Introductory Biology for Engineers
Course Objective: To introduce students to modern biology with an emphasis on evolution of biology as a multi-disciplinary field, to make them aware of application of engineering principles in biology, and engineering robust solutions inspired by biological examples. A quantitative view of biological systems as “sum of interacting parts” rather than segregated individual parts will be developed.
Course Contents: Darwinian evolution & molecular perspective; Introduction to phylogeny - Classification systems in biology and relationships; Cellular assemblies – From single cell to multi-cellular organisms: Geometry, Structure and Energetics; Comparing natural vs. human-made machines; Infection, disease and evolution – synergy and antagonism; Immunology – A classic example of permutations and combinations in biology; Cancer biology – Control and regulation; Stem cells – Degeneracy in biological systems; Engineering designs inspired by biology – Micro- to Macro- scales.
Laboratory (Click
HERE for details): Biosafety; Buffers in biology - Measuring microlitres,
Preparation of standard biological buffers, buffering capacity and pKa of
buffers, biomolecules, whole cells and plant tissues in different buffering
conditions; Observing cell surface and intracellular contents using light and
fluorescence microscopy, real-time video microscopy of motile cells; Measuring
and visualizing intracellular molecular components - Proteins and Genomic
Evaluation:
Minor I: 15
Minor II: 15
Major: 30
Class Quizzes/Assignments: 15 (Best 5 quizzes out of all conducted, remaining quizzes will serve as random samplers of attendance)
Lab: 25 (Attendance is MANDATORY)
For open book examinations and assignments (if any) - Submissions with "cut and paste" will not been awarded any points. Students are strongly advised not to copy text from other sources in any of their submissions. It is called plagiarism and is equivalent to a criminal offence in academics.
Essential reading:
1) http://www.nature.com/scitable/ebooks/essentials-of-genetics-8
(download .pdf file)
2) http://www.nature.com/scitable/ebooks/essentials-of-cell-biology-14749010
(download .pdf file)
3) http://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/evolution-13228138
(download .pdf file)
Lecture slides from Prof. B. Jayaram (Semester I - 2016-2017; 2018-2019)
Reference texts:
1) Dill K. A. & Bromberg, S. Molecular Driving Forces: Statistical
Thermodynamics in Chemistry and Biology. Garland Science (Taylor & Francis
Group). 2003.
2) Rasmussen, S et al., eds. Protocells: Bridging Nonliving and Living Matter.
MIT Press,
3) On the definition of life (download .pdf file - A paper by Trifonov
in J. Biomol. Struct. Dyn. in 2011, followed by 20 "comment" articles
on it in 2012).
General reading:
1) Dawkins, R. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence For Evolution, Bantam
Press, Transworld Publishers, Random House Group,
2) Dawkins, R. The Blind Watchmaker, W. W. Norton & Co., NY, 1996.
3) Some
classic papers on evolution. (link external from IITD)
4) Watson, J. D. The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA (Copyright © 1968, 1996 by James D. Watson), Simon & Schuster Inc., first Touchstone Edition (2001).
Some reference material prepared by my colleagues in the past:
Lecture slides from Prof. James Gomes (Semester I, 2011-2012)