How do developmental mechanisms change through evolution to generate variation in form and function? How do novel structures arise? How and why do similar traits evolve in similar environments, even in distantly related organisms? How do developmental processes shape evolution? The field of evo-devo integrates concepts and approaches from evolution and development to understand these fundamental questions from the molecular to the organismal scale. Empowered by advances in high-throughput sequencing and gene-editing technologies that can be applied to non-model organisms, evo-devo has led to an explosion in our understanding of how evolutionary change plays out in nature. In this course, students will explore major questions in evolution and development through the lens of the primary literature. The class will be largely guided by student-led paper discussions. Students will dive deeply into a topic of their choice, writing both a scientific review and an essay to convey the same topic to the public. In doing so, they will take part in a tradition of public-facing writing in evo-devo.
Multicellular organisms have complex body plans composed of many different cell types organized in specific, well-regulated patterns. How can biological processes generate such organisms from a single cell with a single genome? How does evolution play with these processes to produce variation in form and function across the tree of life? What tools do biologists use to interrogate these questions? In this course, we will delve into the processes that enable single cells to transform into a multicellular organism, including pattern formation, symmetry and symmetry breaking, growth and size control, and differentiation, working to uncover common themes across organisms and stages in development. Students will engage with primary literature and ultimately join the ongoing conversation in developmental biology by proposing a future research direction to investigate a question of interest. In the laboratory, students will design, execute, and interpret experiments to test questions in developmental biology, primarily working with a classic microbial eukaryotic model for development.
This course is an introduction to the mechanisms of inheritance and the generation of diversity in eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. This course takes a modern approach to the study of genetics in which classical ideas about genotype, phenotype and inheritance are integrated into the modern molecular and genomic understanding of the processes involved in the generation of diversity. In addition to discussions of the molecular mechanisms involved in DNA replication, recombination, the generation and repair of mutations, and the relationship between genotype and phenotype, special consideration is given to our understanding of the processes involved in generating population-level variation in complex traits and how this understanding can help us identify the myriad genetic and non-genetic factors influencing these traits. The laboratory consists of several projects focused on genetics of distinct model systems to address one or more topics in the course.