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An introduction to the basics of Python and R coding in the context of solving basic problems in molecular biology. Python will be used to write programs that analyze various features of DNA sequence data and R will be used to analyze output from RNA-seq experiments. No prior programming experience is necessary. The work will involve modifying existing code as well as developing simple programs from the ground up.

This course can be used either as an upper-level elective within the cellular/molecular distribution or it can be used as a lab.

Offered MW 10:10 - 11:25 am

Introduction to MATLAB programming and numerical methods applied to the analysis of biological data. Topics range from foundational programming concepts and algorithms and an introduction to MATLAB, to more advanced concepts such as data visualization, curve fitting and data interpolation, basic statistical methods, modeling biological systems of ordinary differential equations, and image analysis.

This course can be used as an upper-level elective within any of the 3 major tracks.

Offered T 1:00 - 4:00 pm

Selected topics in molecular genetics and gene regulation, with a focus on examples from human evolution, physiology, and disease. The course will be organized into four modules with combined lecture and journal club-style discussion. Module topics include molecular regulation of transcription, epigenetic regulation of the genome, gene regulatory networks, and genome architecture and evolution. We will draw from examples in the current literature and explore current experimental approaches in molecular genetics of humans and model organisms.

This course can be used as an upper-level elective within the cellular/molecular distribution.

Offered T TH 1:10 - 2:25 pm 

At our annual honey extraction in the fall, Professor Jon Snow guides fellow colleagues and students through the process of extracting honey from his hives atop Barnard Hall. Using a hot, copper uncapping knife, he first removes the wax caps of the cells on each hive frame where bees have stored the ripened honey. Frames are then placed in a honey extractor, which is spun in order to remove the honey by centrifugal force. Every year, majors join the faculty and staff to extract then enjoy the delicious honey, pairing it with their favorite tea, cheese, or sourdough loaf. 

Every semester, the department gathers for a short break from all of their hard work for coffee and pastries. In the spring, we toasted our graduating seniors and welcomed our newly declared sophomore majors to the Barnard Biology family on the Diana Center green roof. 

Twenty years ago, Barnard’s Arthur Ross Greenhouse was dedicated as a state-of-the-art plant growth facility for the Department of Biological Sciences. Built on the roof of Milbank Hall, it replaced the original greenhouse constructed in 1928 as a laboratory for Professor of Botany Edmund W. Sinnott, who taught at Barnard from 1928 to 1940 and performed studies on the developmental genetics of squash. Today, the 3,400 square foot greenhouse is open to the Barnard and Columbia communities and houses a conservatory, which is home to the collection that both faculty and students use for teaching and research.