This course is an introduction to the ethical issues associated with current and future use of biotechnology. Students will think critically about different ethical problems that emerge from scientific research and its applications to medical technology. The focus will be on personal and public policy decision making.

Students undertake an advanced exploration of bacteriophage biology through wet-lab and/or bioinformatic investigation of previously-discovered bacterial viruses. In the setting of bacteriophage genome study, students develop working fluency with coding of genetic information, annotation of genomes, publication and presentation of discoveries, and design of experiments to assess questions in viral structure and function.

Fundamental biological principles that underlie cell culture and its applications are the foundation of the lecture component of this course. Applications of cell culture techniques to current research areas in academic and biopharmaceutical settings will be discussed.

Introduction to human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and how they are utilized in biomedical applications. Lab topics such as aseptic techniques, pluripotent stem cell cultures, stem cell differentiation, and cellular analyses will be covered. Lectures will focus on the current literature while the lab portion involves inquiry-based projects that will investigate how pluripotent stem cells proliferate and differentiate. Special focus will be given to induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) cultures.