Sciences

This class will explore the structure of the nucleus, patterns of inheritance (traditional genetics), the molecular mechanisms of biological information management (molecular biology), and the technologies that are used to obtain and use the information contained within genomes (genomic science). The course will trace classical genetics, chromosome maps, the structure of DNA, gene expression and regulation, and the tools of molecular biology and genomic analysis.

In this offering, the student will be exposed to reductionism in the field of biology. Biochemistry overlaps and articulates with many fields of endeavor. The discipline embraces physiology, pharmacology, enzymatics, nutrition, immunology, structural biology, biotechnology, and molecular biology all at the same time. The course curriculum will focus upon the role of enzymes in guiding metabolic processes and pathways. The student will come to understand the details of biological functioning at these three levels of organization: Metabolism, metabolic pathways, enzymatic mechanisms and kinetics.

This course presents the basic concepts of earth science that include a broad and nonquantitative survey at the introductory level of topics in geology, oceanography, meteorology and astronomy. In geology, the topics emphasized are plate tectonics, volcanic activity, mountain building, minerals and rocks, earthquakes, geologic time and earth history. In meteorology, the specific areas include weather elements, weather patterns and storms. The astronomy unit reviews constellations, the moon, the solar system and beyond. Laboratory activities are included to demonstrate concepts. Within each unit human use and manipulation of physical resources is examined from both a scientific and economic perspective.

This course presents the fundamentals of horticulture including topics such as environmental factors affecting plants, methods of growing plants, pruning, grafting, harvesting and storing, pests and horticulture plants and their control, horticulture for home grounds, and the vegetable garden. Laboratory activities enable students to practice experimental design and planting techniques used in horticulture.

This course comprises the second semester of a one-year introduction to the chemistry of carbon-containing compounds. It provides fundamentals of modern organic chemistry with an emphasis on stereochemistry, modern instrumental methods in identification of organic compounds, energetics, reaction mechanisms, and selected applications in biochemistry. Critical analysis of structure-properties' relationships in organic chemistry, and their applications, as well as more advanced know-how (FT-NMR or FT-IR, and UV/Vis spectroscopies) and laboratory skills (applications of semi-empirical molecular computations, and multistep synthetic procedures) are major objectives of this course.

This course provides an introduction to the methods describing complex physiochemical systems and their responses to external chemical and/or physical stresses. Classical and modern theories of equilibrium and non-equilibrium thermodynamics, kinetic theory of transport phenomena, as well as quantum and statistical mechanics are introduced and applied to molecular systems and spectroscopy. Biological and biochemical problems are shown how to be formulated and solved by using principles of physical chemistry.

This course explores the application of learning and performance of motor skills. Topics include the scientific study of motor skills and abilities, motor control, attention and memory, motor skill learning, instruction and augmented feedback, and practice conditions.

The course serves as the continuation of the capstone course in the Biology major and is necessarily preceded by SC 481. Students who wish to continue with their laboratory or field research may elect to take this course. The emphasis during this semester will be on increasing sample size or elaborating on the research that was started in SC 481. Students will be required to share their final results with the Husson University community and at a regional or national scientific meeting. Students will be encouraged to publish their work in the peer-reviewed literature.

This course serves as the capstone course in the Environmental Science Program. With guidance from course instructors, students conduct individual, self-directed research in their field of interest within the discipline of Environmental Science. During this course, students collect, analyze, and interpret data to complete a final written thesis. Students disseminate the results of their research with classmates and the Husson community in the form of a written and oral presentation. Exceptional students are encouraged to present their research at a local, state or national conference.

This course is intended to provide the opportunity to offer advanced courses in science that would not normally be a part of the Husson curriculum. As such the topics will depend upon the interests of students and faculty.