and plant organelles will be covered. Subsequent topics include the role of
the cytoskeleton.
Exclusion: BGYB10Y, BIO250Y
You cannot take BGYB10H if you have
taken these courses
Prerequisite: [BGYA01H & BGYA02H] & [CHMA10H & CHMA11H]
Must be taken prior to
taking BGYB10H
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Physics and Biology Programs
I want to enter a biology program that requires
physics but I didn’t take grade 12 physics.
What can I do?
• In this case you can take PHYA01H (Basic Physics).
This course is intended for students who did not take
grade 12 physics. It is worth 0.5 credit.
• You can take this course in your first semester (fall 2008).
• You can then take PHYA10H in the spring 2009 semester.
• PHYA22H can then be taken in the summer or at a later date
(this course is required in the human biology program).
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Taking Courses at the Other U of T
Campuses
• You may take up to 5.0 credits of courses in the other Arts and
Science Divisions at the Univ. of Toronto (St. George & UTM).
• No more than 1.0 of your first 4.0 credits may be taken at the
other two campuses.
• Students are responsible for confirming (by looking at the UTSC
calendar) whether or not a course at another campus is an
exclusion to a UTSC course that has already been taken.
• You need permission from your program supervisor to replace a
UTSC program requirement with a course from another campus.
15
Summer Courses
• Summer courses were initially established so that co-op
students could complete their degree in four years.
• Summer courses are useful if you have failed or dropped a
course that you need as a pre-requisite to courses the
following year.
• Not all courses are offered in the summer. Consult the
course calendar and/or your program supervisor if you are
planning on putting off a course until the summer.
• Medical schools do count summer courses but they don’t like
students using them to lighten their course loads in the fall
and winter semesters.
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Components of a Course
Depending upon the particular course, the following are
general course components:
• Lectures (usually 2 hours per week).*
• Laboratory/practical sessions (3 hours every week or every
second week).
• Tutorials (the role of tutorials differ in different courses).
*, Lecture etiquette is very important. You should not talk as this disturbs
other students. Cell phones ringers must be turned off and phones
must not be answered.
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How will I be evaluated?
Depending upon the particular course, the following are
used as evaluation tools:
• Midterm examination (1 or 2 per course).
• Final examination (1 per course).
University rules
prohibit the
presence of cell
phones in an exam.
• Lab reports (in courses with lab sections).*
• Quizzes.
• Written assignments or oral presentations.*
*make sure that you are familiar
with the university’s rules on plagiarism.
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How will I be evaluated?
• You are assigned a mark (percentage) in each course.
• This percentage is then converted to a letter grade.
• The letter grade is then converted to a grade point value.
• Grade point values are then used to calculate your
grade point average (GPA).
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How will I be evaluated?
Percentage
90-100
85-89
80-84
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
57-59
53-56
50-52
0-49
Letter Grade
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Grade Point Value
4.0
4.0
3.7
3.3
3.0
2.7
2.3
2.0
1.7
1.3
1.0
0.7
1.0
Definition
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Good
Good
Good
Adequate
Adequate
Adequate
Marginal
Marginal
Marginal
Wholly Inadequate
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Who are my course instructors?
• Tenured or tenure-track faculty (Assistant Professors;
Associate Professors and Full Professors) who are all
active researchers.
• Full-time lecturers (teach but do not do research)
• Sessional lecturers (replacement instructors hired when
a regular course instructor is on leave).
• Teaching assistants (Masters or PhD students; occasionally
a fourth year undergraduate student)
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What does a university professor
do?
• 40% Research
• 40% Teaching (one course per semester; supervising
graduate and undergraduate research students).
• 20% Administration
• Every faculty member in the Department of Biological
Sciences runs an externally-funded research program.
• Research lab personnel include graduate (MSc and PhD
students; undergraduate thesis students; post-doctoral
fellows and technicians).
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Communicating with your
Professors
• Different professors like to communicate in different ways.
• Every professor holds designated office hours each week
which time students may drop by to ask questions or seek
advice.
• Short questions are easily asked via e-mail. Questions that
require long answers or explanations should be asked in person.
• Most professors do not like to receive phone calls as multiple
calls can be highly disruptive.
• E-mails must NOT be sent in text-message format. Such
messages will be deleted and not answered.
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Where do I go for advice or to solve
problems?
In first year you should consult the Pre-Program coordinator, Sean Ramrattan.
Once you are in a biology program (major or specialist) you should consult
with the Program Supervisor.
• Integrative Biology
Dr. Kamini Persaud
[email protected]
• Cell & Molecular Biology
Dr. Clare Hasenkampf
[email protected]
• Human Biology
Dr. Kamini Persaud
[email protected]
• Conservation Biology
Dr. Lisa Manne
[email protected]
• Paramedicine
Dr. Stephen Reid
[email protected]
• Industrial Microbiology
Dr. Roberta Fulthorpe
[email protected]
Program supervisors will give advice on course selection, course sequences,
replacement courses and any other program-related concern).
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What happens when I have met all
the requirements for my degree?
• If you are registered in, or have already successfully completed
the correct number of credits for the Degree Post you are
registered in then you must signal your intent to graduate.
Information is available on the Registrar’s web site.
Follow this link for information and instruction.
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The People of the Department
• Departmental Chair
• Associate Chair for Research
• Associate Chair for Undergraduate Affairs
Dr. Greg Vanleberghe
Dr. Dan Riggs
Dr. Stephen Reid
• 20 tenured or tenure-track faculty members
• 5 emeritus professors
2 full-time lecturers
• Dozens of graduate students and other research personnel
• 4 administrative staff members
Nella Semoff, Secretary to the Chair
Gloria Luza, Clerical Assistant
Lucy Pickering, Administrative Officer
Tony Rupnaraine, Business Officer
• 5 teaching technicians
Nankie Bissoon, Alex Yi, Patrick Ng, Joanne Pearce; Sheila Rush
• 5 technical staff
M. Agoston – greenhouse;
A. Gristock – vivarium;
Y. Ma, R. Or – Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress;
A. Ranieri - Wash/Sterilisation
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Research Clusters
1. Biological Dynamics of Environmental Change
2. Neurobiology of Stress
3. Integrative Behaviour and Neuroscience
4. Cells and Infection
5. Plant Cellular and Molecular Processes
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FACULTY
Michelle Aarts
B.Sc., MSc. (Western), Ph.D. (McGill)
Assistant Professor
Canada Research Chair
Research
Mechanisms of cell survival
and cell death following heart
attack and stroke
Teaches
Biochemistry
and Endocrinology
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FACULTY
Maydianne Andrade
B.Sc. (Simon Fraser), M.Sc. (Toronto), Ph.D. (Cornell)
Associate Professor
Canada Research Chair
Research
Evolution of
Mating Systems
Teaches
Evolution and
Animal Behaviour
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FACULTY
Rudy Boonstra
B.Sc. (Calgary), Ph.D. (British Columbia)
Professor
Research
Ecology and
Neurobiology
of Stress
Teaches
Global Change &
Population Ecology
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FACULTY
Ian Brown
B.Sc. (Carleton), Ph.D. (Texas), Professor
Canada Research Chair
Research
Molecular Neurobiology
of Heat Shock Proteins
Teaches
Animal Developmental Biology
and Molecular Biology
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FACULTY
Mark Fitzpatrick
B.Sc., M.Sc., (Brock), Ph.D. (Toronto)
Assistant Professor
Research
Genetics/Genomics
Teaches
Genetics
and Genomics
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FACULTY
Sonia Gazzarrini
B.Sc., M.Sc. (Milan), Ph.D. (Tuebingen)
Assistant Professor
Research
Plant Development,
Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology
Teaches
Plant Developmental Biology
and Molecular Biology
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FACULTY
Rene Harrison
B.Sc. (Winnipeg), M.Sc. (Manitoba), Ph.D. (Toronto)
Assistant Professor
Research
Cell Biology - the regulation
and function of immune cells
and bone cells.
Teaches
Cell Biology
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FACULTY
Clare Hasenkampf
B.Sc. (Loyola), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Florida State)
Associate Professor
Research
Plant Genetics
Teaches
First Year Biology
and Genetics
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FACULTY
Herbert Kronzucker
B.Sc. (Wuerzburg), Ph.D. (British Columbia)
Professor
Canada Research Chair
Research
Ecophysiology of plant
nutrient acquisition;
Solutions to World hunger
Teaches
Ecology and
Environmental Toxicology
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FACULTY
Nate Lovejoy
B.Sc., M.Sc. (Toronto), Ph.D. (Cornell)
Assistant Professor
Research
Molecular Phylogenetics
and evolution of behaviors
Teaches
Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology
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FACULTY
Lisa Manne
B.Sc. (Otterbein College), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Univ. of Tennessee)
Assistant Professor
Research
Spatial ecology,
biogeography and
conservation
Teaches
First Year Biology and
Conservation Biology
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FACULTY
Andrew Mason
B.Sc. (Guelph), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Toronto)
Associate Professor
Research
Bioacoustics,
Neuroethology
Sensory Systems &
Communication
Teaches
First Year Biology and
Animal Communication
(Neuroscience)
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FACULTY
Joanne Nash
B.Sc. (Aberdeen), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Univ. of Manchester)
Assistant Professor
Research
Biological Basis of
Brain Pathology
and Parkinson’s Disease.
Teaches
Mammalian (Human) Physiology
and Nervous System Pathology
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FACULTY
Stephen Reid
B.Sc. , Ph.D. (Ottawa)
Associate Professor
Research
Respiratory Physiology
and Neurobiology
Teaches
Mammalian (Human)
and Animal Physiology
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FACULTY
Dan Riggs
B.Sc. (North Carolina), Ph.D. (Florida State)
Associate Professor
Research
Plant Molecular Biology
Teaches
Cell and Molecular Biology
42
FACULTY
Mauricio Terebiznik
B.Sc., Ph.D. (Buenos Aires)
Assistant Professor
Research
Microbiology
Teaches
Microbiology
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FACULTY
Greg Vanlerberghe
B.Sc., M.Sc. (Western Ontario), Ph.D. (Queen's)
Professor
Research
Metabolism and Stress
Physiology in Plants
Teaches
Plant Physiology and
the Biology of Plant Stress
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FACULTY
Dudley Williams
B.Sc. (North Wales), Dip. Ed. (Liverpool),
M.Sc., Ph.D. (Waterloo), D.Sc. (Wales)
Professor
Research
Ecological Studies
of Running Water
Communities
Teaches
Biology of Insects, River Ecology
and Ecology Field Courses
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FACULTY
Rongmin Zhou
B.Sc. (Peking University), Ph.D. (Chinese Academy of Agriculture)
Plant Biochemistry
Marc Cadotte
B.Sc., M.Sc. (Windsor University), PhD (Tennessee)
Arriving in July 2009
Community Ecology
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RESOURCES
Department of Biological Sciences
www.utsc.utoronto.ca/biosci
This presentation is available online at
www.utsc.utoronto.ca/sgreid
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