Course description

This is the first course in a two-course sequence intended to present the basics of engineering design, project management, product development and translational research. This first course focuses on engineering design and product development. A case-study approach is used to illustrate best practices and common mistakes in engineering design.

BIO 306 Biochemistry Laboratory 2.0 CreditsCovers biochemical techniques ranging from basic laboratory preparatory work such as making solutions to the measurement of enzyme kinetics and substrate specificity.
College/Department: College of Arts and Sciences
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: CHEM 242 [Min Grade: D] or CHEM 248 [Min Grade: D]

PBHL 497 Capstone Experience I 2.0 CreditsThe senior capstone is a progressive 3-quarter experience with cross cutting competencies for graduating public health major seniors to provide them with an individualized learning experience of breadth and depth. Students will work with faculty members to design a project that will fulfill both their public health interests as well as the broader capstone objectives. Students will participate in in-class learning with other public health majors to acquire foundational concepts, which they can apply to their individualized project.
College/Department: Dornsife School of Public Health
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Restrictions: Can enroll if classification is Senior.
Prerequisites: PBHL 301 [Min Grade: C-] and PBHL 302 [Min Grade: C-] and PBHL 303 [Min Grade: C-] and PBHL 304 [Min Grade: C-] and PBHL 308 [Min Grade: C-] and PBHL 314 [Min Grade: C-]

I took this course in Winter 2022. In this course, we were assigned groups. I was in the Vitamin group where my group members and I had to read and analyze a couple of vitamin articles that were assigned to us. Every other week, we would get a quiz that would test how much we understood the article. The quiz questions would mainly ask about the methods and results. Additionally, we had to fill out an article worksheet that asked us questions about the procedures, research, main questions, if we were skeptical of the methodology, and how we would describe each table/figure using our own words. Some of the articles would contradict each other. For example, we would get an article that would mention how a vitamin was beneficial in preventing cardiovascular diseases, and then we would get another article that finds that vitamins don't really prevent cardiovascular diseases. This made things complicated when we had to give our final presentation on how beneficial vitamins were for cardiac health using only the papers assigned to us. Our final presentation basically said that the usage of vitamins isn't usually beneficial in preventing cardiovascular risks unless it is taken for a long time. 

I took this course in Winter Quarter 2023. Every graduating public health student has to take the capstone courses throughout the year where they choose a project to work on. The final product includes a paper that is minimum 18 pages and a presentation. My capstone project is CTE in professional football players. For this quarter we had to submit three "mini papers". Essentially, the point of these papers is to break down the 18 pages into smaller sections to work on. After we submit each paper, we get feedback from the professor and our classmates and then submit a better-quality paper. My first mini paper was the science of CTE where I talked about the history of CTE, how it is related to concussions and traumatic brain injury, which part of the brain is affected by CTE, signs and symptoms of CTE, diagnosis of CTE, and the treatment. My second paper summarized the main points of the NFL Concussion Protocol, history of concussions in the NFL, and how the NFL has been changing their rules to make football safer. My third paper deals with the history of how the NFL responded to the concussion crisis. 

Provides laboratory studies in quantitative analysis. This is a writing intensive course.

BIO471-473: Senior Seminar in Biological Sciences
Discusses and evaluates selected current topics in bioscience and biotechnology. Includes presentations by outside speakers.
In the second term of senior seminar, we will continue to host professional seminars with speakers presenting current research in the various biological disciplines. Professional development sessions will be available that will be helpful to the student's maturation.
This is a writing intensive course.

This course builds on (and reviews) the fundamentals of research design introduced in Methods and Analysis I with the specific aim of teaching students how to construct, and analyze data generated from, surveys. Students will learn the "mechanics" of survey design, such as where to place demographic questions, as well as how to identify and include validated scales on the instrument, and how to avoid misleading or debilitative items (e.g., "double-barreled" questions, biased/leading questions, non-mutually exclusive or exhaustive response categories. Students will also learn the process (and importance) of pre-testing the survey prior to implementing it; and they will be trained to analyze survey results using SPSS and other software packages as needed.

We will continue to host professional seminars with speakers presenting current research in the various biological disciplines, as well as professional development sessions that we hope will be helpful to your professional maturation.  In addition, during this term you will continue your work on your group research proposal, expanding the brief proposal into a more well-developed research proposal with guidance from your assigned mentor. Those of you who will be finalizing your work on the research proposal will also be presenting your work in front of your peers and others at the end of the term.  

Provides a study of the basic scientific fundamentals of the experiment with emphasis upon the critical thinking this method represents in establishing psychological principles. Contrasts are made to such modern pseudosciences as parapsychology. A final experiment is required of all students in this course. This is a writing intensive course.

PSY 360 Dr. Dorothy Charbonnier