MSE 473

Credit: 3 hours.

This senior course will emphasize fundamental, unifying principles in biomolecular materials science. The major classes of materials under consideration include: nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and sugars. Specific and non-specific interactions which govern biomolecular behavior in a wide range of contexts (ex. self-assembly, cell adhesion) will also be covered. The relation of our present state of knowledge to extant empirical evidence will be emphasized, and integrated with discussions of experimental characterization and manipulation techniques in biotechnology. A case study term project involving application of course content and expository research into current literature will be required.