UPCOMING COURSES AT UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE TAUGHT BY SUSANNA REMOLD

Spring 2011, Fall 2011

Biol. 409. Evolutionary Biology. This course focuses on the processes of evolution and the patterns they generate, with the aim of developing a scientific way of thinking about the processes that bring about biological diversity. Topics covered include the theory of evolution by natural selection, concepts of fitness and adaptation, the four forces of microevolution, elementary population genetics, molecular evolution, principles of systematic biology, modes of speciation, macroevolutionary trends, and patterns of extinctions. Through this broad survey of the discipline students will learn why Theodosius Dobzhansky said that “Nothing in biology makes sense, except in the light of evolution”.2009

Spring 2012

Biol. 571/671 Selected Topics: Research Design and Analysis. This course is designed for advanced undergraduate students and graduate students who have taken a Statistics or Biometry course. Students will gain exposure to the process of moving from a biological question, through experimental design and analysis and presentation options. Discussions of experimental design will focus on tradeoffs arising among statistical power, ease of data collection and simplicity of presentation. Exercises in statistical analysis will focus on students' abilities to identify appropriate vs. inappropriate analysis routes, choosing among multiple acceptable models, and presentation of analyses for publication.

OTHER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE COURSES TAUGHT BY SUSANNA REMOLD

Biol. 391 Special Topics in Biology: Microbes and Core Concepts in Ecology and Evolution. This course is geared toward two groups of students: those concentrating in other areas of biology that want exposure to these core concepts, and ecology and evolution students that want exposure to microbial systems. Using microbial examples and readings from the primary literature, we will explore topics such as population structure, basic evolutionary processes, genetic recombination and its evolutionary consequences, and ecological interactions such as competition and predation.

Biol. 688. Evolution of Disease Seminar. Graduate seminar course focusing on processes involved in health and disease from an evolutionary perspective. Part of the Program on Disease Evolution curriculum.

Biol. 389 Undergraduate Seminar Enrolled students attend all department seminars and summarize seven of these to receive credit for this course. Seminars cover many areas of Biology, giving students the opportunity to gain exposure to advanced topics in a number of the subdisciplines (for example, Ecology, Conservation Biology, Developmental Biology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Microbiology, and the Evolution of Disease).

COURSES TAUGHT AT OTHER INSTITUTIONS

Scientific Writing for Graduate Students (Michigan State University) In this writing workshop students assist each one another in writing and revising proposals and manuscripts critical to their professional development through written comments and discussion.

Genetics Seminar: Epistasis and Evolution A graduate seminar course focusing on the role of epistasis in evolution and the formation of complex traits, through primary literature and chapters from Epistasis and the Evolutionary Process (eds Wolf, Brodie &Wade, 2000, Oxford University Press).

Evolution (Cornell University)I taught an independent "Writing in the Majors" sub-course, funded by the John S. Knight Foundation. The reading and writing assignments complemented the lecture course, providing students with experience reading and interpreting primary literature, and enhancing students' ability to write about biology, for biologists. An example of a short writing assignment I wrote for this course can be found at Resources for Scientists Teaching Science ("Writing on Fundamentals" under Writing Assignment Examples).