This course is designed to illustrate how the principles of genetics, biochemistry, ecology, and other fundamental biological sciences that students have learned in other courses can be used to address important real-world environmental issues. The application of biotechnology to either assessing an environmental problem or mediating the problem is emphasized. Class discussion of bioremediation of toxic wastes, agricultural biotechnology, conservation biology, and other topics is followed by presentations of detailed “case studies” prepared by students in consultation with the instructor. In this way, students are exposed to dozens of important environmental issues as well as a wealth of biotechnological methods and approaches. The course is an excellent opportunity to explore research opportunities for graduate school in a wide range of fields as well as to see the opportunities for employment in different biotechnology industries. Students uniformly find this course a rewarding synthesis of the many other science classes that they have taken.

Student Evaluation: 6.68 out of 7

• “This class was very interesting and informative – I learned a lot about bioengineering and bioremediation”
  
  
• “Prof. Lindow is an incredible instructor who is generous with is time and accessible to students – My best class of the semester”
  
  
• “I loved this class – It tied together all of the biology themes that I had learned. It forced me to really think and analyze the material and gave good perspectives on the applications of my major”