Biol20N02 2016

Analysis of Biological Data (BIOL 20N02, Spring 2015) Instructor: Dr Weigang Qiu, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences Room: 1001B HN (North Building, 10th Floor, Mac Computer Lab) Hours: Tuesdays 10-1 Office Hours: Belfer Research Building (Google Map) BB-402; Wed 5-7 pm or by appointment Course Website: http://diverge.hunter.cuny.edu/labwiki/Biol20N2_2016

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Course Description

Molecular evolution is the study of the change of DNA and protein sequences through time. Theories and techniques of molecular evolution are widely used in species classification, biodiversity studies, comparative genomics, and molecular epidemiology. Contents of the course include:

• Population genetics, which is a theoretical framework for understanding mechanisms of sequence evolution through mutation, recombination, gene duplication, genetic drift, and natural selection.
• Molecular systematics, which introduces statistical models of sequence evolution and methods for reconstructing species phylogeny.
• Bioinformatics, which provides hands-on training on data acquisition and the use of software tools for phylogenetic analyses.

This 3-credit course is designed for upper-level biology-major undergraduates. Hunter pre-requisites are BIOL203, and MATH150 or STAT113.

Please note that starting from fall 2015, completing this course no longer counts towards research credits for biology majors.