BIOL 305 Population Genomics with Lab

Genetic diversity is what enables a population to respond to change. In a practical sense, human health, control of infectious disease, conservation and the maintenance of our world food supply are all impacted by genomic variation. Over the past two decades, as climate change and global pandemics rise to challenge our genetic strength, technology has provided tools to explore our genomes in ways previously unimagined. In Population Genomics we will bridge modern tools with classical theory to explore our DNA not just as a sequence of bases, but as an everchanging 3-dimensional puzzle to find solutions for the medical and environmental challenges we face. In the lab section we will learn the tools of genetical analysis and conduct experiments based on whole-genome approaches.