Results for MI

The course will cover the features which make Joshua Tree National Park unique including the fact that it is at the confluence of two deserts. We will also look at the park in the context of comparative desert biography, including prominent deserts on every continent. Some of the specific issues to be covered include: What is a desert? What is the importance of desert ecosystems? What is their prevalence? What is the geological history of the area? What is the human history of the area? What are some of the key organisms in the Joshua Tree ecosystems? How is Joshua Tree being impacted by climate change? by land development? by species invasion? What is the role of ecotourism in the future of Joshua Tree? And so on. We will spend part of the time at Stanford and part in Joshua Tree. Every day in the park will involve didactic presentations by local experts and by the course director, students presentations, and field trips. There will also be a small research component conducted under the auspices of the park's scientific research director.

Viruses are unique biological entities that resemble both living and inanimate objects. Despite their simple structure they include some of the most devastating and ubiquitous causes of human disease. From smallpox to measles to HIV to the common cold to SARS-CoV-2, viruses have literally changed the course of human history and impacted evolution. They have also been important experimental tools for probing the molecular nature of key biological processes, and they have been utilized in many key discoveries and Nobel Prize-winning research programs. In books, movies, newspapers, and electronic feeds, viruses continue to make the news on a daily basis. Using contemporary media, we will explore the essential nature of viruses, what makes them unique, how they are classified, how they cause disease, key molecular processes, breakthroughs in prevention and treatment, current efforts in trying to eradicate viruses, and cultural iconography pertaining to viruses. In short, this seminar is intended to go viral.

Utilizes the idiom of photography to learn about nature, enhance observation, and explore scientific concepts. Builds upon the pioneering photographic work of Eadweard J. Muybridge on human and animal locomotion. A secondary goal is to learn the grammar, syntax, composition, and style of nature photography to enhance the use of this medium as a form of scientific communication and also to explore the themes of change across time and space. Scientific themes to be explored include: taxonomy, habitat preservation, climate change; species diversity; survival and reproductive strategies; ecological niches and coevolution, carrying capacity and sustainability, population densities, predation, and predator-prey relationships, open-space management, the physics of photography. Extensive use of field trips and class critque.

Advanced seminar. Human aspects of viral disease, focusing on recent discoveries in vaccine development and emerging infections. Journal club format: students choose articles from primary scientific literature, write formal summaries, and synthesize them into a literature review. Emphasis is on analysis, experimental design, and interpretation of data. Oral presentations. Enrollment limited to 8. Prerequisite: prior enrollment in MI 116, The Human Virosphere or consent of instructor required.

Introduction to human virology integrating epidemiology, molecular biology, clinical sciences, social sciences, history, and the arts. Emphasis is on host pathogen interactions and policy issues. Topics: polio and vaccination, smallpox and eradication, yellow fever and history, influenza and genomic diversity, rubella and childhood infections, adenovirus and viral morphology, ebola and emerging infection, lassa fever and immune response.

Introduction to human virology integrating epidemiology, molecular biology, clinical sciences, social sciences, history, and the arts. Emphasis on host pathogen interactions and policy issues. Topics: measles and viral epidemiology, rotavirus and world health, rabies and infections of the brain, HPV and cancer -causing viruses, herpes simplex and viral latency, CMV and viral teratogenesis, retrovirology and endogenous viral sequences, HIV and viral treatement, viral hepatitis and chronic infections, prions and diseases of life style. Prerequisite: MI155A or HUMBIO 155H.

Ongoing climate change has precipitated a broad range of crises including extreme weather, fires, droughts, crop-failures, and emerging infections along with a broad range of health effects. Within recent years these events have become more frequent and more severe highlighting a critical need for crisis assessment and management. This seminar will focus on the principles involved in the effective preparation, prevention, mitigation, leadership, management, and recovery from these climate-driven disasters. We will emphasize the importance of resilience in organizations and teams. We will discuss how these principles may be generalized to other examples of crisis management. Class time will be devoted to didactic and Socratic interactions with experts, analysis of case studies including the experience of the Red Cross, simulation exercises, and field trips.

This course focuses on the classification of birds at the taxonomic level of Bird Order. We will explore examples of all 42 orders of extant birds. This organizing principle will facilitate the examination of other key ornithology principles involving anatomy, physiology, behavior, distribution, ecology, evolution, history, culture, photography, and more. To help students master this material, the course will make use of student presentations and projects focusing on representative birds. The course will also include campus field trips and insights from local and national experts.

Fields of study are decided in consultation with sponsoring professor. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

Investigations sponsored by individual faculty members. Possible fields: microbial molecular biology and physiology, microbial pathogenicity, immunology, virology, and molecular parasitology. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

Mechanisms of immune responses in health and disease. Innate and adaptive immunity; development of the immune system; molecular biology, structure, and function of antibodies and T-cell receptors; cellular basis and regulation of immune responses; infectious diseases and vaccines; allergy, inflammation, and autoimmunity. COVID-19 will be featured as a major example. Lectures and discussion in class and in sections. For upper class undergraduate and graduate students who have not had an introductory immunology course. Prerequisites for undergraduates: Biology Core, Human Biology Core, or BIO 83 and 86, or consent of instructor. For graduate students: College-level molecular biology, biochemistry, and cell biology, or consent of instructor.

For graduate and medical students, and advanced undergraduates; required of first-year graduate students in Microbiology and Immunology. The molecular mechanisms by which microorganisms invade animal and human hosts, express their genomes, interact with macromolecular pathways in the infected host, and induce disease. Current literature. Undergraduate students interested in taking this class must meet with the instructor to obtain approval before enrolling.

The principles underlying novel as well as commonly utilized techniques to answer biological questions. Lectures and primary literature critiques on topics such as fluorescence microscopy, including applications such as FRET and single-cell analysis; human and murine genetic analysis; FACS; proteomics and analysis of noncoding RNAs. Class participation is emphasized. Prerequisite: biochemistry. Required of first-year graduate students in Microbiology and Immunology and the Immunology program.

Computational tools for processing, interpretation, communication, and archiving of biological information. Emphasis is on sequence and digital microscopy/image analysis. Intended for biological and clinical trainees without substantial programming experience.

Preference to graduate students. Focus is on the human gut microbiota. Students will receive instruction on computational approaches to analyze microbiome data and must complete a related project.

Required of first- and second-year students in Microbiology and Immunology. How to evaluate biological research. Held in conjunction with the Microbiology and Immunology Friday noon seminar series. Before the seminar, students and faculty discuss one or more papers from the speaker's primary research literature on a related topic. After the seminar, students meet informally with the speaker to discuss their research.

A study of measles (until recently one of the leading causes of death in the world and the most contagious disease agent ever studied) and its relatives in the paramyxovirus family, including mumps, parainfluenza viruses, hendra, and nipah, as well as a number of important animal pathogens. Investigates the nature of viruses using the paramyxoviruses as a paradigm. Topics include: the history of this devastating group of pathogens; basic aspects of paramyxovirus taxonomy and molecular virology; viral epidemiology, emergence, and eradication, including the pioneering studies of Peter Panum; the use, misuse, and abuse of science; the interactions between pathogen and host and how this interplay leads to disease, including the appearance of a bizarre brain complication with 100% mortality; the politics and economics of infection; how a putative link between the measles vaccine and autism entered the public eye, and how it refuses to disappear despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Lectures, discussion, student presentations. No science background necessary.

Since 2020, COVID has transformed the world medically, socially, politically, scientifically, economically, and psychologically. Even as innovative vaccines and medications have helped to mitigate the most damaging impacts of this pandemic, ongoing contagion fueled by continued viral evolution and waning immunity make it clear that humanity will be confronting these challenges for the foreseeable future. The course will provide a conceptual framework for understanding the pandemic. We will use this framework to discuss news-worthy updates as they occur - emphasizing virologic, immunologic, risk-benefit, and policy-focused perspectives. Class time will be devoted to didactic lectures, expert panels, and student discussion.

In this class, we will teach students to build small, physical explanations of their data for display and use as visual aids in person, at a poster or in a talk. We will use a range of media, including laser cutters, paper cutters, silk screening, CNC routing, 3D printing, jewelry making, embroidery, mold making, stop motion animation, or stained glass cutting. Classes will be split into workshop time¿for learning techniques and brainstorming¿and lab time, where students can work on individual projects. Students will be expected to complete 5 small visualization projects over the course of the quarter. Permission numbers are required to enroll. To obtain a permission number please email Professor David Schneider at dschneid@stanford.edu.

Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

For graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from all disciplines who are considering a faculty career of any type and at any of a broad range of institutions. Numbers are limited and so whether formally registered (grad students) or attending as auditors (grad students or postdocs), all participants must commit to attending the entire course. Begins with a methodology to help determine if a faculty career is a good fit for the values, interests and abilities of each participant. Progresses to an exploration of different types of faculty roles and different institutional contexts (e.g., tenure-track vs. non-tenure-track; research-intensive vs. teaching-intensive; large vs. small; etc.). Discusses how to identify and land a faculty position. Ends with concrete tips on how to thrive in such a role. May be repeated for credit.

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.

Students who have completed the necessary foundation courses undertake investigations in general bacteriology, bacterial physiology and ecology, bacterial genetics, microbial pathogenicity, immunology, parasitology, or virology sponsored by individual faculty members. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.