Proteins: Structure, Function and Engineering

26 MG 719
4 graduate credits

Course Director: Dr. Gary E. Dean

This is a graduate level course taught exclusively from the primary literature - there is a single textbook recommended for background reading, but none required. We emphasize scientific and methadological processes, using the related questions "How do we know what we think we know?" and "How might we test our hypotheses further?" to provide the underlying framework for the class. The material is presented by several faculty instructors with interests in various aspects of protein structure, function, and engineering and covers all aspects of these different fields. The dates of the class lectures and discussions, topics to be covered, research articles and reviews, scheduled exams and list of faculty lecturers, as well as other information related to the course are all posted online on Blackboard - the University's electronic educational platform. The format for exams has ranged from take-home examinations to web presentations and will be scheduled as indicated in the course outline/syllabus. Since we will primarily emphasize experimental design and scientific approach toward proof of theory rather than regurgitation of facts, the exams will require a thorough understanding of basic methodologies, the ability to interpret experimental results, and the design of experiments to test hypotheses or extend a given dataset.