BIOS E-1a: Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology

Fall 2015
This introductory series focuses on the principles of cellular (BIOS E-1a) and organismal (BIOS
E-1b) biology. BIOS E-1a topics include molecular basis of life, energy and metabolism, and
genetics. BIOS E-1b builds on the foundation established in BIOS E-1a and covers origin and
diversity of life, anatomy and physiology with emphasis on evolution of organisms, and
population biology. Laboratory sections scheduled throughout the semester allow students to
reinforce concepts covered in lecture. The series fulfills current medical school requirements.
INSTRUCTORS:

Steven Denkin, Ph. D.

steven_denkin@harvard.edu
Casey Roehrig, Ph. D.
croehrig@g.harvard.edu
Jessica Hall, Ph. D.
jhall@fas.harvard.edu

WEBSITE:

https://canvas.harvard.edu/courses/4247

LECTURE: Monday and Wednesday, 7:40-9:40 pm, Science Center Hall B

LAB:

Monday, 6:40-9:40 pm or Wednesday, 7:40-10:40 pm

SECTION:

Wednesday, 6:00-7:00 pm or Saturday, 1:30-2:30 pm

Additional time(s) may be announced during first week of class.
Location and details will be available on the website.

ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTIONS:
If you have any administrative questions or any general questions or concerns about the course,
contact us at the course email address, bios.e1ab@gmail.com
PREREQUISITES:
High school mathematics, chemistry, and biology; although CHEM E-1a and E-1b, or their
equivalents, are not required, they are strongly recommended.
TEXTBOOK:

Life: The Science of Biology, 10th edition., by Sadava, Hillis, Heller, and
Berenbaum.
ISBN-13: 9781429298643

Textbooks are sold at the Harvard COOP. You may rent or purchase the textbook as new or
used. Or, if you prefer, the e-book: http://www.coursesmart.com/9781429298643.

INSTRUCTOR OFFICE HOURS:

Office hours for each instructor will be held on Mondays prior to lecture from 6:00-7:00 pm in
Science Center 412. Office hours will not be held on the following Mondays: Sept. 7, Oct. 12,
Nov. 23, and Dec. 21.
LABORATORY:
The laboratory experiments that you complete throughout the semester are designed to provide
hands-on experience working with different types of equipment, the opportunity to further
explore some of the topics that we will discuss during the lectures, and additional practice
performing data analysis. Attendance in lab is required, and in conjunction with your lab
assignments and quizzes, will comprise 25% of your grade.
You are expected to come to each lab prepared for the experiments to be performed that day.
Proper preparation includes:
Bring a pair of lab safety glasses or goggles (available from the COOP; if you wear
eyeglasses, make sure you purchase a pair that fits over them)
Wear clothing covering at least to your knees and closed-toe and heel shoes
Read through the lab that you will be performing that day (posted on the Laboratory
page of the course website)
Four of the labs (Enzymes, Photosynthesis, PCR, and Lactose Operon) have post-lab
assignments that must be completed and submitted after you leave the lab. You should prepare
your write-up using a word processing program and save it as a PDF to upload to your TFs
dropbox on the Laboratory page of the course website. Make sure that your name and your
TFs name appear on the first page of your assignment, and review the spelling, grammar, and
formatting before you submit your file to make sure text, figures, tables, etc. are all complete.
The dates for lab exercises are listed in the schedule.
Sectioning:
Lab sections take place on Monday and Wednesday of the designated weeks (see schedule). You
will need to submit your lab section preferences during the first week of class using the online
survey posted to the course website; lab section is mandatory and is not to be confused with the
optional problem-solving sections. Even though section preferences will be considered they are
not guaranteed.
Conflicts:
There are no make-up laboratory sessions outside the week lab is offered. If you have a conflict
with one of the labs, contact your lab section TF and the course at bios.e1ab@gmail.com as
early as possible (minimum of 48 hour notice unless there is an emergency or illness) to arrange
to attend one of the other laboratory sections during that same week. If you are unable to arrange
a make-up, you may be able to obtain data from a classmate and submit a write-up for one lab,
but you will only be granted credit for the assignment if you can submit supporting official
documentation confirming that you were unable to attend or reschedule lab due to circumstances
beyond your control. If you miss a lab and do not contact your lab section TF and the course, you
will receive a zero for that lab.

Lab manual:
Laboratory protocols will be available to download from the course website prior to lab. You are
responsible for reading the Laboratory Safety document, the lab protocols, and relevant
appendices before coming to lab.
Grading:
The laboratory grade consists of attendance in laboratory sessions, good laboratory practice, and
laboratory reports, assignments, and quizzes. The lab practical is a timed, cumulative test
covering all of the lab experiments that you perform during the semester. The format is different
from that of a standard written exam. Questions will be set up as stations, with exhibits requiring
you to use information, skills, and reasoning learned in each lab.
The lab grade distribution is as follows:
Lab
Safety Quiz
Enzymes
Mitosis
Lac Operon
PCR
Photosynthesis
Lab Practical

Points
10
50
50
50
50
50
140

Total earned out of 400 points for laboratory assignments will count toward 25% of final grade.
DISCUSSION SECTIONS:
Optional problem-solving sections meet during weeks in schedule below and will be held by
lecture TFs. In addition to problem sets, section is an opportunity to ask questions and review
material from lecture. All sections will cover the same material and are held on Wednesday from
6:00-7:00 pm and Saturday from 1:30-2:30 pm. Locations will be announced prior to the first
discussion section. Additional section time(s) may be announced during the first week of class.
Students will sign up during the first week of class.
Date
Sept. 9, 12
Sept. 23, 26
Sept. 30, Oct. 3
Oct. 21, 24
Nov. 4, 7
Nov. 11, 14
Dec. 2, 5
Dec. 9, 12

Section
Practice Problems 1
Practice Problems 2
Practice Problems 3/Exam 1 review
Practice Problems 4
Practice Problems 5
Practice Problems 6/Exam 2 review
Practice Problems 7
Practice Problems 8

EXAMINATIONS:
Exams will consist of questions from material covered in lecture and assigned readings from the
textbook. Learning goals and objectives presented at the start of each lecture will serve as a study
guide for each exam. Students with official documentation of medical or emergency conflicts
will be considered for excuse from one exam; however, there are no make-up exams. The
cumulative final exam will consist of material from unit three (75%) and material from units one
and two (25%).
GRADING:
There are two options for calculation of the final grade. If all exams are completed, both options
are calculated and the highest is selected as the final grade. As described above, in the event the
instructor excuses absence from one midterm exam, option B will be utilized to calculate the
final grade. The one midterm score will count for 30% of final grade. Unexcused absences from
an exam will result in utilization of option A, with a grade of zero on the missed exam, for
calculation of final grade. Therefore, students who miss an exam, regardless of excuse, will
forfeit the choice of options. Students are strongly encouraged to attend and complete all exams
on the scheduled dates.
Component
Midterm
Exams
Final Exam
Laboratory

Option A
45%
(22.5% each)
30%
25%

Option B
30%
(15% each)
45%
25%

Component grades (midterm exams, final exam, and lab) will not be curved. We promote a
collaborative, instead of a competitive, learning environment. Grades will be calculated based on
the options above, and the higher of the two (if no exams are missed) will be used to determine
course letter grade according to the following:
*Tentative Range
90-100
75-89
60-74
50-59
49-0

Letter Grade
A or A minus
B minus, B, or B plus
C minus, C, or C plus
D minus, D, or D plus
E

*The instructors will determine the exact range for each letter grade variation at the end of
semester when the mean final grade has been calculated.
PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING:
Even though you will be working with a lab partner or group on many experiments, any written
work that you submit for a grade must be your own. You may discuss your work with others, but
make sure to write everything in your own words. You may not copy or use information from
textbooks, journals, or the lab protocols without proper citations (see Appendix B in lab manual,
How to present results, for instructions on how to cite sources). Before you submit your first
lab, you should review the Extension Schools policies on academic integrity and plagiarism.
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You are responsible for understanding Harvard Extension School policies on academic integrity
(www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/student-conduct/academic-integrity) and how to
use sources responsibly. Not knowing the rules, misunderstanding the rules, running out of time,
submitting "the wrong draft", or being overwhelmed with multiple demands are not acceptable
excuses. There are no excuses for failure to uphold academic integrity. To support your learning
about academic citation rules, please visit the Harvard Extension School Tips to Avoid
Plagiarism (www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/resources/tips-avoid-plagiarism),
where you'll find links to the Harvard Guide to Using Sources and two, free, online 15-minute
tutorials to test your knowledge of academic citation policy. The tutorials are anonymous openlearning tools.
The midterm exams and final exam must be taken individually, and you will not be allowed to
refer to any books or notes during these exams. Calculators will not be necessary for solving
exam questions answers may be left in their unreduced form if the calculations are too complex
to do by hand. Knowledge of basic arithmetic (adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and
fractions) is assumed.
Anyone caught plagiarizing or cheating on a lab, quiz, or exam may be subject to a grade penalty
and/or sent before the Administration Board for additional sanctions.
DISABILITY SERVICES:
The Extension School is committed to providing an accessible academic community. The
Disability Services Office offers a variety of accommodations and services to students with
documented disabilities. Please visit www.extension.harvard.edu/resourcespolicies/resources/disability-services-accessibility for more information.
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION:
Any time you ask a professor, employer, or other reference for a letter of recommendation, you
should consider whether or not that individual is in a position to write a strong letter in support of
your application. If you receive a grade of less than A minus in BIOS E-1a, it will be difficult to
provide an excellent letter on your behalf, and a request for such a letter may not be granted
unless there are extenuating circumstances or strong support from your teaching fellow. Requests
for letters must be made at least one month in advance and must be accompanied by all
necessary waivers, stamped envelopes, and a current copy of your resume/CV and any other
pertinent information.

LECTURE AND LAB SCHEDULE

Date
Lect.
Topic(s)
Prof.
Readings
Aug. 31
1-1 Intro.; Small Molecules and Chemistry Basics
SD 1.1-1.3, 2.1-2.4
Sept. 2
1-2 Molecules of Life: Proteins, Enzymes
SD 3.1-3.2, 8.3-8.5
Sept. 7
--- No class Labor Day
--Sept. 9
1-3 Mol. of Life: Carbs, Lipids, Membranes
SD 3.3-3.4, 6.1-6.5
Sept. 14,16
--- Lab Enzymes
--Sept. 21
1-4 Cells: The Working Units of Life
SD 5.1-5.3
Sept. 23
1-5 Energy, Enzymes, and Metabolism
SD 8.1-8.2, 9.1-9.4
Sept. 28
1-6 Photosynthesis
SD 10.1-10.5
Sept. 30
2-1 Nucleic Acids, DNA Replication
JH 4.1, 13.2-13.3
Oct. 5,7
--- Lab Photosynthesis, PCR I
--Oct. 12
--- No class Columbus Day
--Oct. 14
--- Exam One Unit One (Lect. 1-1 to 1-6)
--Oct. 19
2-2 Mitosis and Meiosis
JH 11.1-11.5
Oct. 21
2-3 From DNA to Protein: Gene Expression
SD 14.1-14.6
Oct. 26,28
--- Lab Mitosis & Meiosis, PCR II
--Nov. 2
2-4 Regulation of Gene Expression
SD 16.1-16.2, 16.4-16.5
Nov. 4
2-5 Mutation and Molecular Medicine, PCR
SD 13.4-13.5, 15.1-15.5
Nov. 9
3-1 Mendelian Genetics
CR 12.1
Nov. 11
3-2 Extending Mendels Rules
CR 12.2-12.5
Nov. 16,18
--- Lab Lactose Operon
--Nov. 23
--- Exam Two Unit Two (Lect. 2-1 to 2-5)
--Nov. 25
--- No class Thanksgiving break
--Nov. 30
3-3 Cell Signaling
CR 7.1-7.5
Dec. 2
3-4 Cell Cycle and Biology of Cancer
CR 11.2-11.3, 11.6-11.7
Dec. 7
3-5 Bioengineering
CR 18.1-18.6
Dec. 9
--- Lab Review (all sections)
--Dec. 14
--- Lab Practical (all sections)
--Dec. 16
--- Final Review
--Dec. 21
--- Final Exam (cumulative)
--*Please note: In the event of a schedule or policy change, a revised syllabus will be uploaded to
the course website.

Syllabus version 1.0

Last revised July 10, 2015
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