MEDFL5270 – Quantitative biology, or mathematics is biology’s next microscope
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
This course is intended to train the students in interacting with researchers across speciality boarders. In particular, the focus is on the use of mathematics to solve various biological problems. The course is based on critical reading of four selected papers, presentation of key issues related to these papers, followed by discussions in smaller group on the content of the papers.
Systems biology is an emerging field, which heavily depends upon collaboration between biologists and mathematicians. The genome has offered biologists new possibilities to study genetic processes on a genomic scale, and to achieve not only understanding of the function of individual molecules but also to achieve quantitative understanding of the regulation and interaction of genes and molecules at the systems level. This development requires researchers with combined biological, mathematical and computational skills. However, few research students have such combined skills as yet.
Learning outcome
The present course intended for students in biology, physics, informatics and medicine, will take as starting point recent high quality papers, where quantitative biology point to novel biological mechanisms. These papers will be used to allow participants to communicate in languages different from their own. The course intends to give examples on the use of mathematics in quantitative biology. Topics that will be presented includes: Probabilities, Networks, Stochastic processes and Computational modeling. The course will include lectures followed by close reading and discussions in smaller groups of original high quality papers in various areas of biology and medicine. At the end of the course, the participants shall have become acquainted with some essential ideas in mathematics and biology, and they shall have trained in communicating in languages and disciplines other than their own.
Admission
The course is restricted to students at the Medical Student Research Programme at the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Dentistry, UiO.
Students can apply in StudentWeb from 1. December
The courses MEDFL5270 and IMB9270 have common admission.
Prerequisites
Recommended previous knowledge
Bachelor level in biology, physics, informatics or medicine.
Overlapping courses
2 credits overlap with IMB9270 – Quantitative biology, or mathematics is biology’s next microscope
Teaching
The present course intends to invite research students in biology, medicine, physics and informatics to meet and discuss some selected topics relevant to quantitative biology. The course will consist of four sections, each of a half day, dealing with a specific th