Animal behavior with an emphasis on social and collective behavior. How do animals interact with each other and the rest of the world around them? This is a project-based course in a seminar format, including class discussion of journal articles, and independent research projects based on observing the behavior of animals on campus.

Instructor: Gordon, D

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We will explore the exciting field of personalized genomic medicine. Personalized medicine is based on the idea that each person's unique genome sequence can be used to predict their risk of developing diseases, and could perhaps even be edited using CRISPR to improve health. We will discuss the science behind these approaches; where they are heading in the future; and the ethical implications such technology presents. Student presentations will be emphasized, and students will also get to explore and analyze a real person's genome.

Instructor: Fraser, H.

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Preference to freshmen. 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: Flipped, Student-centered, Community of learners, with online and in-person discussion. Discussion and criticism of video examples, and documentaries, and student presentations. 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.

Instructors: Garner, J. (PI)

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Preference to sophomores. Ever wonder what cats and narwhals have in common? Maybe you haven't, but despite their seemingly different lifestyles and habitats (i.e. sleeping on couches versus swimming in oceans), they are both mammals! In this seminar, students will gain an appreciation for basic mammalian anatomic and physiologic principles that span across multiple species while emphasizing key differences that render each species unique. Through student projects, we will explore evolutionary adaptations that have driven the success of a variety of species within the context of their natural environments. In addition to a weekly lecture, anticipated laboratory sessions will reinforce anatomic principles through a combination of rodent cadaver dissection, organ and bone specimens, and use of virtual reality demonstrations. Furthermore, as conditions allow, students will have the opportunity to visit Año Nuevo State Park to experience a guided viewing of northern elephant seals within their natural habitat. Students with a passion for science will gain a fundamental understanding of anatomy that is applicable to future careers in medicine, biomedical research, veterinary medicine, and ecology/conservation.

Instructors: Casey, K.

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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.

Instructors: Felt, S.

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Did you know that although we love garlic, it could make cats very sick? And how come if a human or a dog gets a heart attack they'll end up with a scar, but some fish can regenerate parts of their hearts? In this course, we will explore how select diseases can manifest themselves similarly or differently in different animal species. Students will have the opportunity to interpret physical exam findings, examine blood lab tests (bloodwork), look at X-rays (radiographs), and see what some of these diseases look like at the microscopic level (histology). Students will also discuss how humans benefit from understanding diseases in veterinary species, and how veterinary species benefit from understanding diseases in humans. This course will be of interest to those wanting to learn more about disease processes, and those interested in pursuing careers in biomedical fields including veterinary and human medicine. Oh, and one last thing don't cook with non-stick pans if you have indoor birds. Why? Sign up for the course to find out!

Instructors: Vilches-Moure, J. (PI)

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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. SignificantPreference to freshmen. How and why animals are used in biomedical science. Addresses human and animal health and how animal research has contributed to the treatment and cure of disease. Significant portions 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 law and ethics, animal behavior, animal modeling, and the animal activist movement. Course topics will also include: history of animals in research, environmental enrichment for research animals, and research animals in the media.

Instructors: Albertelli, M.

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Preference to sophomores. Focus is on understanding the basic neurobiology of pain pathways. Topics include the physiology, pharmacology, and clinical aspects of effective pain management. In both humans and animals pain is part of the protective mechanisms that prevent further injury to the body. However, if the pain process continues unchecked, it can become extremely detrimental.

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

Terms: Aut, Win, Spr, Sum | Units: 1-3 | Repeatable for credit

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Offers an introduction to the scientific method and common biases in science. Examines theoretical considerations and practical examples where biases have led to erroneous conclusions, as well as scientific practices that can help identify, correct or prevent such biases. Additionally focuses on appropriate methods to interweave inductive and deductive approaches. Topics covered include: Poppe's falsification and Kuh's paradigm shift, revolution vs. evolution; determinism and uncertainty; probability, hypothesis testing, and Bayesian approaches; agnostic testing and big data; team science; peer review; replication; correlation and causation; bias in design, analysis, reporting and sponsorship of research; bias in the public perception of science, mass media and research; and bias in human history and everyday life. Provides students an understanding of how scientific knowledge has been and will be generated; the causes of bias in experimental design and in analytical approaches; and the interactions between deductive and inductive approaches in the generation of knowledge.

Instructors: Ioannidis, J.

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The widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) has created a new source of big data namely, the record of routine clinical practice as a by-product of care. This graduate class will teach you how to use EHRs and other patient data to discover new clinical knowledge and improve healthcare. Upon completing this course, you should be able to: differentiate between and give examples of categories of research questions and the study designs used to address them, describe common healthcare data sources and their relative advantages and limitations, extract and transform various kinds of clinical data to create analysis-ready datasets, design and execute an analysis of a clinical dataset based on your familiarity with the workings, applicability, and limitations of common statistical methods, evaluate and criticize published research using your knowledge of 1-4 to generate new research ideas and separate hype from reality. 

Instructors: Shah, N.

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The course will focus on computational approaches to ensure that all data, code, and analyses can be captured in a reproducible workflow, to be confirmed and replicated by you in the future, by other members of your team, and by reviewers and other researchers. We will cover how to satisfy FAIR principles, version control, how to create a git repository, utilize Github and how to create a reproducible dataset. Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of R.

Instructors: Goodman, S.

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We will cover the philosophical framework of bio(medical)ethics and good scientific practice in daily modules. The itinerary includes the History of Bioethics, Formal Logic, Moral Philosophy (Virtue Ethics, Utilitarianism, Deontology, Feminist Ethics), Medical & Bioethics, Animal Welfare, Good Scientific Practice, and Science Ethics.

Instructors: Sudhof, T.; Thome, C.

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This 2-week mini-course will discuss pragmatic approaches to rodent utilization with the aim of empowering graduate students across multiple disciplines to maximize rodent-derived data and minimize the redundant use of animals in biomedical research. Topics will include an introduction to clinical models, practical aspects of rodent blood collection and interpretation, algorithmic approaches to tissue collection for research applications, and an introduction to rodent histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence. Course instructors include board-certified laboratory animal medicine clinicians and comparative pathologists that are expert h these topics. This course is open to graduate students with or without prior rodent experience.

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How and why animals are used in biomedical science. Addresses human and animal health and how animal research has contributed to the treatment and cure of disease. Significant portions 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 law and ethics, animal behavior, animal modeling, and the animal activist movement. Course topics will also include: history of animals in research, environmental enrichment for research animals, and research animals in the media. Includes hands-on workshops covering animal handling, aseptic rodent surgery, and mouse breeding.

Instructors: Albertelli, M. (PI)

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Emphasis is on providing introductory training and practical, hands-on research animal biomethodology. Topics include basic care and principles guiding the use of research animals, animal health and welfare, enrichment, basic mouse handling, rodent breeding, and the principles of rodent aseptic surgery and anesthesia. The objective of this course is to teach basic skills in animal handling, animal care, and biomethodological research techniques. Content delivered online and in-person.

Instructors: Huss, M. (PI)

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Focuses on husbandry, care, and diseases of major laboratory animal species (rodents, fish and amphibians, swine, sheep, rabbits, monkeys); regulatory and compliance, applied principles of animal modeling, and factors that influence animal research, animal behavior, and research reproducibility. The objective of this course is to provide students with an overview of the history of laboratory animal science, current industry standards and practices, and the fundamentals of laboratory animal diseases. Department consent is required for enrollment. May be repeated for credit. The course is virtual. Must attend 7 out of 10 seminars in the quarter for a satisfactory grade.

Instructor: Nagamine, C.

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So you've taken all these stats classes and learned a bunch of equations, but now you have to design and analyze your own experiments, and you're feeling lost and all those equations and classes really don't make sense. DON'T PANIC, we've all been there, and this is the class for you! Try learning these essential skills a different way - conceptually and hands-on without equations. Emphasis is on real-world experimental design and analysis in the life sciences, with particular focus on modern techniques that maximize power and minimize sample size, and avoiding common errors contributing to false discovery and the reproducibility crisis. This is a flipped-classroom. Class time is devoted to discussion of assigned reading (primarily Grafen & Hails 2002 "Modern statistics for the life sciences"), hands on guided work-through of example data sets, and developing analyses for the students' own research data. The objective is to provide students with a foundational conceptual understanding of biostatistics, particularly as applied to the design and planning of animal-based research projects.

Instructors: Garner, J. (PI)

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Research laboratory and clinical service (pathology, diagnostic laboratory, surgery, husbandry, anesthesiology, aquatics, facility business and management, etc.), quarterly rotations for students enrolled in the Master's of Laboratory Animal Science program. The objective of this course is to provide students with hands on experience in research laboratories using animal models and to provide experience working in the daily operations of a large, veterinary service center. Fulfills the practicum and research requirements of MLAS students.

Instructors: Albertelli, M. ; Bentzel, D. ; Casey, K. ; Darian-Smith, C. ; Felt, S.; Garner, J.; Green, S.; Hestrin, S. ; Huss, M.; Nagamine, C.; Pacharinsak, C. ; Parker, K. ; Vilches-Moure, J.

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Focus is on career development for graduate students and trainees enrolled in a trainee program in the Department of Comparative Medicine. Seminar topics include career pathways in laboratory animal science, resume preparation, manuscript preparation and authorship, life in academics, life in industry and biopharma, regulatory agencies, veterinary and medical school. Speakers include faculty, speakers from industry and pharmaceutical companies, veterinary school and medical school graduates, regulatory and compliance professionals, research scientists, and animal research program/laboratory managers. Students may choose to shadow veterinary clinical faculty or rotate through basic science laboratory, by special arrangement. The objective is to introduce students to the multiple career pathways available to individuals with advanced training in laboratory animal science. May be taken up to six quarters.

Instructor: Green, S.

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Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (Staff)

Terms: Aut, Win, Spr, Sum | Units: 1-18 | Repeatable for credit

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Open to graduate, medical, and undergraduate students. Appraisal of the quality and credibility of research findings; evaluation of sources of bias. Meta-analysis as a quantitative (statistical) method for combining results of independent studies. Examples from medicine, epidemiology, genomics, ecology, social/behavioral sciences, education. Collaborative analyses. Project involving generation of a meta-research project or reworking and evaluation of an existing published meta-analysis. Prerequisite: knowledge of basic statistics.

Instructors: Ioannidis, J.

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The course will consist of readings and discussion of foundational papers and book sections in the domains of statistical and scientific inference. Topics to be covered include philosophy of science, interpretations of probability, Bayesian and frequentist approaches to statistical inference and current controversies about the proper use of p-values and research reproducibility.

Instructor: Goodman, S.

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This discussion focused Ethics, Science, and Society interactive mini-course will engage Immunology graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty in learning and conversations on topics in responsible research (including animal subjects, authorship, collaboration, conflicts of interest, data management, human subjects, mentor-mentee relationships, peer review, publication, research misconduct, and social responsibility) and diversity in science, informed by readings, case studies, individual reflections, and more. Some of the driving themes in this course include: what it means to do research well and how to and not to achieve this, why doing research well and with integrity is important, and who are researchers currently and who should they be.

Instructor: Martinez, O.

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This course presents a survey of the historical and current status of this rapidly developing specialty. In brief, animal law encompasses all areas of the law in which the nature -- legal, social or biological -- of nonhuman animals is an important factor. It is an objective and logical specialization of a challenging area -- one with a growing number of cases and laws, increasing public and practical interest, and significantly different historical, legal and philosophical foundations than most other courses. Topics covered include animal cruelty, animals as property, tort claims regarding animals, legal issues involving farm animals and animals in entertainment, and federal statutes regarding certain groups of animals. The Animal Law course has been described as intellectually stimulating and ethically challenging, and synthesizes a wide range of legal concepts, and the course materials apply traditional ideas to legal concepts associated with animals in new ways. Students have called it a great bar review class, because concepts from many areas of law are covered with respect to their application to animals and their interests. More and more firms, large and small, are providing pro bono (and paying) work in the animal law area, as the field gains momentum and reputability in the legal community. Mr. Wagman is a lawyer in San Francisco, with a full-time animal law practice, representing organizations and individuals in a wide range of cases. He is one of the authors of the Animal Law casebook, two other animal legal texts, and has been practicing animal law for most of his 30-year career. His practice includes litigation, consultation, legislative work, and extensive writing and lecturing on various animal law topics. The class includes regular updates on his current cases, which for this semester includes a case that will be argued in the U.S. Supreme Court in the October 2022 term. He also regularly provides real-life experiences from the front lines of the field. Special Instructions: Students have the option to write an independent research paper in lieu of the final exam with consent of instructor.

Instructor: Wagman, B.

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This course introduces standard and acceptable practices in the life sciences, with an emphasis on responsibilities in research activities such as record keeping, data treatment, authorship, peer review, mentoring and participation in research that engages human or animal subjects. Conflicts of interest, ownership of date and other intellectual property and potential problems stemming from use of data from human genetics or stem cell experiments are examples of additional topics for discussion. Open to upper-level undergraduate students, medical students, graduate students and M.D. and Ph.D. postdoctoral fellows. This course is required for trainees supported by the NIH Pediatric Nonmalignant Hematology and Stem Cell Biology training program.

Instructor: Sakamoto, K.

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