Splash Biography

Genetics is a field that is sometimes looked over in biology. However, there are many unique and exciting things that can be done by altering and changing genes. This course will give an overview on what different alterations can be done in different species' genomes to give rise to interesting and surprising phenotypes. We will explore cloning, mutation, and genetic engineering.

In high school, we are taught about DNA and how it's made of nucleotides and how it encodes for certain aspects of our being, but they miss the grand majority of what DNA actually is and what it does. In this course, we will analyze the interaction of DNA with the proteins that dictate almost everything DNA does, Histones. The material will be covered in such a way as to allow for even the youngest biologist to grasp the concepts and discover what is actually in the genome.

From the central dogma to chimeric mice and cancer, this course will be an introduction into the higher level thought that goes into college-level biology. While the topics being covered are upper-level, they will be taught in such a way as anyone with even a basic understanding of DNA and some cellular processes should be able to grasp and learn many new and amazing techniques and topics from the world of biology.

From the microarrays to VEGF halting, we will be analyzing and discovering new and upcoming ways to research and even cure diseases which have been thought of as being incurable.