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NUFS 8970: Advanced Topics in Nutrition and Food Science
SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION

Summer 2009, 1 credit
Mini-Semester I, May 21- June 25, 2009

Dr. Suresh Mathews, 101 Poultry Sci Bldg.
Email: mathest@auburn.edu

 

Did you know that much of a scientist's time is spent writing and communicating his/her results, in the form of manuscripts, grant applications, talks, and poster presentations? Yet many of us have never been formally "taught" these things. As a grad student, here is an opportunity for you to get to know the ABCs of scientific communication…


Course Description: Graduate level overview of techniques for oral, poster and written scientific presentations. Emphasis will be on oral presentation delivery, proposal development, content organization and audience perspective. The course consists of lectures, student presentations and constructive critiques that take place intensively over the 5- week course period.

Improving Science Communication Cartoon

Location: 102B Poultry Sci Bldg Conference Room

Class Time: TBA (after discussion with students)

Grading Policies: Grades will be based on attendance (10%), level of participation (20%), and assigned presentations (70%). There will be no examinations.

Attendance at all classes is required.

 

Course Registration: Send an email to Dr. Mathews (mathest@auburn.edu)

 

 

 

 

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NEW COURSE!

NUFS 8970: Advanced Topics in Nutrition
MOLECULAR BASIS OF NUTRITIONAL AND METABOLIC DISEASES
Instructor: Suresh Mathews, Ph.D
3 credits
Prerequisites: BCHE 6180 or BCHE 6190

 

Students have an opportunity to review and analyze key papers that provide physiological and molecular evidence that bears on a topic of current interest in human nutrition and related diseases. Additionally, students learn skills necessary for critical thinking, and oral and written presentations.


Time:             Tuesdays:                               3:30 am – 4:45 pm, PSB 102B
                      Thursdays Journal Club:        4:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Greene Hall

Goal: Discuss the physiological and molecular basis of chronic diseases and develop concepts to investigate underlying biological mechanisms. 

Format: Several chronic diseases/conditions (obesity, diabetes, inflammation, cardiovascular disease) will be examined starting with a brief introduction to the disease in question followed by discussions on various aspects of the underlying biology. This will range from basic physiology to molecular mechanisms. The classes will be in discussion format. Several papers will be distributed in each meeting for the next class. Students will run the discussions and the instructor will guide/participate. The primary goal of this course is to develop excellent scientific reading and communication skills, with a focus on biological aspects of a critical health problem. The students will also attend the Boshell Research Journal Club on Thursdays at 4:00 P.M. to get further exposure to current research in diet-related diseases.

Grading: The final lectures are open for student presentations. In these meetings, each student will pick a paper from recent literature in diet-related disease mechanisms to present and discuss with the rest of the class. They will also provide a written critique of a manuscript distributed at the end of the discussion sessions. The course grade will be based on final presentation (25%), the written criticism (25%) and class participation (50%).

 

NUFS-8970-001

ADV TOPICS IN NUTR & FOOD SCI: Molecular Basis of Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases

Date: TBD

Tue, 3:30 – 4:45 pm, 102B PSB; Thu, 4:00 – 5:00 pm, 203 Greene Hall – Journal Club

 

 

Class 1

 

Insulin action, signal transduction, Glucose homeostasis

 

Class 2

 

Obesity, Insulin resistance, Diabetes, Thrifty gene hypothesis

 

Class 3

 

Adipocytes: an endocrine organ, Fat depots secretions and

 

 

insulin sensitivity

 

Class 4

 

Peripheral actions of leptin on glucose and lipid metabolism

 

Class 5

 

Adiponectin and adiponectin receptors in insulin action

 

Class 6

 

Resistin and insulin resistance

 

Class 7

 

Fetuin and insulin action

 

Class 8

 

PPARs in experimental models of obesity

 

Class 9

 

PPAR mutations in humans

 

Class 10

 

Lessons from IR knockout mice

 

 

Paper for critique handed out

 

Class 11

 

AMPK, the master switch in metabolism

 

Class 12

 

Inflammatory mediators in obesity and insulin resistance

 

 

 

Class 13

 

Genomics and obesity

 

Class 14

 

Student Presentations and Discussions

 

Class 15

 

Student Presentations and Discussions

 

Class 16

 

Student Presentations and Discussions