Module details

Abbreviation

Title German

Title English

Coordinator/s (responsible lecturer/s)

Study programme coordinator

Status

Lecturers

Principle Investigators of CEPLAS (Jun.-Prof. Dr. Maria Albani, Prof. Dr. George Coupland, Prof. Dr. Oliver Ebenhöh, Prof. Dr. Ute Höcker, Prof. Dr. Maria von Korff-Schmising, Prof. Dr. Martin Lercher, Dr. Antem Pankin, Prof. Dr. Laura Rose, Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Simon, Prof. Dr. Benjamin Stich, Dr. Franziska Turck, others)

Semester

Contact and organization

Mode

Workload

Credit points

Contact time

Self-study

Course components

Practical course: 18 SWS
Lectures/Seminar: 2 SWS

Module window

Group size

Duration

Learning outcomes/skills

The students will understand principle concepts of plant genetics, plant developmental biology and evolution using examples from CEPLAS research, including the analysis of genomic data. They will learn the benefits of confocal microscopy. They will master concepts of biostatistics that are important for the design of experiments in biology and the subsequent analysis of biological data sets. They will acquire advanced knowledge in the strengths and pitfalls of biological experiments which will prepare them for doctoral research. They will further acquire skills in oral presentations by presenting and critically assessing a published research paper.

Forms of teaching

Lectures: They provide the theoretical basis on the topics described below.
Excercises: They allow further deepening and application on the topics covered during the lectures. They include theoretical excercises in genetics, in the interpretation of biological data, in the design of experiments and in the statistical analysis of biological data including R-programming. They will acquire hands-on lab skills on confocal microscopy at the Center of Advanced Imaging (CAI). Extensive wet lab experiments are not part of the course.
Seminar: Students present a research publication.

Content

Forward and reverse genetics (mutant screens, QTL mapping, GWAS, insertion mutants, CRISPR, RNAi), light signal transduction, regulation of flowering time by photoperiod and cold, perennialism, epigenetics, meristems, leaf development, Arabidopsis thaliana, Arabis alpina, cereals, evolutionary biology, genomics and the hands-on analysis of NGS genome sequencing data, confocal microscopy, biostatistics and data analysis, R- and command line-programming, data visualization. The module is mostly taught at the HHU, but includes also elements at the University of Cologne and the Max Planck Institute of Plant Breeding Research.

Eligibility

Formal: Admission to Master program
Content-related: Students must have basic knowledge in plant science and genetics

Examination forms

Exam (70%), seminar presentation (30%).
Learning portfolio consisting of:
(1) skill area knowledge 70% of grade): written examination about the content of the lectures and the excercises;
(2) skill area scientific presentation (30% of grade): preparation, presentation and discussion of a subject-related publication.

Requirements for the award of credit points for this course

(1) Regular attendance (lectures, excercises and seminar)
(2) Pass examination in each skill area.

Relevant for following study programs/major

M.Sc. Biologie
Major:
( ) Synthetic Biology and Biotechnology
(x) Molecular Ecology and Evolution
(x) Physiology and Development
( ) Structural Biology

Compatibility with other curricula

Significance of the mark for the overall grade

The mark given will contribute to the final grade in proper relation to its credits.
M.Sc. Biologie 14/72 CP (2-years program)

Course language

( ) German
(x) English
( ) German and English
( ) German, English on demand

Additional information

Enrolling into the module is granted by the central study office of the Department of Biology.
http://www.biologie.hhu.de/en/studies-in-biology/students-info/central-allocation-of-modules.html

Module details

Module History