Biological Sciences

Master of Science in Biological Sciences PhD in Biological Sciences

Fields of Specialization:

Cell and Molecular Biology

Ecology and Evolution

Neurobiology and Physiology

Plant Sciences and Oenology and Viticulture

Faculty Dean

Ian D. Brindle

Faculty of Mathematics & Sciences

Graduate Faculty

Professors

Michael Bidochka (Biological Sciences), Douglas H. Bruce (Biological Sciences), Stefan Brudzynski (Psychology), Vincenzo De Luca (Biological Sciences), Yousef Haj-Ahmad (Biological Sciences), Fiona F. Hunter (Biological Sciences), Cheryl McCormick (Psychology), A. Joffre Mercier (Biological Sciences), Andrew G. Reynolds (Biological Sciences)

Associate Professors

Robert L. Carlone (Biological Sciences), Alan J. Castle (Biological Sciences), Charles Després (Biological Sciences), David Gabriel (Physical Education and Kinesiology), Debbie Inglis (Biological Sciences), Isabelle Lesschaeve (Cool Climate Oenology & Viticulture Institute), Dan McCarthy (Earth Sciences), John Middleton (Tourism & Environment), Sandra Peters (Physical Education & Kinesiology), Gary Pickering (Biological Sciences), Miriam H. Richards (Biological Sciences), Adonis Skandalis (Biological Sciences), Gaynor Spencer (Biological Sciences), Glenn Tattersall (Biological Sciences), Evangelia L. Tsiani (Community Health Sciences), Hui Di Wang (Community Health Sciences)

Assistant Professors

Jean Richardson (Biological Sciences), Jeff Stuart (Biological Sciences)

Adjunct Professors

Helen Fisher (Department of Plant Agriculture, Vineland Campus, University of Guelph), Arthur Retnakaran (Natural Resources Canada, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault-Ste. Marie, ON), Antonet Svircev (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Vineland Station, ON), Lining Tian (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London, ON)

Graduate Program Director

Miriam Richards

miriam@brocku.ca

Administrative Assistants

Caroline Barrow, Linda Di Raddo

905-688-5550, extension 3388

Mackenzie Chown, F234

http://www.brocku.ca/biology/graduate/gradstudiesbiol.php

Program Description

The department offers research-based graduate programs leading to MSc and PhD degrees in Biological Sciences in the following fields: Cell and Molecular Biology; Ecology and Evolution; Neurobiology and Physiology; Plant Sciences, Oenology and Viticulture.

Admission Requirements - MSc

Successful completion of an Honours Bachelor's degree, or equivalent, normally with an overall average of not less than 78% and having sufficient concentration in the life sciences, physical sciences or mathematics. Agreement from a faculty supervisor to supervise the student is also required for admission to the program.

Those lacking sufficient background preparation may be required to complete a qualifying term/year to upgrade their applications. Completion of a qualifying term/year does not guarantee acceptance into the program.

The Departmental Graduate Committee will review applications and recommend admission for a limited number of suitable candidates.

Part-time study is available.

Degree Requirements - MSc

Students may be admitted on either a part-time or full-time basis. For full-time studies, a minimum of one year (12 months) of resident, full-time study is required. Students registered as full-time will be expected to complete all degree requirements within two years. Students registered as part-time will be expected to complete all degree requirements within four years. Students who wish to transfer to the PhD program must complete one year (12 months) of resident full-time study as MSc students and then must successfully complete the predoctoral exam (see Program Requirements - PhD, below).

All students must complete a research project that culminates in a thesis and demonstrates a capacity for independent thought and work. There will be an oral defence of the written thesis.

Students must enrol in BIOL 5F90 each term. In addition to BIOL 5F90, candidates must complete a minimum of one and one-half credits of course work at not less than 70 percent. These must include BIOL 5P95; at least one-half credit from BIOL 5P85, 5P86, 5P87 or 5P88; and one-half credit from BIOL courses numbered 5(alpha)00 or higher. Courses are chosen in consultation with the Supervisory Committee. The thesis supervisor may not offer all the courses in a candidate's program. Additional credits may be required of candidates with insufficient preparation in the area of research specialization. In addition to the above coursework, students will participate in the running of undergraduate courses in the Department of Biological Sciences at Brock University as teaching assistants for a minimum of one term (for which a graduate teaching stipend will be received).

Admission Requirements - PhD

Successful completion of a Master's degree, or equivalent in Biological Sciences with an overall average of not less than 80%. Alternatively, students who have successfully completed one year in the Brock Biological Sciences MSc program, normally including completion of all MSc course work with grades of at least 80% in each course, may apply to transfer to the PhD program following successful completion of the Biological Sciences predoctoral exam. Current guidelines for transferring from the MSc to the PhD program should be obtained from the Graduate Program Director.

The Departmental Graduate Committee will review applications and recommend admission for a limited number of suitable candidates.

Part-time study is not available.

Degree Requirements - PhD

A minimum of three years (36 months) of resident, full-time study is required. Students will be expected to complete all degree requirements within four years following entry into the PhD program. Students will participate in the running of undergraduate courses in the Department of Biological Sciences at Brock University as teaching assistants for a minimum of one term (for which a graduate teaching stipend will be received).

All students must complete a research project that culminates in a thesis and demonstrates independent thought and work, and which represents an original contribution to scientific knowledge. There will be an oral defence of the written thesis. The student will be guided in all aspects of his or her graduate program by a supervisory committee.

Students must enrol in BIOL 7F90 each term. In addition, course work is required of all PhD students. Students entering the PhD program after completion of an MSc must satisfactorily complete at least two half courses, namely BIOL 7P95 and a 5(alpha)00 course not cross-listed with a 4(alpha)00 course. Students who transfer from the MSc to the PhD program must satisfactorily complete at least five half courses, namely BIOL 5P95; BIOL 7P95; one of BIOL 5P85, 5P86, 5P87 or 5P88; one half-credit course numbered 5(alpha)00 or higher that is not cross-listed with a 4(alpha)00 course; and one additional BIOL course numbered 5(alpha)00 and higher. The thesis supervisor may not offer all the courses in a candidate's program. When appropriate and with permission of the supervisory committee, courses offered outside the Department of Biological Sciences may be taken to fulfill course requirements. Depending on their background, candidates may be required to take extra courses from either the graduate or undergraduate calendar.

Continued enrolment in the Doctor of Philosophy program requires the successful completion of a predoctoral examination. The predoctoral examination will comprise an oral exam on the student's written PhD research proposal including the scientific background appropriate to the proposal. For PhD students with an MSc degree, the predoctoral exam will take place after the second term but no later than the sixth term (third or fourth term is recommended). The Predoctoral Examining Committee shall consist of the student's supervisory committee plus two faculty members from the Department of Biological Sciences, one of whom shall be the Departmental Chair or the Chair's Representative. The predoctoral examination has three possible outcomes for students registered in the PhD program: Pass (students may continue in the program), Probation (students will be required to retry the predoctoral exam within a specific time frame, not to exceed 3 months), Fail (students will be required to withdraw from the program immediately). When the decision of the predoctoral examination is Probation, then students will be allowed to retry the examination only once. The predoctoral examination has two possible outcomes for MSc students who wish to transfer to the PhD: Pass (students may transfer to the PhD program), Fail (students will be allowed to submit and defend an MSc thesis).

Financial support

Full time students (MSc and PhD) will normally be supported by some combination of provincial or federal scholarships, a research fellowship/assistantship paid from the research operating grants of supervising faculty, a graduate fellowship from the University, and teaching assistantships in undergraduate courses in the Brock Department of Biological Sciences. In addition, international students may receive fellowships and/or bursaries to help offset the cost of higher tuition fees. Students in financial need may qualify for additional bursaries.

Facilities

The department is well equipped with state of the art laboratory equipment for all fields of biology research. A greenhouse, plant growth chamber and facilities for the growth and maintenance of terrestrial and aquatic animals are available to students. Also available are facilities for culture of animal, yeast and bacterial cells; a walk-in plant tissue culture room and associated tissue culture facility; and laminar flow tanks for aquatic animal research. The department's specialized equipment holdings include spectrophotometers, a fluorescence spectrometer; a phosphorimager scanner; a scanning electron microscope; fluorescence microscopes and state of the art computer imaging systems; a confocal microscope; a laser capture microscope, a two-photon laser scanning microscope; computer controlled electrophysiological research stations for stimulation and recording of muscle, nerve and whole animal electrical activity; microplate readers; fluorescence imagers; real-time PCR machines; biophysical spectrometers for high sensitivity absorbance, linear dichroism, circular dichroism, photoacoustic and picosecond time-resolved fluorescence; and a parallel computing PC cluster for mathematical modeling of biological systems. The department also possesses modern genomics and proteomics facilities.

The department runs the Wildlife Research Station in Algonquin Provincial Park, a multi-use facility where graduate students from several Universities conduct ecological research.

Associated with the Department of Biological Sciences, the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) is housed in Inniskillin Hall. The CCOVI research facilities include a biotechnology laboratory, viticulture laboratory, a state of the art sensory evaluation laboratory, pilot winery and a 43,000 bottle wine cellar which includes the Canadian Wine Library.

Course Descriptions

Note: Not all courses are offered in every session. Refer to the Timetable for scheduling information:

http://www.brocku.ca/registrar/guides/grad/timetable/terms.php

BIOL 5F90

MSc Thesis

The preparation and public defence of a thesis which will demonstrate the candidate's capacity for independent study.

BIOL 5P03

Topics in Photobiology

A graduate seminar/lecture course covering topics in photobiology. A series of lectures designed to introduce some of the major research areas in photobiology will be followed by student seminars on selected topics (usually two or three papers on one subject).

Note: Course taught in conjunction with BIOL 4P03.

BIOL 5P06

Bioinformatics

(also offered as BTEC 5P06)

Genome sequencing projects. Gene discovery. Analysis of gene expression. Analysis of DNA/RNA/Protein sequence data, including mutagenic processes, molecular evolution and systematics, codon usage, reconstruction of ancient molecules and prediction of higher level molecular structure.

Note: Course taught in conjunction with BIOL 4P06.

BIOL 5P09

Topics in animal and plant signal transduction pathways

(also offered as BTEC 5P09)

Perception of stimuli to effects on gene expression. Emphasis on the molecular/biochemical tools used to study these pathways.

Note: Course taught in conjunction with BIOL 4P09.

BIOL 5P10

Mechanisms in Plant Biochemistry

(also offered as BTEC 5P10)

Molecular and chemical control of plant disease processes and development. Focus on the detailed signaling mechanisms and outcomes of signal transduction to a plant phenotype. Emphasis on case studies that highlight the different phases of this process, including the identification of signals, signal perception, signal transduction and reaction to the signal transduction cascade to produce a phenotype.

BIOL 5P20

Sensory Evaluation of Wines

This course will focus on the measurement techniques used in the sensory evaluation of wine and food. Other topics covered include the physiology of taste and olfaction, chemistry of aroma and flavour, origins of off-odors in wines, and advanced readings in current topics in sensory evaluation and sensory science.

Note: Course taught in conjunction with OEVI 4P20.

BIOL 5P28

Developmental Neurobiology

A seminar course on the principles of neural development. Topics include cell lineage and early determinative events, trophic functions, growth and plasticity, synaptogenesis and gene expression in the establishment of the nervous system.

Note: Course taught in conjunction with BIOL 4P28.

BIOL 5P29

Current Topics in Animal Physiology

Topical subjects in animal physiology, covering recent and/or controversial research in respiratory, thermoregulatory, and cardiovascular physiology and their neural control. Topics may vary from year to year depending on student interests.

Note: Course taught in conjunction with BIOL 4P29.

BIOL 5P31

Cell Physiology

Normal and pathological aspects of cellular physiology, emphasizing bioenergetics and metabolism, responses to physiological stress, and molecular mechanisms of adaptation.

Note: Course taught in conjunction with BIOL 4P31.

BIOL 5P34

Systems Neurophysiology

Neuronal networks and integrative mechanisms in the nervous system. Selected topics include the visual system, rhythm generators and motor function, and learning and memory.

Note: Course taught in conjunction with BIOL 4P34.

BIOL 5P41

Selected Topics in Biophysics

A course offered using the combined biophysical resources of Brock, McMaster, Guelph and Waterloo universities. Participation in two symposia. Information concerning the course and the selection of individual symposia can be obtained from the departmental course co-ordinator.

BIOL 5P50

Mutagenesis in Disease and Biotechnology

(also offered as BTEC 5P50)

This seminar course will explore the various mechanisms of mutagenesis of the genetic material, how they contribute to disease, and how they can be adapted to produce new biomolecules.

Note: Course taught in conjunction with BIOL 4P50.

BIOL 5P51

Molecular Virology

A seminar course on virus-host interaction, productive cycle, effect of virus on host cell and organism, interferon, DNA and RNA tumor viruses, viral vectors, gene therapy and recombinant viral vaccines.

Note: Course taught in conjunction with BIOL 4P51.

BIOL 5P53

Immunology

(also offered as BTEC 5P53)

A seminar course on humoral and cellular immunity; structure and synthesis of immunoglobulins; origin of antibody diversity; transplantation immunity and the importance of the major histocompatibility complex; autoimmunity and allergic reactions.

Note: Course taught in conjunction with BIOL 4P53 and BTEC 4P53.

BIOL 5P56

Genes and Behaviour

Genetic, developmental and environmental influences on the behaviour of invertebrates and vertebrates. Single versus multilocus effects and the inheritance of quantitative behavioural traits. Analyses of gene expression and genetic pathways influencing behaviour in model animals.

Note: Course taught in conjunction with BIOL 4P56.

BIOL 5P58

Fungal Genetics

An examination of transmission and molecular genetics of fungi. Recent advances in gene manipulation and the contribution of studies on these organisms to general genetics principles.

Note: Course taught in conjunction with BIOL 4P58.

BIOL 5P59

Bacterial Genetics

(also offered as BTEC 5P59)

Molecular and transmission genetics of bacteria. Bacterial genetics from early description of transformation and transduction to current developments in molecular genetics.

Note: Course taught in conjunction with BIOL 4P57.

BIOL 5P61

Natural Selection and Adaptation

A seminar course with an emphasis on reading and discussion of current literature encompassing empirical studies of natural selection and adaptation. The course will also include an examination of both the theoretical and empirical foundations underlying current research in the field.

Note: Course taught in conjunction with BIOL 4P61.

BIOL 5P64

Insect Behaviour

Exploration of selected topics in the field of insect behaviour. Topics include programming and integration of behaviour, orientation and dispersal, feeding behaviour, chemical, visual and acoustical communication, defensive behaviour, reproductive behaviour and the eusocial insects.

Note: Course taught in conjunction with BIOL 4P64.

BIOL 5P66

Seminar in Insect Biology

Current topics in the field of insect biology. Possible course themes include: behavioural ecology of insects, insect systematics, coevolution of plants and insects, speciation processes, evolution of insect mating systems, insect metamorphosis.

BIOL 5P67

Biophysical Techniques

(also offered as BTEC 5P67 and CHEM 5P67)

An advanced seminar/lecture course on experimental techniques in biophysics. The focus is on understanding the theory, applications and limitations of a variety of techniques students will encounter during their graduate studies. Techniques will range from advanced spectroscopy (absorption, fluorescence, NMR, X-ray diffraction) to molecular biochemistry.

Note: Course taught in conjunction with BIOL/CHEM/BCHM 4P67.

BIOL 5P68

Sociobiology

Advanced examination of how natural selection shapes social behaviour emphasizing the evolution of co-operation and altruism. Interplay among social interactions between individuals, physical interactions and intrinsic factors defining societies.

Note: Course taught in conjunction with BIOL 4P62.

BIOL 5P73

Advanced Wine Flavour

This course will investigate advanced topics on the biosynthesis, chemistry and perception of wine-relevant flavour compounds. A focus will be the critical analysis and discussion of current literature, and how it informs our understanding of the specific roles of viticultural and oenological practices in the formation of wine flavour. The course will also consider recent advances in the analytical and sensoric measurement of aroma, taste and tactile stimuli. An appropriate background in wine chemistry and sensory evaluation is recommended.

BIOL 5P85

Current Topics in Ecology and Evolution

This course will cover three or four current topics in ecology and evolution and involve critical analysis and discussion of current literature. Topics include concepts in behavioural ecology, community ecology, population ecology, sexual selection, adaptation, and phylogenetic analysis.

BIOL 5P86

Current Topics in Basic and Applied Plant Biology

(also offered as BTEC 5P86)

An investigation into a number of topics in plant biology. Topics will vary and may include plant disease,signal transduction, secondary metabolism, physiology and photosynthesis, biotechnological applications and oenology and viticulture.

BIOL 5P87

Current Topics in Neurobiology or Physiology

This course will investigate topics in contemporary Neurobiology and or Physiology at cellular, molecular or systemic levels. Approval of the departmental graduate studies committee is required prior to registration.

BIOL 5P88

Current Topics in Cell and Molecular Biology

Recent advances in cellular and molecular biology, including topics such as aging, adaptation, pathological dysfunction, cancer biology, and flow of genetic information

BIOL 5P95

Graduate Seminar

Students will present seminars and an essay on two topics, one of which differs from their thesis topics. Attendance throughout the academic year, September-April, is required.

BIOL 5V80

Selected Topics in Biological Sciences

An investigation of a specific area or group of related topics in biology. Approval of the departmental Graduate Studies committee is required prior to registration.

BIOL 7F90

PhD Research and Thesis

Preparation, public defence, and examination of a thesis that demonstrates the candidate's ability for independent thought and study at the appropriate level.

BIOL 7P95

PhD Graduate Seminar on Current Ideas in Biology

Designed to familiarize students with active areas of research in all fields of biological science. Students will attend the weekly biology seminar series, read relevant literature prior to the presentation, engage in discussion with the seminar speakers and produce two essays on topics chosen from the seminar series. Student discussions with seminar speakers will be facilitated by faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences.