Course Sections | Registrar

Materials chemistry is one of today's most dynamic research fields, with a significant impact on social development and our way of life. Ceramics, polymers, semiconductors, superconductors, alloys, and composites are the materials of choice for a wide range of applications, from building materials and advanced microelectronics to food packaging and medical implants. To develop or select the proper material for a given application, scientists and engineers must understand the structure of various materials at the microscopic level. This is because macroscopic properties (density, chemical resistance, color, biocompatibility, etc.) are dictated by chemical structure. Today's chemists, engineers, physicists, and biologists are working diligently to develop exotic new materials to enable the revolutionary technologies of the future. The course will present a survey of the field and explore the frontiers (e.g., nanotechnology) of the field via the primary literature. Students must have completed CHE-241 in order to enroll in this class.

Approximately 13 of the 48 known human nuclear receptors (NRs) have approved, clinically used drugs, accounting for roughly 15-20% of all pharmacological drug targets. These include drugs to treat cancer (breast, prostate, blood), autoimmune disorders, diabetes, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, and thyroid diseases. Nuclear receptors are proteins that modulate gene expression through the recruitment of repressor or activator complexes, ultimately controlling expression of downstream gene products. This course will examine the structure and function of the steroid, thyroid and retinoic acid receptors in the cell and drugs that modulate these systems.

"In the heart, it's intention; coming forth in words, it's poetry." So says the "Preface" to the Book of Songs, the ancient classic of Chinese poetry. In this course, we will read selections (in English) from three classical Chinese poets: Wang 亚洲通i, Li Bo [Li Bai], and Du Fu [Tu Fu]. 亚洲通 will study how they use image and metaphor to convey their distinctive ideas about nature, religion, and human life. As background, we'll also read some selections from the Book of Songs, and from Confucius and Buddhism. This is a second-half semester course.