Gene Technology
Recombinant DNA technology has brought about a revolution in our understanding of molecular processes in living organisms. To date, there is no field in experimental biology that has remained untouched by the potential of isolating, analyzing and manipulating genes and organisms. Thus, gene technology provides essential tools in both fundamental and applied medical, industrial, agricultural,
Data Management
This course covers database design and the use of databases in applications, with a focus on applications in the life sciences. Topics include the relational model, database design principles, the structured query language (SQL), including temporal and spatial queries. Data lifecycle topics and contemporary issues for data scientists and practitioners are also introduced, i.e. big
Introduction to Machine Learning 2
In this course we continue with discussing machine learning models and algorithms. While the focus in Introduction to Machine Learning 1 was on programming basic models yourself, in this course we will make more use of libraries for the elementary parts and the focus will mainly be on how to combine these parts into more
Structure and function of plants
In this course, the structure, development and physiology of plants is studied at the level of cells, tissues and the whole plant. The focus is on the form and function relationships with respect to the main functions of the plant. The course consists of a cell biological/structural part (with emphasis on cell structure and organisation,
Programming in Python
Programming plays an important role in many domains. In business and science writing or adapting computer programs to process, analyse and visualize data in a suitable format has become common practice. This course aims to help students to understand the underlying principles of programming and equip them with basic skills to create computer programs. The
Agroecology and Agronomy 1
The course focuses on the mutual relation between crop production and environment and consists of two pillars: a. basic principles of crop production ecology, b. sustainability of crop production. The first pillar consists of basic knowledge on how a-biotic (e.g. radiation, temperature, nutrients) and biotic (e.g. pests, diseases and weed) factors influence the productivity of
Breeding for Stress Tolerance and Quality
In current agriculture, abiotic and biotic stress are the main reasons that yield potential and quality aspects are difficult to realize for many crops. Resistance breeding focuses on the use of genetic resources for improving plant defence against stress factors. Breeding for biotic stress resistance addresses with defence mechanisms and strategies that protect host plants
Data Analysis for Plant and Animal Breeding
Data analysis is central to both plant and animal breeding, and the size and complexity of phenotypic and genomic data sets continue to increase. Thus, the ability to analyze and interpret such large data sets is an essential skill for breeders, both in science and industry. In this course you will become familiar with state-of-the-art
Regulation of Plant Development
A unique feature of plants is the fact that environmental factors play a crucial role in their development. In this course, molecular, cell biological, and physiological aspects of plant developmental processes will be discussed. We will cover several conceptual frameworks for the development of plant cell types and organs. The focus will be on how
Ethics and Philosophy for Biologists
This course deals with biology as a science and with moral issues in society that are related to biology. Questions on these topics often don’t have definite answers. The aim of this course is to explore such open questions in two domains of philosophy. We will deal with: 1. Philosophy of science. To understand biology