Bionews

New students - Welcome to the University of Minnesota! In an effort to introduce you to the amazing cultural opportunities on campus, University Theater and Dance and University Opera Theater are offering every new student (freshmen and transfer students) two free tickets to use on any production in the U's 2009-10 series. Take advantage of this great opportunity to see comedies, opera, dance and drama in your own backyard. It's their gift to you as you join the University community this fall.

Ticket vouchers are available the Biology Program Office, on the main level of the Molecular and Cellular Biology Building, Washington Ave, Mpls, and in the CBS Student Services Office, 229 Snyder Hall on the St. Paul campus. Vouchers may be redeemed for free tickets at the Northrop Auditorium ticket office or the Rarig Center's Box Office.

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George Maldonado, PhD: Spring 2010, Th 12:20-2:15

This course is for (1) anyone who wants to make good, well-informed decisions about their health and well-being, and (2) anyone who wants to write health news reports that will enable people to make good, well-informed health decisions.

Every day we get reports about the latest health research on television news, in newspapers, in magazines, in books. We are bombarded by television commercials that keep us up to date on the latest drugs, their uses and their side effects. Infomercials extoll the virtues of medical devices and medical treatments. We are always told to, "ask your doctor". And, of course, there is the Internet--"Dr. Google" is where patients now routinely get their second (or even first) opinions.

So what does this course add to the deluge of health information we have at our disposal? This course will help you to make sense of the health news that surrounds us daily. How so?

Nonscientists often do not realize that there is no such thing as a perfect health study. A health study can be poorly designed. And even in a perfectly designed health study things will go wrong in the process of conducting the study. Therefore, to make sense of health study results, one must understand how imperfections can creep into a study, and one must understand how to interpret the results of a study in light of those imperfections. The purpose of this course is to do both of these: explain how imperfections can occur in a study, and explain how to interpret study results in light of those imperfections (especially when the study investigators, themselves, ignore the imperfections in their study -- which occurs with surprising frequency). All of this will be done in the context of recent news reports that are of interest to college students. This is a self-contained, one semester course. It is taught by scientists who contribute to the health-research literature and who are experts in the design, analysis and interpretation of health research. This course is targeted to students who do not expect to obtain graduate degrees in the health sciences.

For more information, contact Dr. Maldonado (GMPhD@umn.edu, 612-626-2104).

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Neuroscience 1001- Fundamental Neuroscience: Understanding Ourselves

The course will cover a broad array of neuroscience topics that are not covered in other classes. The course is unique in its approach as themes are approached through case studies, providing tangible examples of how our nervous systems affect who we are. The course is for 3 credits and will be from 1:30-2:45 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

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Help convince Governor Pawlenty to include new buildings for Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories in his 2010 budget by telling him what Itasca means to you. Write a letter in support of Itasca. Eat some pizza. It's a win win!

St. Paul
BioSci Student Lounge @ 11:30 a.m.
Thursday, November 12 and Monday, November 16

Minneapolis
BioCommons (2-585 Moos Tower) @ 11:30 a.m.
Wednesday, November 11 and Wednesday, November 18


Can't make it for pizza?
Stop by the Dean's Office in 123 Snyder Hall any time before
November 20, 2009 for some hot chocolate and write your letter.
Or, stop by your department's main office and ask to write your letter there.

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CBS Students!

Interested in pursuing a research experience at the University of Minnesota but don't know where to start? Want to know where you can earn NOL points, win cool raffles (iPod Nano, Kaplan Prep Course, etc..), and eat free food, while learning all about research?

Come to the annual "GOT RESEARCH?" event, hosted by the CBS Student Board!

Date: Thursday November 12th
Time: 5-7:30 PM
Location: Moos 2-650

This year's event features two speakers, Tim Mulcahy (VP of Research) and Dr. Daniel Garry (Director of the Lillehei Heart Institute), and three short breakout sessions devoted to helping YOU get involved with research.

Breakout Sessions (Choose 2 to attend):
1. How to find and get involved with research! - Jane Phillips
2. Student panelists share their research experiences and advice!
3. Research opportunities and health careers! - Academic Health Center

This year's "Got Research?" will conclude with free food (Erbs and Gerbs) and a mini-fair featuring representatives from UROP, the Lillehei Summer Scholars Program, the Biological Science Research Club, and more!

Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity and be sure to mark your calendars for the following upcoming CBS Student Board events!!

**Coffee w/the Board (get advice from student board members on
registration/classes while enjoying coffee and hot chocolate) 11/16, 11/18, 11/20

***CBS Finals Freeze - Skating and a Movie at Mariucci Arena, Saturday
12/12 (skates will be available to rent for $2, but feel free to bring your
own!)

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Friday, November 13, 2009
3:30-5:00 pm
MCB 2-122
420 Washington Ave SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

* Come see former projects

* Get toasty with FREE hot cider, cookies, other food

* Stop by to discover how to get involved in Research

* Meet new people

Hope to see you there--Everyone is Welcome!

Sponsored by the Biology Colloquium Program College of Biological Sciences

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SASS Workshops Fall 2009: Mid-Semester Support for Students

As with recent semesters the Student Academic Success Services (SASS) office is offering three End-of-Semester workshops for students (see attached flyer). These workshops are excellent options for students who need some last minute fine tuning of time plans or test taking skills, or who may have fallen behind (and need to get back on track for a final push0. Please encourage students to consider these informative and practical 1 hour workshops.

Ace Your Finals

Location: 251 Appleby Hall
Date: Tuesday, November 17th
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 pm

Time Management Refresher

Location: 251 Appleby Hall
Date: Thursday, November 19th
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 pm

Staying on Track (... if your falling behind)

Location: 251 Appleby Hall
Date: Tuesday, November 17th
Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm


REGISTRATION*: call 612-624-3323

* Seating is limited and students will be enrolled on a first-come-first-served basis.

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Dear CBS students,

From Monday, October 26th until Friday, November 20th, CBS Student Services will have NEW HOURS for Drop-in Advising Services:

Monday through Thursday from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM (check-in by 3:50 PM)
in 229 Snyder Hall. There will be no drop-in advising on Friday afternoons.

Drop-in advising is available on a first-come, first-serve basis and limited to 10-15 minute sessions. Example drop-in topics include questions about your class schedule, APAS, campus referrals, and quick questions about academic requirements.

You are welcome to make an appointment with your advisor by calling 612-624-9717.

Graduation Planner is an interactive planning tool for University of Minnesota students on all campuses. You can use Graduation Planner to explore the requirements for majors and minors and make a plan that will help you stay on track for graduation. Your adviser will be able to review and comment on the plans you create. You can create your plan at: http://plan.umn.edu

As always, the CBS website is also a great resource for information as well:

http://www.cbs.umn.edu/studentservices/

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Phcl 3100: Pharmacology for Pre-Med & Biological Science Students
Spring Semester 2010
Course Director: Li-Na Wei, Email: weixx009@umn.edu
Associate Course Director: Hiroshi Hiasa, Email: hiasa001@umn.edu
Lecture: 01:25 PM - 02:15 PM & 02:30 PM - 03:20 PM, Wednesdays
Location: 2-137 Jackson Hall
2 Credits; Pre-req: college level biology; A-F only

This introductory course in modern pharmacology is suitable for students interested in clinical medicine, biological science research, pharmaceutical industry and the development of modern therapeutic agents - or for those just wanting to know how drugs work. The emphasis will be on the big picture of "therapeutic drugs" in general, and the aim is to prepare students for future success in modern medicine, research, industry or matriculation in health science programs. The course will also briefly introduce concepts in modern drug design, such as gene and cell therapy and the application of pharmacogenomics. (Text: Pharmacology Condensed, Dale & Haylett, Churchill Livingstones, 2004)

Department of Pharmacology
University of Minnesota Medical School
6-120 Jackson Hall
321 Church Street S.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0217
Tel: 612-635-9997

• • • • • • • • • •
Hear what past students have to say about this course ...
• "I felt that it was a beneficial course to take as a pre-professional biology major."
•"It was a great introduction for future pharmacology courses."
• "Pleasure to take this class, it was very enjoyable."
• "This was a fun class, and I learned a lot."
For more information, visit: http://www.pharmacology.med.umn.edu/phcl3100.html

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Minnesota Mississippi Metagenomics project course, Biol 4950. This 3 credit course will provide you with the opportunity to contribute to research on the microbial populations in the Mississippi River. The basic format of this course will be to meet with the faculty member as a group once per week, but then work in the lab for the rest of the course's time commitment. There will be two concurrently running halves of the course, one in which students will work on microbial diversity questions by studying 16S rDNA sequences and the other in which students will work on questions of functions present in the aquatic microbes in the sample. Each student will decide which project to work on.

94625 -003 LEC , 09:35 A.M. - 10:25 A.M. , Tu (01/19/2010 - 05/07/2010) , STPAUL , Mississippi Metagenomics Projects Laboratory , A-F only , prereq: Biol 2004 or equivalent. 3 credits , Students will be doing research projects that will require an additional 6-8 hours of lab work per week; times to be arranged.

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