Admission Requirements
A basic understanding of statistical physics is necessary. Material from Classical Mechanics B is also helpful but not absolutely necessary.
Description
Biophysics is different from “ordinary” physics as it studies systems that came about by evolution. In this course you learn that quantitative theoretical physics approaches are an essential ingredient to understand biological systems. This course treats biophysics at a level appropriate to MSc students: a mix of lectures, in-class discussions, reading assignments, homework, and student presentations of recent scientific papers. The following topics are discussed:
1. DNA packaging into nucleosomes: How can DNA be packaged and accessible at the same time? Subjects covered include the structure of the DNA double helix, the worm-like chain model, Euler elasticas, Kirchhoff kinetic analogy, nucleosome breathing, micromanipulation experiments, dynamical force spectroscopy
2. DNA melting: What happens to DNA when we heat it, a smooth dissociation of its two strands or a dramatic first-order phase transition? Subjects covered include the relationship between polymer statistics and critical phenomena, the Poland-Scheraga model and the corresponding melting curves
Course Objectives
After completion of this course, you will be able to:
Solve complicated problems in DNA mechanics and DNA melting
Analyze scientific papers in biophysics and present the essence thereof to an audience
Critically assess the usefulness of handwaving explanations of results found in biophysics experiments
Generic Skills (Soft Skills)
You will be able to:
master a new field of study in biophysics within a given time period
present your findings to fellow students in a convincing and inspiring way
Timetable
Mode of instruction
mix of lectures, in-class discussions, reading assignments, homework, and student presentations of recent scientific papers
Assessment method
The final grade is composed of three components: the student presentation of a recent research paper (6/10th), homework (2/10) and a takehome exam (2/10).
Blackboard
To have access to Blackboard you need a ULCN-account.Blackboard UL
Reading list
Suggested reading material: H. Schiessel: “Biophysics for Beginners: Journey through the Cell Nucleus” Pan Stanford Publishing, Singapore, 2014
Contact
Lecturer: Prof.dr. H. Schiessel (Helmut)