Summer Programs For High School StudentsNew York City
Explorations in Genetics and Molecular Biology
Level: Open to students entering grades 11 or 12 or freshman year of college in fall 2013.
Session: I, June 24-July 12, 2013; II, July 16-August 2, 2013
Days & Time: Monday-Friday, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM and 2:00-4:00 PM
Instructor(s): Frank Ciulla, Claire Elise Hazen, and staff
Prerequisites: Biology and chemistry.
Related Courses: Students interested in this course might also be interested in Biomedical Engineering: Physical Effects on Cells, Deity, Darwin, and Intelligent Design or Issues in Biological Conservation.
"I was amazed at the material we had access to. The tools we used in this class made me feel as though I was an actual student studying biology at Columbia University."
- Emma Oreskaic, 2012
Course Description
This course is designed for highly qualified students who have previously studied biology and chemistry and are interested in learning more about recent developments in molecular biology, genetic engineering, and recombinant DNA technology.
Scientists have learned how to manipulate DNA, a molecule that contains the information to construct and operate all living organisms. Students explore how DNA works and how scientists in turn can alter DNA for medical and agricultural applications. Topics include: RNA, DNA, and protein synthesis, the "meaning" of the DNA sequence, gene regulation, DNA and RNA viruses, AIDS, current genetic engineering techniques, cancer, and the genetics of the immune system. In the lab portion of the course students learn some of the techniques used by modern biologists to study nature. Topics include eukaryotic and prokaryotic genetics, DNA extraction and restriction enzyme digest analysis, complementation and DNA synthesis.
Students are asked to complete in-class and homework assignments, analyze experimental data, write a detailed lab report, and make a group presentation in the lab. In the lecture portion of the course, students are given two short tests and a final exam.
Instructor(s)
Frank Ciulla
Frank Ciulla holds a B.A. with honors in chemistry from Oberlin College and an M.A. in molecular biology from Columbia University. He did research at Harvard Medical School, where he located and sequenced hormone genes, and Columbia University, where he studied gene regulation in bacteria and cancer-causing viruses. Ciulla has been a faculty member at The Collegiate School, Regis High School, and New York University. He has taught Pre-Engineering Physics and Advanced Science Topics at Columbia. Ciulla is the president and owner of Hudson Educational Services, where he tutors students in all levels of math and science, and he writes textbooks for online publication.
Claire Elise Hazen
Claire Elise Hazen, Lecturer in Discipline (Biological Sciences), has been teaching at Columbia University since 1994. She received a B.A. in Psychology from Colorado College and is presently at work on a Ph.D. degree at Teachers College. Dr. Hazen’s dissertation focuses on the teaching of science and mathematics at the university level.
Specific course information, such as hours and instructors, are subject to change at the discretion of the University.
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