Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Instructors:
Allison Lau, Ph.D.
Email: anlau@mit.edu
Course Description
Ever wonder how a wound heals? Are you curious about cancer and stem cells? This course
will help you unravel some of these concepts by cultivating an understanding of the molecular
mechanisms that govern basic cellular processes like cell movement, proliferation and signal
transduction. To cultivate your familiarity of the science behind what we know, we will discuss
specific experimental techniques utilized to study cell biology in several model systems
including yeast, frogs, fish, mice, and mammalian cells in culture.
The lectures are designed to be interactive. In addition to instructor presentations, we will often
break into small groups to discuss problems and analyze data. Additionally, students will give
feedback each week on the successes and failures of each lecture in order to continually
improve the course.
This course will work on your skills in scientific writing. We will discuss how to read and interpret
primary research articles, and how to construct precise and concise scientific writing. The
Harvard Extension School has specific guidelines for writing intensive courses to which we will
adhere.
Required Text
Lodish et al., Molecular Cell Biology 7th edition, 2012, Hardcover or eBook (available through
Bedforth, Freeman, and Worth online)
*Chapters 1-5 cover background material that students are expected to be familiar with before
taking this course. You will not be directly tested on this material, but these chapters contain
central concepts important for cell biology such as the theories on the origin of multicelluarity
and the central dogma.
Website
All pertinent information for this course will be posted on the course website throughout the
semester. Students should check the site often for updates to assignments. For example,
undergraduate problem sets and graduate reading assignments will be posted here.
Sections
Section attendance is mandatory. Separate sections will be held for undergraduate and
graduate students, but both will meet immediately following lecture each week. Teaching
assistants will moderate sections, but students are expected to participate and often lead the
discussions.
Undergraduate sections will explore the lecture material and discuss the necessary skills for
good scientific writing. Writing samples will be peer-reviewed during section meetings.
Graduate sections will focus on primary literature readings, critical analysis of reported data,
and generating ideas for future experiments. Graduate students will hone their skills for
presenting scientific data, as each article to be discussed in section will first be presented to the
section by one of its members.
Writing Assignments
Two writing assignments will be given through the semester. Guidance and criticism will be
offered before and after grading.
For undergraduates, the writing assignments are designed to enhance your comprehension of
primary research articles, and teach you how to critically evaluate experimental data.
For graduate students, the writing assignments are meant to sharpen your critical thinking skills,
and also work on your abilities to research and synthesize ideas from multiple sources.
Exams
The Extension School is committed to providing an accessible academic community. The
Accessibility Office offers a variety of accommodations and services to students with
documented disabilities. Please visit www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-
policies/resources/disability-services-accessibility for more information.
You are responsible for understanding Harvard Extension School policies on academic integrity
(www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/student-conduct/academic-integrity) and how to
use sources responsibly. Not knowing the rules, misunderstanding the rules, running out of
time, submitting the wrong draft, or being overwhelmed with multiple demands are not
acceptable excuses. There are no excuses for failure to uphold academic integrity. To support
your learning about academic citation rules, please visit the Harvard Extension School Tips to
Avoid Plagiarism (www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/resources/tips-avoid-
plagiarism), where you'll find links to the Harvard Guide to Using Sources and two free online
15-minute tutorials to test your knowledge of academic citation policy. The tutorials are
anonymous open-learning tools.