Courses

Course: BIOL 495: Special Topics | Bacterial Virology: Bacteriophage and Host Interactions
Term: Winter 2025
Section: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Randi Guest

Viruses that infect bacteria, called bacteriophages, have a significant impact on the world around us. From shaping microbial ecosystems to contributing to biotechnology and combating antibiotic resistance, bacteriophages affect various aspects of our lives. This offering of BIOL 495 will explore the interaction between bacteriophage and their bacterial hosts, with a specific focus on bacteriophage life cycles and bacterial immunity. This is a literature-based course with an intensive reading component. Students will be required to read selected primary scientific literature prior to class and actively discuss this literature critically and in detail during class time. Students will be made aware of additional resources that provide important background information on each article. It is intended that students will use these additional resources to enhance their analysis of the assigned research articles and thereby improve class discussion.

Prerequisites: Minimum grade of B- in GENE 369 and in one additional 300- or 400- level course in the molecular/cellular stream.

Permission Required: Yes

Course: BIOL 495: Special Topics | Advanced Plant Ecology
Term: Winter 2025
Section: AS02
Instructor: Dr. Bao Tan Nguyen-Phuc

As key primary producers in terrestrial ecosystems, plants play a fundamental role in the ecology of these systems. In this offering of BIOL 495, we will examine a wide range of current topics in plant ecology, such as plant behaviour, global patterns of plant diversity, mechanisms of plant competition and facilitation, plant community assembly and plant resource management and conservation.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of B- in in BOTN 205 and in one of BIOL 312, BIOL 314, BIOL 316, BIOL 321 or BIOL 337.

Permission Required: Yes

Course: BIOL 410: Techniques in Field Ecology | Advanced Animal Behaviour: Communication and Cognition
Term: Spring/Summer 2025
Section: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Shannon M. Digweed

This field course will be in advanced animal behaviour with a specific focus on how animals use cognition and communication to solve problems in the areas of mating, foraging, and predator avoidance in a field research based course. We will survey behaviours found in animals and how they are tailored to a variety of social, cognitive and ecological challenges in local (Edmonton and area) field settings. The goal is for students to gain experience in modifying and creating behavioural methodologies, understand how to use associated field equipment, understand how to analyze behavioural data, and to acquire skills in both oral and visual communication of data.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in any two of BIOL 310, BIOL 312, BIOL 314, BIOL 316, BIOL 337, BIOL 365, BIOL 371, BOTN 405, or BIOL 422, and consent of the department.

Permission Required: Yes

Course: BIOL 421: Techniques in Molecular and Cellular Biology | Mutational Analysis of eGFP
Term: Fall 2025
Section: AS01
Instructors: Dr. Nina Bernstein, Dr. Randi Guest

The project offered in BIOL 421 in Fall 2025 will examine the relationship between protein structure and function, using the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) as a model. In this project, students will construct a plasmid that will allow the expression of a histidine-tagged form of eGFP from an inducible promoter in E. coli. Each student will then carry out site-directed mutagenesis on the eGFP sequence, creating a novel mutation that they have designed based on scientific literature describing the structure of eGFP. Finally, students will express, purify and characterize their mutated eGFP proteins to determine the effects of their mutations on protein function and will draw conclusions based on these results. Throughout this project, students will develop skills in a variety of techniques common to research in molecular biology, as well as examine the theoretical basis of these techniques. Students will also be introduced to the proper documentation of the research process through a formal laboratory notebook and will develop skills in scientific writing through the preparation of a research proposal and a full manuscript describing the outcome of their research. The technical and communication skills developed during this course will prepare students for work in a collaborative research environment in the field of molecular biology.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of B- in BIOL 205 and in any two of BICM 310, BICM 340, BIOL 300, BIOL 313, GENE 369 or GENE 370, one of which must have a lab, or consent of the department.

Permission Required: Yes. Interested students must complete a form to express interest (contact harcombek@macewan.ca for a link). Accepted students will enroll using permission numbers issued by the department Chair.

Course: BIOL 495: Special Tops in Biology | Food Microbiology
Term: Fall 2025
Section: AS01
Instructors: Dr. Ben Bourrie

Whether it be through food-borne diseases and spoilage or in the form of fermentation or biopreservation, microbes play an essential role in the food we eat every day. This offering of BIOL 495 will explore the world of microbiology through the lens of food. Topics may include food-associated pathogens, biopreservation, the development of starter cultures and the microbial ecology of fermented foods.

This is a literature-based course with an intensive reading component. Students will be required to read selected primary scientific literature prior to class and actively discuss this literature critically and in detail during class time. Students will be made aware of additional resources that provide important background information on each article. It is intended that students will use these additional resources to enhance their analysis of the assigned research articles and thereby improve class discussion.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of B- in GENE 369 and in one additional 300- or 400-level course in the molecular/cellular stream, or consent of the department.

Permission Required: Yes. Please email artsandscience@macewan.ca for a permission number.

Course: BIOL 495: Special Topics | Plant-Microorganism Interactions
Term: Winter 2026
Section: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Andrea Botero-Ramirez

Interactions between plants and microorganisms are essential to our terrestrial ecosystems. This course explores the dynamic relationships between plants and microorganisms in the rhizosphere, on aerial plant parts and inside the plant. We will focus on how plants perceive and respond to microorganisms' signals, both beneficial and harmful. Topics include plant-microorganism recognition, defense mechanisms and the crucial role of microorganisms in plant growth and protection. Join us to explore the fascinating ways microorganisms influence plant health and productivity.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of B- in BIOL 208 and in either BIOL 312 or in BOTN 205 plus one 300-level course from the ecology/diversity stream. Completion of BIOL 211 and/or BIOL 205 is recommended but not required. 

Permission Required: Yes. Please email artsandscience@macewan.ca for a permission number.