The Cell as a Machine

Catalog description

The course is a general survey of cell mechanics, emphasizing problem-based and hypothesis-testing approaches. It is based on the concept that the cell is a complex machine, and that the cell can therefore be understood by first understanding principles of complex functions in robust machines, and then understanding the design and operation of complex functions specifically in cells. The course has been offered internationally for many years using a reverse-classroom format. Lectures, which are given primarily by Michael Sheetz, former director of the Mechanobiology Institute at the National University of Singapore, are pre-recorded and viewed independently by students, who also do outside reading and prepare questions in advance of a live, remote, 2 hour question/discussion session with Dr. Sheetz. The Penn course directors are present at all question/discussion sections, and lead tutorials on site. Homework and exams are graded, and Penn course directors will review them for consistency. Other sites that will be involved in the course in the coming year include Columbia, MIT, and Berkeley. Graduate Standing or permission of the instructor.