Cancer is a ubiquitous global challenge—most families will be affected by it at some point in their lives. However, recent advancements in cancer treatment and prevention offer hope. In this course, we will delve into the fascinating world of cancer biology to explore groundbreaking research and treatment options. Diving deep into the inner workings of cancer cells, we will discover the potential of revolutionizing treatments such as CAR T immunotherapy, a cutting-edge technique that genetically modifies a patient’s own immune cells to recognize and attack cancer cells. We’ll also explore the crucial role of the cellular environment around tumors and learn how targeting this microenvironment can improve the effectiveness of existing therapies. We’ll examine the unique nutrient requirements of cancer cells and how this knowledge can be used to selectively kill cancer cells while sparing healthy ones. And we’ll discuss the power of biomarkers in developing tailored therapies that can significantly improve cancer patients’ quality of life. Class sessions will include lectures and interactive discussions and activities. By the end of this course, students will have gained a solid understanding of cell biology, how cancer operates, and how—through scientific advances—it might eventually be stopped.

This course has a required discussion section in addition to the main lecture section.

This course will examine the biological processes that are disrupted in cancer, such as DNA repair, cell cycle control and signaling pathways. Students will learn the molecular mechanisms by which tumors gain and maintain a growth advantage and of potential therapeutic targets. This course will also explore the science behind cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatments as well as emerging topics in the field such as cancer stem cells.

This course has a required discussion section in addition to the main lecture section.

Normal functioning and pathophysiology of major organ systems: nervous, respiratory, cardiovascular, renal, digestive, and endocrine. Additional topics include integrative physiology, clinical case studies, and applications in genomics-based personalized medicine.

This course has a required discussion section in addition to the main lecture section.

Energy is the number one contributor to climate change and has significant consequences for our society, political system, economy, and environment. Energy is also a fundamental driver of human development and opportunity. Students will learn the fundamentals of each energy resource -- including significance and potential, drivers and barriers, policy and regulation, and social, economic, and environmental impacts -- and will be able to put this in the context of the broader energy system. Both depletable and renewable energy resources are covered, including oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear, biomass and biofuel, hydroelectric, wind, solar thermal and photovoltaics (PV), geothermal, and ocean energy, with cross-cutting topics including electricity, storage, hydrogen, climate change and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), sustainability, green buildings, energy efficiency, transportation, and the developing world. The course is 3 units, which includes lecture, readings and videos, and homework assignments. This is a course for all: pre-majors and majors, with any background - no prior energy knowledge necessary. For a course that covers all of this plus goes more in-depth, check out CEE 107A/207A - ENERGY 107A/207A - EarthSys 103 Understand Energy offered in the autumn and spring quarters (students should not take both for credit). See Website for Details

Quantitative evaluation of technologies and techniques for reducing energy demand of residential-scale buildings. Heating and cooling load calculations, financial analysis, passive-solar design techniques, water heating systems, photovoltaic system sizing for net-zero-energy all-electric homes.

The course will describe the background on existing energy storage solutions being on the electric grid and in vehicles with a primary focus on batteries and electrochemical storage. It will discuss the operating characteristics, cost, and efficiency of these technologies and how tradeoff decisions can be made. The course will describe the system-level integration of new storage technologies, including chargers, inverters, battery management systems and control, into the existing vehicle and grid infrastructure. Specific focus will be given to the integration of electric vehicle charging combined with demand-side management, scheduled renewable energy absorption, and local grid balancing.

Application design thinking to make sustainability compelling, impactful and realizable. Analysis of contextual, functional and human-centered design thinking techniques to promote sustainable design of products and environments by holistically considering space, form, environment, energy, economics, and health. Includes Studio project work in prototyping, modeling, testing, and realizing sustainable design ideas.

Enrollment limited and by Permission Number only. Email instructor for application form.

Students enrolled in this course will appreciate the transformative power of molecular science on the modern world and how foundational knowledge of chemistry enables profound discoveries in biological, pharmaceutical, agrochemical, engineering, energy, and materials science research. This course integrates the lessons of CHEM 31 and CHEM 33 through an examination of the structure-function properties of carbon-based molecules. Specific emphasis is given to the chemistry of carbonyl- and amine-derived compounds, polyfunctionalized molecules, reaction kinetics and thermodynamics, mechanistic arrow-pushing, and retrosynthetic analysis. Students will be empowered with a conceptual understanding of chemical reactivity, physical organic chemistry, and the logic of chemical synthesis. The singular nature of molecular design and synthesis to make available functional molecules and materials will be revealed. A three-hour lab section provides hands on experience with modern chemical methods for preparative and analytical chemistry.

This class is offered during the second 4 weeks of the Summer Quarter. This course has a required lab section in addition to the main lecture section.

CHEM 31A is the first course in a two-quarter sequence designed to provide a robust foundation in key chemical principles for students with a basic background in high school chemistry, who have already placed into Math 19 or higher. The course engages students in group problem-solving activities throughout the class periods to deepen their ability to analyze and solve chemical problems. Students will also participate in a weekly laboratory activity that will immediately apply and expand upon classroom content. Labs and write-ups provide practice developing conceptual models that can explain qualitatively and quantitatively a wide range of chemical phenomena. The course will introduce a common language of dimensional analysis, stoichiometry, and molecular naming that enables students to write chemical reactions, quantify reaction yield, and calculate empirical and molecular formulas. Stoichiometry will be immediately reinforced through a specific study of gases and their properties. Students will also build a fundamental understanding of atomic and molecular structure by identifying interactions among nuclei, electrons, atoms and molecules. Through both lab and in-class exploration, students will learn to explain how these interactions determine the structures and properties of pure substances and mixtures using various bonding models including Lewis Dot, VSEPR, and Molecular Orbital Theory. Students will identify and quantitate the types and amounts of energy changes that accompany these interactions, phase changes, and chemical reactions, as they prepare to explore chemical dynamics in greater depth in CHEM 31B. Special emphasis will be placed on applying content and skills to real world applications such as estimating the carbon efficiency of fossil fuels, understanding hydrogen bonding and other interactions critical to DNA, and calculating the pressure exerted on a deep-sea diver.

This class is offered during the first 4 weeks of the Summer Quarter. This course has a required lab section in addition to the main lecture section.

Chem 31B is the second course in this two-quarter sequence, therefore only students who have completed Chem 31A may enroll in CHEM 31B. As with CHEM 31A, students will continue to engage in group problem-solving activities throughout class and participate in weekly laboratory activities. Labs and write-ups will allow students to more deeply explore and observe the different facets of chemical reactivity, including rates (kinetics), energetics (thermodynamics), and reversibility (equilibrium) of reactions. Through experimentation and discussion, students will determine what forces influence the rate of chemical reactions and learn how this can be applied to enzyme reactivity. Students will quantify chemical concentrations during a reaction, and predict the direction in which a reaction will shift in order to achieve equilibrium, including solubility equilibria. They will use these methods to estimate the possible levels of lead and other toxic metals in drinking water. Special emphasis will be placed on acid/base equilibria , allowing students to explore the role of buffers and antacids in our bodies, as well as ocean acidification and the impact on coral reefs. Students will then bring together concepts from both kinetics and equilibrium, in a deeper discussion of thermodynamics, to understand what ultimately influences the spontaneity of a reaction. Students will build a relationship between free energy, temperature, and equilibrium constants to be able to calculate the free energy of a reaction and understand how processes in our body are coupled to harness excess free energy to do useful work. Finally we will explore how we harness work from redox reactions, building both voltaic cells (i.e. batteries) and electrolytic cells in lab, and using reduction potentials to predict spontaneity and potential of a given reaction. We will look at the applications of redox chemistry in electric and fuel cell vehicles. The course's particular emphasis on understanding the driving forces of a reaction, especially the influence of thermodynamics versus kinetics, will prepare students for further study of predicting organic chemical reactivity and equilibria from structure in Chem 33.

This class is offered during the second 4 weeks of the Summer Quarter. This course has a required lab section in addition to the main lecture section.