Issues in Biotechnology:
The Way We Work With Life
Dr. Albert P. Kausch
life edu.us
The Mechanics of DNA
Lecture 2
Setting the Stage: What is Science?
© life_edu
Issues in Biotechnology:
The Way We Work With Life
Dr. Albert P. Kausch
Kimberly Nelson
OnCampus Live
BCH 190, MIC 190, AFS 190, NRS 190, PLS 190
OnLine BCH 190
A Sweeping General Survey on Life and Biotechnology
A Public Access College Course
The University of Rhode Island
Issues in Biotechnology:
Biotechnology, Our Society and Our Future
life
edu.us
Issues in Biotechnology:
The Way We Work With Life
Dr. Albert P. Kausch
life edu.us
BCH 190
Section I.
The Mechanics of Life and
General Biotechnology
A Sweeping General Survey on Life and Biotechnology
© life_edu
The University
of Rhode Island
Issues in Biotechnology:
The Way We Work With Life
Dr. Albert P. Kausch
life edu.us
The Mechanics of DNA
1. Introduction and Overview Biotechnology: Panacea or Pandora’s Box
2. Setting the Stage: What is Science?
A Sweeping General Survey on Life and Biotechnology
A Public Access College Course
© life_edu
The University
of Rhode Island
Issues in Biotechnology:
The Way We Work With Life
Dr. Albert P. Kausch
life edu.us
The Mechanics of DNA
Lecture 2
Setting the Stage: What is Science?
© life_edu
Issues in Biotechnology
Professor
Dr. Albert P. Kausch, Ph.D.
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology
University of Rhode Island
Office, Lab, and Mailing Address
Food Science and Nutrition Building
530 Liberty Lane, Rm 108
West Kingston, RI 02892
Office Telephone 401-874-7121
Email: kauschlaboratory@gmail.com
Office hours Weds. 12:00 - 3:00 pm
Issues in Biotechnology
Course Syllabus
Course Requirements
Course Syllabus and Description
Schedule of Lectures
Requirements and Deliverables
Office Hours
Go to SAKAI site
Issues in Biotechnology
Course Requirements
Texts
Jay Phelen What is Life? A guide to biology. Freeman Press. 2010
Icliker devices will be provided
Course Presentations: Attendance is absolutely mandatory. Your final grade will be
downgraded by half a letter grade for any unexcused absence or missed lecture (or any
part of one class). You will receive a zero for the missed weekly quiz without a makeup. If you must be absent, you MUST notify Dr. Albert Kausch and provide
documentation for your absence. Attendance will be determined using the iclicker
technology and participation in the weekly quizzes. There will be no make up tests or
exams without appropriate and express written permission. Missing class and quizzes
will drastically affect your grade.
Issues in Biotechnology
Course Requirements
Iclicker Registration
Icliker devices will be provided
Course Presentations: Attendance is absolutely mandatory. Your final grade will be
downgraded by half a letter grade for any unexcused absence or missed lecture (or any
part of one class). You will receive a zero for the missed weekly quiz without a makeup. If you must be absent, you MUST notify Dr. Albert Kausch and provide
documentation for your absence. Attendance will be determined using the iclicker
technology and participation in the weekly quizzes. There will be no make up tests or
exams without appropriate and express written permission. Missing class and quizzes
will drastically affect your grade.
Issues in Biotechnology
Course Requirements
Quizzes (weekly) will be taken in class (Live version on Campus) or OnLine (BCH
190 OnLine version) and promptly graded. The quizzes cover: the assigned
reading from the class text focusing on both concepts and vocabulary, and
concepts from the weekly live lecture(s). These quizzes consist of 20 multiple
choice questions and function as a test of general knowledge on the subject.
There are no make-up exams or quizzes without a medical excuse. Many quiz
questions are covered during class (pay attention). In addition, many of the
quiz questions are listed under the lifedu.org website in the Study Guide
Section. Failure to complete a quiz or an exam will result in a zero.
Issues in Biotechnology
Course Requirements
2 Exams are provided and intended to be taken at the mid-term and final and will
cover both class lecture material as well as the class text, up to that date (i.e.
comprehensive). The exams are derived from the Study Guide Questions fond
in each lecture.
Stock Project - students will be responsible for a project, due before the end of
term, detailing current market analysis of several publicly traded
biotechnology companies. The idea is to select five biotechnology companies
and invest $100,000 (fictitiously, of course). To do this look up the company
and determine their ticker symbols. Look at the cost per share that the
company is currently trading at and determine the number of shares that you
can purchase, you can spread your money evenly across five companies (i.e.
$20,000 each) or not. For example, if a company is trading at $20/share you
can purchase 1,000 shares for $20,000. You must choose your companies and
shares. Toward the end of the semester you should look up these same
companies and determine the cost per share at that time. Calculate your
losses or gains for each company and your total losses and gains. This project
will be summarized with a one page written report. This will be described in
class.
We ask that all electronic devices are
turned off prior to class, including cell
phones, lap top computers, ipads, ipods,
and other hand held devices. There is
also NO talking during lectures.
Respect your fellow students and your
Professor with this request. Thanks! We
hope you will appreciate this course.
Issues in Biotechnology
Course Requirements
Iclicker Registration
Icliker devices will be provided
Course Presentations: Attendance is absolutely mandatory. Your final grade will be
downgraded by half a letter grade for any unexcused absence or missed lecture (or any
part of one class). You will receive a zero for the missed weekly quiz without a makeup. If you must be absent, you MUST notify Dr. Albert Kausch and provide
documentation for your absence. Attendance will be determined using the iclicker
technology and participation in the weekly quizzes. There will be no make up tests or
exams without appropriate and express written permission. Missing class and quizzes
will drastically affect your grade.
Issues in Biotechnology
Are you a:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
New York Yankees fan
Boston Red Sox fan
New York Mets fan
some other team
I don’t care about baseball
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
2
3
4
5
Issues in Biotechnology
Some course demographics
You are a:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
freshman
sophomore
junior
senior
teacher
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
2
3
4
5
Issues in Biotechnology
Are you a:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
life sciences major
science major, but not life sciences
non-science major
general
undeclared
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
2
3
4
5
Issues in Biotechnology
I know:
A. a lot about biotechnology
B. general information about the basis
of biotechnology
C. what I read in public press
D. very little actually,
only about some of
the arguments
E. nothing at all
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
2
3
4
5
Issues in Biotechnology
Are you a:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Republican
Democrat
Independent
Socialist
other
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
2
3
4
5
Issues in Biotechnology
I consider myself:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
religious
somewhat religious
secular
somewhat secular
irrelevant to this
course
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1
2
3
4
5
Issues in Biotechnology
You are:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
pro-choice
pro-life
undecided
I don’t care about politics
circumstantial
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
2
3
4
5
What is Life?
What is Life?
When did it start on earth?
Where did it come from?
Biologically, what is it? How does it happen?
How do we understand life from its
mechanisms?
What are the philosophical implications?
What is Life?
What are we doing here?
Who are you?
What is consciousness?
Is there really free will?
It it just a biological construct?
What is Life?
Is there intrinsic meaning or is it all merely
biological?
What is purpose?
Is there a purpose to the way things develop?
Is there meaning?
And, what about God?
Issues in Biotechnology
I can tell when someone is watching me from
behind:
A. yes
B. no
C. sometimes
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
2
3
Science is a system of hypothesis
making and testing
Is Evidence Based
Do Not Believe what you here only
• What Is Life? A Guide To Biology
• By J. Phelan
This week: Reading Assignment:
CHAPTER 1
Scientific Thinking
What is it? Think Critically
Biotechnology and Society
What should we believe?
Why do you believe what you believe?
Fact n. 1. Something known with certainty.
2. Something asserted as certain. 3. Something that
has been objectively verified by observation or
evidence. 4. Something having real demonstrable
existence.
Belief n. 1. The mental act, condition or habit of placing
trust or confidence in a person or thing; faith. 2.
mental acceptance or conviction in the truth or
actuality of something. 3. Something believed or
accepted as true-see synonyms at opinion.
Knowledge: n. 1. The state or fact of knowing. 2.
Familiarity, awareness, or understanding gained
through experience or study. 3. That which is
known; the sum or range of what has been perceived,
discovered or inferred. 4. Learning. 5. Specific
information about something. 6. Carnal knowledge.
Theory, pronunciation: \ˈthē-ə-rē, ˈthir-ē\ , function: noun,
inflected Form(s): plural the·o·ries, etymology: Late Latin
theoria, from Greek theōria, from theōrein
Date: 1592
1 : the analysis of a set of facts in their relation to one another
<Theory of Gravity; General Theory of Relativity; Theory of
Evolution>
2 : the general or abstract principles of a body of facts, from
science, or study of an art as in <music theory>
3 : a plausible or scientifically acceptable general principle or
body of principles offered to explain phenomena <the wave
theory of light>
4 a : a belief, policy, or procedure proposed or followed as the
basis of action <her method is based on the theory that all
children want to learn> b: an ideal or hypothetical set of
facts, principles, or circumstances - often used in the phrase in
theory<in theory, we have always advocated freedom for all>
5 a : a hypothesis assumed for the sake of argument or
investigation b : an unproved assumption : conjecture c : a
body of theorems presenting a concise systematic view of a
subject <theory of equations>
synonyms see hypothesis
What is Science? What is knowledge?
How do we know anything?
Science is a system for knowledge
acquisition conducted by hypothesis
making and testing and reproducible
observations… See the world!
Evidence based knowledge
Beliefs
Truth
Fact
Knowledge
Theory
The role of Creativity in
Science
Innovation
Do you believe in things
you can’t see?
Atoms
• Elemental units of
which everything is
made
• Atomic Diameters:
one to a few hundred
millionths of an inch
The Periodic Table of Elements
Is the Same Throughout the Universe
Is water required for life?
Is a carbon chemistry
required for life?
How Did Life
on Earth Begin?
How does
life work?
What is Science? What is knowledge?
How do we know anything?
Science is a system for knowledge
acquisition conducted by hypothesis
making and testing and reproducible
observations… See the world!
Evidence based knowledge
Beliefs
Truth
Fact
Knowledge
Theory
We need to look at the mechanics of life
Issues in Biotechnology:
The Way We Work With Life
Dr. Albert P. Kausch
life edu.us
The Mechanics of DNA
Lecture 2
Setting the Stage: What is Science?
© life_edu
For those who are interested in taking this
course for college credit through the
University of Rhode Island;
For more information please contact:
Issuesinbiotechnology190@gmail.com
Credits
Lectures by:
Edited by:
Video Produced by:
Dr. Albert Kausch
Dr. Albert Kausch
and Kimberly Nelson
Thaddeus Weaver
Thank You to The University of Rhode Island
and all of the students of Issues in
Biotechnology over the years