BIOL 121 – The Unity of Life
Instructor: DW Buckalew
Office: 305A Sciences
Office Hours: M 3:00 – 5:00 pm
F 8:00-10:00 am
Welcome aboard!
The Biosphere is the limit!!
How to Succeed in Science courses
•Attendance is a MUST – you will need to take notes!
•Timeliness is a MUST – you need to be present to take notes!
•Read the textbook from this day forward….
•Begin projects early
•Don’t be rude – turn off cell phones, refrain from talking
•Biology I is essentially Intro Biochemistry – look at the topics!
•You’ve seen/heard much of the info before? Probably so.
•You’ve had to synthesize the amount req’d for Biology I?
Probably not.
How to Succeed in Science courses
COMMUNICATE – talk with faculty when problems arise
(notice the word “IF” was not used)
“ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES” – bounce back from low
test/quiz scores
DELAY IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION – the pursuit of
the degree is difficult
KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE – graduation is closer
than you think!
Work Hard!!
1) Brett Montgomery ('03) MD program at EVMS
2) Matthew Kren ('04) MS Biology – VCU; DVM Program – Ross University
3) Renae Trombley ('04) Doctoral program - VCU/MCV Physical Therapy
4) Richard Scherer ('04) Doctoral program - VCU/MCV Physical Therapy
5) Brian Belliveau ('05) Ph.D. program in Molecular Biology at Notre Dame
6) Nick Hopson ('05) Doctoral program - VCU/MCV Physical Therapy
7) Amber Weems ('05) VCU School of Dentistry
8) Ryan Dunn ('05) MD program in Pathology at Duke University
9) Paul Hetterich ('05) MS in Clinical Micro/Immuno at VCU/MCV
10) Stephen "Matt" Akers ('04) MD/PhD program at West Virginia University
11) Frankie Simmons ('03) MD program - Howard University
12) Stephanie Thomas ('04) Ph.D. Program at Old Dominion University
14) Stuart Bertsch ('05) MD program – VCU/MCV
15) Sara Lee ('05) MS program – Forensics - Marshall University
16) Katie Wells ('05) Doctoral program - Shenandoah University Physical Therapy
17) Laura Wooldridge ('05) Physician's Assistant program - Shenandoah University
18) Casey Dertzbaugh ('06) Doctoral program VCU/MCV Physical Therapy
19) Adrienne Hampton ('05) MD program - Northwestern University
20) Kelley Jernigan (06) Nursing Program at VCU
21) Quintin Lewis (06) Ph. D. Program in Molecular Biology – VCU
22) Jerry McCoy ('05) Teaching at Emporia Private High School
23) David Walker ('06) NOVA University School of Dentistry
24) Carolyn Howard ('06) MS program in Occupational Therapy - JMU
25) Crystal Freels ('06) Science teacher – Roanoke school district
26) Ray Stephens ('06) VCU Dental School
27) Albert Tuono ('06) DOM program - WV School of Osteopathic Medicine
28) Colleen Schamber ('06) MS in Biomedical Engineering – UVA
29) Nicole Woznick ('06) PharmD program - VCU
30) Kelly Brake ('06) - VCU School of Nursing
31) Catherine Dunn ('05) - Molecular lab tech at Cornell Medical College
32) Chelsea Norton ('05) - Lab specialist - Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
33) Catherine Melvin ('05) - Ph.D program in Microbiology - GMU
34) Christina Stewart ('06) - Lab technician - VCLS Richmond, VA
35) Michelle Wagner ('05) - VCU School of Nursing
36) Ashley Martin ('04) - MS program in Clinical Lab Sciences - VCU/MCV
37) Jason Chambers (06) – MS in Marine Biology – UNC-Wilmington
38) Tiffany Crane (07) – Post-Bacc – University of Cincinnati
39) Jennifer Smith Doss (07) – Officer, Va DCR – Fish and Wildlife
40) Michael Edwards (07) – DVM program – VA Tech
41) Jason Ferguson (07) – MS program in Fisheries – Univ Tennessee
42) Oscar Gonzalez (07) – Biomedical Engineering – VCU
43) Jane Ashley Hawkins (07) – BS Nursing program – Univ of South Carolina
44) Michael Joyce (07) – Post- Bacc – Pre-medical program – VCU
45) Courtney Kreft (07) – 2nd Lt – MASH surgical unit – Afghanistan
46) Joel Rowe (07) – MD program – VCU/MCV
47) Amanda Simmons (07) – MS in Microbiology – ODU
48) Whitney Slack (07) – MS Program in Nursing VCU/MCV
49) Emily Sturgill (07) – BS Nursing Program – GMU
50) Natalie Haines (07) – QC Biologist – American Type Culture Collection
51) Matt Lusk (06) – UNC Coastal Studies Institute
Your name here (‘11) – attending graduate school at….
- attending professional school at…
- teaching science at……
-lab/field scientist at/for….
Your future begins today!!
Hot Topics in
Biology:
Emerging/Re-emerging diseases
Hot Topics in
Biology:
Global Warming
Hot Topics in Biology:
Decline in Biodiversity
Hot Topics in Biology:
Fetal Stem Cells
Career options – what’s out there
• Professional scientists
– often immersed in research and
development
academia
government
industry
– Often requires a Ph.D. or other
advanced degree degree
• Science-trained
professionals
– Often employed by industry,
business, education, and
government in different ways
– Usually requires a M.S. or
equivalent degree
You can enter many science
careers with a B.S.
•Research technician
•Lab coordinator
•Regulatory agent
•Quality control specialist
•Life science product sales
Biology B.S. with additional study:
•Science journalism
•Medical technology
•1° and 2° education
•Pharmaceutical/agrichemical sales
•Bioinformatics including law
enforcement
•Museum curator
Biology B.S. combined with other degree (i.e., MBA, JD)
•High tech business or hospital management
•Financial analyst of biotechnology firms
•Patent law/technology transfer/environmental law
•Environmental engineering
M.D.:
Biology Ph.D. :
•Average of 5-7 years beyond B.S.
•Average of 4 years beyond PLUS 4+ years
of residency/specialized training
•College/university teacher
•Research director in academia,
government, and industry
Typically obtained via paid
assistantships
•Other professional medical degrees…
P.A.
D.V.M
PharmD.
D.D.S.
D.P.T.
D.P.M.
D.O.M.
The number of Biology Ph.D.’s employed in business
and industry has increased steadily…over 50% of new
Ph.D.’s are employed outside academia (Tobias, 2005)
Over 1/3 have moved into management roles
So let’s get started in the quest….
Chapter 1- The Science of Biology
• Biology is “the study of life”
I. Characteristics of life:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Cellular organization
Order
Sensitivity
Growth, development, and reproduction
Energy utilization
Evolutionary adaptation
Homeostasis
II. The Hierarchical organization of life
• At the cellular level…
Atoms join to form
molecules
Molecules join to form
larger molecules (e.g.
organics)
Large molecules are
assembled to form
organelles
Organelles are contained
within a larger
organized cell
II. The Hierarchical organization of life
• At the organismal level…
Cells organized in 3 levels:
tissue
organ
organ system
The set of organ systems form
the intact organism
II. The Hierarchical organization of life
• At the population level…
Individual organisms form
populations
All populations of a single
type of organism constitute
the species
All populations of different
organisms living together in
one place make a
community
The biological community
PLUS the abiotic factors
make up an ecosystem
III. The Process of Science
(science = L. “to know”)
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) sought natural rather than supernatural
causes for the unity/diversity of nature and, in doing so, revolutionized
biology. Published the then controversial book, On the Origin of
Species…etc in 1859.
The Process of Science
• Science seeks answers
to natural phenomena
– Activities that can be
observed and measured
– Activities that can be
verified through testing
The Process of Science
• Science uses 2 ways to
approach problem
solving…
– Inductive reasoning =
Generalization that
summarizes many
observations
– Deductive reasoning =
Hypothesis testing and
“if-then logic” –
reasoning flows from
general to specific
How Science Is Done
Science is a systematic process of testing alternative hypotheses
Unifying Themes of Science
• Cell theory
– Robert Hooke (1665) to Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1700) to
Schleiden and Schwann (1839)
– All living organisms are made of cells, and all living cells come
from other living cells.
– Later, it was proposed that all cell came from pre-existing cells.
• Molecular theory – “central dogma of
molecular biology”
– DNA is the molecule of inheritance
– DNA encodes genes which make-up and control living
organisms.
– DNA  RNA  Protein
Unifying Themes of Science
• Evolutionary change
– Life-forms have evolved varying characteristics to
adapt to varied environments.
• Evolutionary conservation
– Some characteristics of earlier organisms are preserved
and passed on to future generations.
Articles on reserve
for 1st Article Review
• Nestle, M. 2007. Eating made simple. Scientific
American. 297: 60-69. (Sept)
• Grossman, D. 2004. Spring forward. Scientific
American. 290: 84-92. (Jan)
• Rennie, J. 2002. 15 Answers to creationist
nonsense. Scientific American. 287: 78-85.(July)
LWU electronic reserve: http://readpac.longwood.edu/search/r?biol+121