Results for COMPMED

Emphasis is on how animal welfare sciences provide an evidence-based approach to optimize and balance each of these demands so that "good welfare is good business." Topics include how to apply principles of animal behavior to design environmental enrichments beneficial to both animals and complex mission of the zoo; assessing exhibits from the point of view of animal behavior and well-being, educational opportunities and guest experience; developing an enrichment plan; designing and building enrichments for animals; interacting with the public as docents; assessing overall effectiveness of new enrichment. Class includes experience at San Francisco Zoo.

Preference to freshman. Behavior is what makes animals special (thirsty plants don't walk to water), but why do animals behave the way they do? What does their behavior tell us about their inner lives, and about ourselves? What do lipstick and cuckoos and fireflies have in common? Why would nobody want to be a penguin? What do mice say to each other in their pee-mail? Learning how to think about questions like these gives us a unique perspective on the natural world. Format: Discussion and criticism of video examples, documentaries, and research papers. Topics: History and approaches to animal behavior; development of behavior, from genetics to learning; mechanisms of behavior, from neurons to motivation; function of behavior, from honest signals to selfish genes; the phylogeny of behavior, from domestication to speciation; and modern applications of behavior, from abnormal behavior, to conservation, to animal welfare, and animal consciousness.

Preference to sophomores; freshman admitted if room available. Behavior is what makes animals special (thirsty plants don't walk to water), but why do animals behave the way they do? What does their behavior tell us about their inner lives, and about ourselves? What do lipstick and cuckoos and fireflies have in common? Why would nobody want to be a penguin? What do mice say to each other in their pee-mail? Learning how to think about questions like these gives us a unique perspective on the natural world. Format: Discussion and criticism of video examples, documentaries, and research papers. Topics: History and approaches to animal behavior; development of behavior, from genetics to learning; mechanisms of behavior, from neurons to motivation; function of behavior, from honest signals to selfish genes; the phylogeny of behavior, from domestication to speciation; and modern applications of behavior, from abnormal behavior, to conservation, to animal welfare, and animal consciousness.

Preference to freshmen. Emphasis is on a comparative approach to anatomy and physiology of a wide range of mammals, the unique adaptations of each species in terms of its anatomical, and behavioral characteristics, and how these species interact with human beings and other animals. Dissection required. Class size is limited to 16.

Preference to freshmen. The most common equine diseases, ranging from colic to lameness are reviewed using problem-oriented approach. Topics include: equine infectious diseases, care of the newborn foal, medical emergencies, and neurological disorders. A lab on the physical and neurological examination of the horse at the Red Barn.

Preference to sophomores. Infectious diseases impacting veterinary and human health around the world today. Mechanisms of disease, epidemiology, and underlying diagnostic, treatment and control principles associated with these pathogens.

Preference to freshmen. How and why animals are used in biomedical science. Addresses human and animal disease entities and how animal research has contributed to the treatment and cure of disease. Significantnnportions of this course are devoted to documenting the humane care and treatment of laboratory animals in research, including, but not limited to such topics as laws and ethics, animal behavior, animal modeling, and the animal activist movement. Course topics will also include: What advances have been made as a result of the use of animals in research? Who conducts animal research? Predominant animal species used in biomedical research, facts and myths; the regulation of biomedical research; housing and care of laboratory animals; why new drugs must be tested; animal use in stem cell research, cancer research and genetically engineered mice; career choices in biomedical research.

Preference to sophomores. Focus is on the laboratory mouse, a widely used and important research model. Topics include the ethics of animal use in research; the natural history, origin and husbandry of the mouse; characteristics of key mouse strains; its anatomy and physiology; common diseases and their effects on research; coat color genetics relative to human diseases; immunodeficient mouse models; and genetic engineering of mice. The laboratory includes necropsy, handling, anesthesia, identification methods, and common research techniques using live and dead mice. Enrollment limited to 14 students.

Preference to sophomores. The essential and constant production of new blood cells by the bone marrow. Focus is on fundamentals of the three blood cell types along with white blood cell subtypes. Topics include the microscopic appearance of blood cells in mammalian and non-mammalian species, common morphologic abnormalities of blood cells, and shifts in blood cells that occur in several major diseases of humans and animals. Ideally suited for premed, prevet and Bio-X students, but no biology specialty background required.

Introduction to common laboratory, domestic, and exotic mammals. Investigation of the unique adaptations of species in terms of their morphological, anatomical, and behavioral characteristics. How these species interact with their own and other species, including humans; basic evolution and the impact of habitat destruction on wild animals; diversity of the mammalian orders, along with the fundamentals of comparative anatomy, physiology and basic dissection techniques. Lectures, dissection labs, student presentations, field trip to local zoo.

For students interested in a career in veterinary medicine. How to meet the academic and practical experience prerequisites for admission to veterinary school. Networking with other pre-vet students. Periodic group meetings with guest speakers presenting career options in veterinary medicine. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

Introduces engineering and physical science majors to the basic laboratory animal anatomy visualized and targeted with biomedical imaging. Topics include: various imaging modalities (PET, CT, Radiology, MRI, and other optical imaging) and associated depiction of normal organs and skeletal structures in pigs, dogs, rabbits and rodents. Course includes didactic lectures, discussion, imaging labs and gross cadaver examination.

May be taken as a prelude to research and may also involve participation in a lab or research group seminar and/or library research.

Investigations sponsored by individual faculty members. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (Staff)

Provides an opportunity for student and faculty interaction, as well as academic credit and financial support, to medical students who undertake original research. Enrollment is limited to students with approved projects.

Investigations sponsored by individual faculty members.Opportunities are available in comparative medicine and pathology, immuno-histochemistry, electron microscopy, molecular genetics, quantitative morphometry, neuroanatomy and neurophysiology of the hippocampus, pathogenesis of intestinal infections, immunopathology, biology of laboratory rodents, anesthesiology of laboratory animals, gene therapy of animal models of neurodegenerative diseases, and development and characterization of transgenic animal models. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

Functional organization and evolution of the vertebrate nervous system. Topics include paleoneurology, cladistic analysis, allometry, mosaic versus concerted evolution, and evolution of brain region structure, connectivity, and neurons. Comparisons between structure and function of vertebrate forebrains including hippocampi. Evolution of the primate visual and sensorimotor central nervous system as related to vocalization, socialization, and intelligence.

Looks at the functional organization and evolution of the primate brain, with comparative reference to other phyla and vertebrate species. Topics include cladistics analysis, allometry, the evolution of brain regions, lateralization, vision, senosorimotor pathways, and specializations that directly relate to socialization, vocalization and language acquisition. The class will also delve into the neural basis of intelligence, and look at the most recent genetic data on human migration out of Africa.

Functional organization and evolution of the vertebrate nervous system. Topics include paleoneurology, cladistic analysis, allometry, mosaic versus concerted evolution, and evolution of brain region structure, connectivity, and neurons. Comparisons between structure and function of vertebrate forebrains including hippocampi. Evolution of the primate visual and sensorimotor central nervous system as related to vocalization, socialization, and intelligence.

Focus is on synapses and circuits in the central nervous system. Objective is to demonstrate how the specific properties of different synapses play a role in the function of neuronal circuits. The main types of synapses are covered, including both ionotropic and metabotropic-receptor-dependent synapses and their related circuits in the CNS. Lectures and student presentations. If taken for 3 units qualifies as a Core Course satisfying requirements in Cellular, Molecular & Developmental Neuroscience in the Neurosciences Graduate Program. Students enrolling for 3 units write an NIH-style proposal on a selected synapse, proposing a study of its properties and related function and presenting the proposal to the class for critique and discussion.