Admission requirements
This course is open to all students that have been admitted to the minor ‘Quantitative Biology’. Students have to select either this course or the course ‘Elementary practical mathematics for non-mathematicians’, depending on their background. Please consult the course or minor coordinator when there is uncertainty about which course is the most appropriate.
Description
Biology can be described as the dynamic study of life, i.e. the study of the vital functions of living organisms and their organs, cells and molecules. In this course we will focus on the functioning of organisms at the level of individual cells and the integration of the cellular functions at the organ and whole body levels. In the course we will study, at a basic level, the cell biology and cellular physiology of excitable and non-excitable cells, the understanding and analysis of ion fluxes in cell signaling, examples of cellular regulation systems and some practical implications of cell physiology dis-functioning in health and disease. The course includes lectures, and possibly hands-on experience of the patch-clamp technique in the laboratory (i.e. measure the ionic current through an ion channel by yourself) to make you understand the cellular physiological principles and their interactions underlying the functioning of organisms. The role of cellular and molecular physiology in the organ and whole system physiology is discussed and we explore research techniques and key scientific research methods.
Course Objectives
Students with a mathematically oriented background will learn basic concepts and methods from biology that are necessary to properly understand and communicate with researchers in the Life Sciences. In particular, they gain insight into the type of research questions that are typically considered and their motivation. Focus is on questions from the fields of physiology and cell biology. The students learn related research methodologies.
Final qualifications:
Students have basic knowledge of biological terminology and concepts.
Understanding what type of research questions are biologically (ir)relevant in a selected part of the field of physiology and cell biology and being able to explain why.
Knowledge and understanding of some methodologies to examine afore mentioned research questions experimentally, including their limitations.
Skills to communicate with Life Science researchers, grasping the essential research questions of interest and the motivation to study these questions in particular.
Timetable
The time table is provisional and provided times are indicative. A detailed final schedule will become available before the start of the minor. It is foreseen that he course starts intensively in the first two weeks of September, then less intensively in the next two weeks. In week 5 the course is closed by a written exam.
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
Mode of instruction
Lectures and exercise sessions.
Assessment method
Oral exam over selected study material on individually chosen biological topic (100%). The retake exam is also oral. The exams are scheduled individually.
Reading list
Will be announced.
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for enrolling on time through MyStudyMap.
In this short video, you can see step-by-step how to enrol for courses in MyStudyMap.
Extensive information about the operation of MyStudyMap can be found here.
There are two enrolment periods per year:
Enrolment for the fall opens in July
Enrolment for the spring opens in December
See this page for more information about deadlines and enrolling for courses and exams.
Note:
It is mandatory to enrol for all activities of a course that you are going to follow.
Your enrolment is only complete when you submit your course planning in the ‘Ready for enrolment’ tab by clicking ‘Send’.
Not being enrolled for an exam/resit means that you are not allowed to participate in the exam/resit.
Exchange and Study Abroad students: please see the Prospective students website for information on the application procedure.
Contact
Course coordinator: Prof. Dr. B. van Duijn Email: a.van.duijn@biology.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
Brightspace will be used for communication and provision of course material.
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.