Course Descriptions
BIOLOGY (BI)
BI 100 First Year Science Seminar: Science, Society and the Biosphere (1)
Introductory course required for incoming first year students who are planning to major in biology or biochemistry. This course engages the “big questions” in biomedicine, biotechnology, ecology and environmental biology that drive today’s scientists and health practitioners. The course illustrates the diverse areas of professional practice in biomedical practice, research and industry for which the biology and biochemistry majors are preparative.
Co-requisite: BI 215 and BI 215L (recommended)
BI 101 General Biology I (3)
Overview of basic biological principles, human concerns of overpopulation, environmental pollution, genetic engineering.
Co-requisite: BI 101L
BI 101L General Biology II Lab (1)
One three-hour laboratory period per week to accompany BI 101 and BI 102. Laboratory work and field trips related to lecture topics.
Corequisite: BI 101
BI 102 General Biology II (3)
Overview of basic biological principles, human concerns of overpopulation, environmental pollution, genetic engineering.
Co-requisite: BI 102L
BI 102L General Biology II Lab (1)
One three-hour laboratory period per week to accompany BI 101 and BI 102. Laboratory work and field trips related to lecture topics.
Corequisite: BI 102
BI 103 Botany (3)
Distribution, identification, structure, use and physiology of plants with special attention to plants of Hawaii. Recommended for non-science majors.
Co-requisite: BI 103L
BI 103L Botany Laboratory (1)
Laboratory.
Co-requisite: BI 103
BI 104 Digital Science (1)
Introduction to ‘big data’, data science, visualization and analytics in the areas of biomedicine, social sciences and the natural and built environments. Required course for Biology and Environmental majors.
BI 105 Human Biology (3)
A general introduction to human structure, functions, genetics, evolution, ecology and environmental interactions. The aim is to use scientific reasoning to make informed decisions about topics related to human biology. The human organism is examined from the basic cellular level and genetics, through organ systems, to interactions with the outside world. Discussion also covers pertinent health topics.
BI 105L Human Biology Laboratory (1)
Human Biology is a lab science course that introduces students to the human organism and the impact of the modern world and medicinal discoveries on humans. The course covers anatomy, nutrition, immunity, reproduction, development, genetics, and the relationship between humans and their environment.
BI 110 People and Nature (3)
Addresses biological, ecological and public health questions which may have social, ethical, religious, or political implications.
Co-requisite: BI 110L
BI 110L People and Nature Laboratory (1)
Laboratory work such as testing for water quality, field trips to aquaculture farms, estuaries, and other field work locations.
Co-requisite: BI 110
BI 115 Introduction to Marine Biology (3)
Life in various marine habitats studied with regard to its relationship to the ocean and to man. Various zones in the ocean and its inhabitants, the impact of man on the marine environment, and food sources from the sea will be discussed.
Co-requisite: BI 115L
BI 115L Introduction to Marine Biology Laboratory (1)
Classification, anatomy, and physiology of live and preserved marine animals. Field trips are included.
Co-requisite: BI 115
BI 131 Human Nutrition (3)
An introduction to basic concepts and current research in nutrition. The nature and roles of nutrients, nutrient requirements throughout the human life cycle, diseases resulting from over and under nutrition, food safety, and food sources.
Co-requisite: BI 131L
BI 131L Human Nutrition Laboratory (1)
One three-hour laboratory period per week to accompany BI 131. Survey of methodology and instrumentation involved in the analysis and evaluation of foods, their nutritional value, and diets.
Co-requisite: BI 131
BI 151 Human Anatomy and Physiology I (3)
Structure and function of the human body, to include basic biochemistry, cells, tissues, and a detailed and comprehensive study of the integumentary, skeletal, muscular, circulatory, immune, and digestive systems, and metabolism. Organ systems will include the nervous, urinary, endocrine, respiratory, and reproductive systems. Required course for nursing majors. Non-nursing students (e.g. pre-health professions students) may take this course subject to availability of seats in a separate course section than nursing majors.
Co-requisites: BI 151L, NUR majors
BI 152 Human Anatomy and Physiology II (3)
Structure and function of the human body, to include basic biochemistry, cells, tissues, and a detailed and comprehensive study of the integumentary, skeletal, muscular, circulatory, immune, and digestive systems, and metabolism. Organ systems will include the nervous, urinary, endocrine, respiratory, and reproductive systems. Required course for nursing majors. Non-nursing students (e.g. pre-health professions students) may take this course subject to availability of seats in a separate course section than nursing majors.
Co-requisites: BI 152L, NUR majors
BI 151L Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory (1)
One three-hour laboratory per week will include examination of models and slides, dissection, and physiological exercises. Required course for nursing majors. Non-nursing students (e.g. pre-health professions students) may take this course subject to availability of seats in a separate course section than nursing majors.
Co-requisites: BI 151, NUR majors
BI 152L Human Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory II (1)
One three-hour laboratory per week will include examination of models and slides, dissection, and physiological exercises. Required course for nursing majors. Non-nursing students (e.g. pre-health professions students) may take this course subject to availability of seats in a separate course section than nursing majors.
Co-requisites: BI 152, NUR majors
BI 210L Biotechniques Laboratory – DNA/RNA Protein (1)
Introduction to Biological Techniques. Techniques used in the fields of molecular and cellular biology are covered, including DNA, RNA and protein purification and manipulation. One three hour period per week. Materials intensive fee applies.
BI 215 Cellular and Organismal Biology I (3)
Introduction to animal and plant diversity, with emphasis on form and function, mechanisms of regulation in biological systems, and how organisms exchange materials and energy with their environment.
Co-requisite: BI 100 and BI 215L
BI 215L Cellular and Organismal Biology I Laboratory (1)
Laboratory section accompanying BI 215.
Co-requisite: BI 215
BI 216 Cellular and Organismal Biology II (3)
Introduction to the cell and molecular biology of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, with particular reference to the relationships between structure and functions. Cell cycle and mitosis. Organization of cells, roles of cell signaling and extracellular environment in establishing structures in animals and plants.
Prerequisites: BI 215, BI 215L, BI 210L, BI 216
Co-requisite: BI 216
BI 216L Cellular and Organismal Biology II Laboratory (1)
Laboratory.
Prerequisites: BI 215L
Co-requisite: BI 216
BI 250 Microbiology and Cell Biology for Nurses (3)
This course will include the major topics of cell biology and microbiology that are foundational for an understanding of normal and pathological cellular processes. Cell biology topics will include the study of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell structures and functions. Microbiology topics will cover the main classes of microorganisms/infectious agents (viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites), how they are identified, their growth requirements, the role of the immune system in controlling infections and drug strategies that combat these infections.
Prerequisites: BI 152, BI 152L and NUR major
BI 250L Microbiology and Cell Biology for Nurses Laboratory (1)
Laboratory.
Prerequisites: BI152, BI 152L and NUR major
BI 300 Science Writing (1)
Intensive introduction to science writing. Overview of the purpose of scientific and medical publications, peer review, and criteria for inclusion in the literature. Students will focus upon the development of written arguments, discussion of data, and interpretation/analysis. Course will culminate in production and review of a grant proposal, clinical care plan, clinical trial proposal, environmental impact plan, resource management proposal, etc., in an area aligned with the student’s career aspirations.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 307, BI 307L or ENV 201 and ENV 201L or permission of instructor
BI 302 Science Writing – Bioethics and Professional Conduct (1)
Continuation of BI 300. Students will focus upon contemporary ethical issues in science and medicine including funding policies, ethics and conduct of research and medicine. Course will culminate in writing of an authoritative review paper on an issue of interest selected by the student.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 216, BI 216L, BI 300 or permission of instructor
BI 304 Clinical Nutrition (3)
Nursing required course. Study of nutrients and their respective functions, food sources, and physiological needs. Dietary guidance and nutritional requirements through the lifespan are explored. Role of nutrition in prevention of, and intervention in, chronic diseases.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 152, BI 152L, BI 250, BI 250L, CH 250, NUR 202, NUR 203 and NUR major
BI 305 Genetics and Genomics (3)
Nursing required course. Basic concepts in genetics and genomics. Current research, new ways to diagnose genetic conditions and genetic technologies that provide understanding of the genetic component to common chronic diseases are explored. Topics include family history, risk assessment, interventions, genetic testing and counseling, ethical and social issues and use of genetics and genomics to improve clinical practice.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 152, BI 152L, BI 250, BI 250L, CH 250, NUR 202, NUR 203 and NUR major.
BI 307 Molecular Biology I Genes and Genetics (3)
Life cycles and meiosis. Mendelian inheritance. Population genetics. Chromosomal and molecular basis of inheritance. Flow of genetic information. Determining structure and function of genes. Mutation and DNA repair systems. Genetic basis of disease, DNA technology, typing and population genetics. Introduction to genomics and epigenetics.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 210L, BI 216 and BI 216L
BI 307L Molecular Biology I Laboratory Genes and Genetics (1)
Laboratory section accompanying BI 307. Concurrent registration in BI 307 required. Prerequisites: BI 210L, BI 216 and BI 216L (Biology majors). Cross-listed with BC 307L. BI 308 Molecular Biology II Genomics and Epigenomics (3) Components and architecture of genomes. Linkage, physical mapping, and DNA sequencing. Comparing genomes of different species. Role of gene expression and gene networks in differentiation and morphogenesis. Role of DNA methylation and chromatin remodeling in regulation of genes. Role of regulatory RNAs in gene expression.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 307
BI 308 Molecular Biology II Genomics and Epigenetics (3)
Components and architecture of genomes. Linkage, physical mapping, and DNA sequencing. Comparing genomes of different species. Role of gene expression and gene networks in differentiation and morphogenesis. Role of DNA methylation and chromatin remodeling in regulation of genes. Role of regulatory RNAs in gene expression.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 307
BI 308L Molecular Biology II Laboratory Genomics and Epigenetics (1)
Laboratory. Materials intensive fee applies.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 307L
Co-requisites: BI 308
BI 311 Biostatistics (3)
Lecture course devoted to rigorous grounding biological statistics, and in the application of statistical models to global health problems. Biostatistics is a lecture and hands-on course designed to provide students with the opportunity to develop statistical reasoning skills appropriate to analyze and implement biological experiments. Exemplars and case studies will be primarily derived from the public health field. Topics include principles of experimental design, inference, sampling and variables, probability distributions, data categories and assumptions of parametric statistics, risk analysis, repeated measures, goodness of fit and contingency table analyses, and the general linear model.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 216, BI 216L
BI 312 Epidemiology and Public Health (3)
Population based analysis of health and disease focusing on an understanding cause, risk and health determinants in populations and communities. This course covers epidemiologic concepts (including measures of association, bias, confounding, interaction and determination of risk). Epidemiological methodology, including study design and study types, will be covered.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 216 or permission of instructor
BI 320 Developmental Biology (3)
Genetic control and patterning of organisms. Cellular and molecular processes that govern the production of an embryo and the patterning of individual tissues and organs in a manner that is consistent with their physiological functionality. The effect of exogenous stimuli on body patterning in both physiological and pathophysiological situations will be addressed. Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 216, BI 216L, BI 307 , BI 307L
BI 320L Developmental Biology Laboratory (1)
Laboratory. Materials intensive fee applies.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101
Co-requisite: BI 320
BI 321 Advanced Human and Comparative Anatomy (3)
Advanced survey of human gross anatomy and adaptation is used to explore comparative aspects of the developmental biology and adaptations of other vertebrate species.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 216, BI 216L
Co-requisite: BI 321L
BI 321L Advanced Human and Comparative Anatomy laboratory (1)
One three-hour laboratory period per week to accompany BI 321. Simulated gross anatomy of the human and laboratory dissections of organisms including lamprey, dogfish, and cat. Opportunities to participate in human gross anatomical systems review at the Willed Body Program (John A. Burns’ School of Medicine human cadaver laboratory) are provided. Materials intensive fee applies.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 216, BI 216L
Co-requisite: BI 321
BI 360 Biochemistry I (3)
This is the first part of a year-long course where the vast knowledge of biochemistry is filtered through a rational perspective guided by general chemical and biological principles. Following a survey and review of common classes of biologically significant metabolites such as peptides, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, as well as equally important smaller molecules, the emphasis is shifted to biological thermodynamics and enzyme mechanisms. During the latter part of the course the broad spectrum of principles studies is utilized to cover individual metabolic pathways in detail. Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, CH 324, CH 324L
Co-requisite: BI 360L
BI 360L Biochemistry I Laboratory (1)
Students gain experience in the isolation, purification, identification, and quantification of biologically important molecules. Spectroscopic, chromatographic, as well as chemical modification techniques are used in identifying peptides and proteins. Enzyme kinetic studies are carried out for quantification purposes. Materials intensive fee applies.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, CH 324, CH 324L
BI 370 Cell and Molecular Biology (3)
A study of the highly organized molecular and biochemical systems of the fundamental units of all organisms, with an emphasis on structure and function.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, CH 324, CH 324L
Co-requisite: BI 370L
BI 370L Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory (1)
Laboratory emphasizes experiments and exercises using molecular techniques currently in practice in cell biology. Materials intensive fee applies.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101
Co-requisite: BI 370
BI 387 Internship of Field Experience (1-3)
Professional Internship. Career development seminar course plus on-or off-campus internship placements. 45 hours internship required per credit. May be repeated for credit, up to 6 credits may be applied to major.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, JR or SR standing, BI 215, BI 215L (Biology majors) or ENV 201, ENV 201L (ENV majors)
BI 402 Our place in the Kumulipo (3)
This course will introduce students to the early Hawaiian world views and religion to better understand modern day issues and ethical approaches to these problems. It focuses on several foundational schools of science such as Geography, Ecology, Anthropology, Hawaiian Studies, and Policy making to better inform students on their assigned area of research throughout the course. Questions such as "What is a native Hawaiian?", "Who should be in charge managing Hawaii?", and "Can the islands of Hawaii be restored back to its original state ethically?" are all questions students will be asked while simultaneously filtering out what is myth, research bias, and fact. By the end of the course students will be able to better recognize research biases in historical accounts, understand the importance of historical background in research, and create proposals in research and field studies ethically and unbiased. Cross-listed with ENV 402.
BI 410 Advanced Human Physiology I Metabolism and Nutrition (3)
Physiology of energetic and metabolic processes and endocrine control of metabolism in both healthy and disease states. Biochemistry of metabolism and the role of macro- and micronutrients in maintenance of homeostasis are examined. Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 307, BI 307L
BI 410L Advanced Human Physiology I Laboratory Metabolism and Nutrition (1)
Laboratory . Materials intensive fee applies.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 307, BI 307L
Co-requisite: BI 410
BI 411 Advanced Human Physiology II – Neurophysiology (3)
Fundamentals of neurophysiology from the cellular to the system levels. Discussion of neuroanatomy followed by the ionic and pharmacological basis of nerve and synaptic function. Specialized neuronal geometries and synaptic circuitries associated with a variety of sensory, motor and central systems. The laboratory covers extracellular and intracellular techniques in neurophysiology as well as sectioning and immunocytochemistry.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 307, BI 307L
Co-requisites: BI 411L (BI 410, BI 410L recommended)
BI 411L Advanced Human Physiology II Laboratory – Neurophysiology (1)
Laboratory. Materials intensive fee applies.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 411
Co-requisites: BI 411 (BI 410, BI 410L recommended)
BI 420 Systems Biology (3)
This course will focus on the frontiers of our understanding of the multi-level networks that underlie biological systems. Lecture course reviewing the key concepts of the systems biology approach to ecological, organismal and cellular systems. Contribution of cornerstone technologies such as genomics, bioinformatics, proteomics and metabolomics will be reviewed, along with their computational foundations.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BC 308 or BI 308 and BC 308L or BI 308L , BI 311 (recommended)
BI 430 Microbiology (3)
Overview of clinically important pathogenic and non-pathogenic organisms, principles and practice of microbiology and the complexity of the human immune response to infection is emphasized. Materials intensive fee applies.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 307, BI 307L
Co-requisites: BI 430L
BI 430L Microbiology Laboratory (1)
Laboratory. Materials intensive fee applies.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 307, BI 307L
Co-requisite: BI 430
BI 435 Cancer Biology (3)
This course provides students with knowledge of the fundamental principles of the molecular and cellular biology of cancer cells. Lectures and demonstrations explain the role of growth factors, oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, angiogenesis, and signal transduction mechanisms in tumor formation. Discussion of aspects of cancer epidemiology, preventions, and principles of drug action in cancer management is a part of the course.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 307, BI 307L
BI 450 Science Technology and Social Entrepreneurship (3)
Lecture course covering contemporary issues, the underlying sciences and career opportunities in biotechnology and scientific entrepreneurship across business and social sectors. Project based course. Offered in alternate years, spring semester.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BC 216 or BI 216 or ENV 201 and ENV 201L or BU 313 or ENT 301 or permission of instructor
BI 471 Ecology (3)
Environmental-biological interrelations. Concepts of populations, communities, ecosystems, and conservation of resources by man.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 307, BI 307L (BI majors) or ENV 201, ENV 201L (ENV majors)
Corequisite: BI 471
BI 471L Ecology Laboratory (1)
Laboratory. Materials intensive fee applies.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 307, BI 307L (BI majors) or ENV 201, ENV 201L (ENV majors)
Corequisite: BI 471
BI 480 Special Topics (1 to 3)
Selected topics in biology. Lecture or seminar topic in selected area of contemporary biology. May be repeated.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101
BI 490 Senior Seminar (1)
Readings and discussion of special topics or procedures for planning a directed research project and presenting an oral and written report or results.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, SR standing in biology or consent of program advisor
BI 495 Research I (3)
Weekly seminar course accompanying research project (approximately 10 hours per week) performed in Chaminade or other research laboratory under supervision of a practicing research scientist. Materials intensive fee applies.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 308, BI 308L
BI 496 Topics Seminar (1)
Individualized in-depth research, readings and discussions on current topics. Includes intensive library and computer-based searches and several oral reports.
Prerequisites: COM 102, COM 101, BI SR standing
BI 499 Research II: Honors Research (3)
Second semester of research project (approximately 10 hours per week) performed in Chaminade or other research laboratory under supervision of a practicing research scientist. Materials intensive fee applies.
Prerequisites: EN 102, COM 101, BI 495