PHYS 598 BP :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Course Description
Objectives
This course provides training in advanced biophysical techniques through hands-on laboratory exercises and weekly lectures as background. Topics will cover general optical and fluorescence spectroscopy, introduction to various microscope techniques - wide field, bright field, DIC, fluorescence, single-molecule fluorescence imaging, FRET, super-resolution fluorescence imaging, and atomic force microscopy and, if time permits, a unit on computational Visual Molecular Dynamics tools. The course is targeted to graduate students and advanced undergraduates from physics, biophysics, engineering, MCB, and chemistry. Enrollment is limited to 12 due to lab space, so you are encouraged to register early. Lectures and Labs will be held in Loomis Laboratory and the Institute for Genomic Biology.
Please address questions about the course to Paul Selvin or Jaya Yodh.
Course Structure
Lectures: Except for week 1, lectures will be held as indicated (see Course Schedule) on Mondays 4:00-4:50 pm in Loomis 322. During week 1, Lectures will be held during both Tuesday and Thursday lab time periods in Loomis 322. In week 2, the Monday lecture is in Loomis 464. Lectures will cover concepts and theory behind experimental techniques being taught in the lab sessions.
Laboratory:
Format: 5 experimental labs will be offered in total. Each experimental lab is taught over 2 weeks to 4 groups (Groups A-D) of ~3 students in two consecutive 4-hr lab sessions (I and II). The hands-on experiments and analysis will be mixed over each 2 week period (for example – 6 hrs total of taking data & 2 hrs of analysis). Students will be expected to do the remainder of the analysis on their own. In summary, 2 experimental labs will be taught over a total of 4 weeks to 12 students
Lab Time Period: Tues or Thur 1:00-4:50 pm in indicated location (See Course Schedule)
Groups A-D consist of ~3 students each. Groups meet on either Tuesday or Thursday
Lab Handouts will be available online prior to the lab an will include training resources (required readings and tutorials) for each lab.
Lab Reports: Each student will turn in a lab report summarizing the data he/she took during the lab and answering all quesitons in the lab handout. Reports will be due at the following week's lab session. Solutions will be available online after the due date.