Simon Collier

current teaching:

BSC 456/556     genes and development    (3 credit course)

recent syllabus here (pdf)

    We all begin life as a single fertilized egg cell and increase in size by multiple cell divisions. Yet somehow we develop into a functioning human being rather than just a large ball of cells. Theoretical models of how the growth and patterning of cells and tissues are regulated to produce functional organs and organisms have been around for decades. However, it has only been in the last twenty years that many of the molecular genetic mechanisms that underlie pattern formation and cell fate decisions have been characterized. How well does our molecular understanding match the traditional models? How have the preexisting models influenced the way we interpret molecular events?

    The Genes and Development course considers aspects of the genetic control of multi-cellular organization from slime molds to humans. The first half of the course is lecture based and focuses primarily on the fruit fly Drosophila as it remains the best model for eukaryotic development. The second half of the course is student led and identifies common development themes in a wide range of organisms through discussion and criticism of current literature and student presentations.

BSC 324             principles of genetics    (4 credit course)

BMS 641            molecular development    (3 credit course)