Academics

Spring Quarter at MBL

Applications for the Spring Quarter program are currently open!
Apply HERE

Read an article generated from student research during Spring Quarter.

In Spring 2025 we are continuing promotion of courses at The Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA.  Their Semester in Biological Discovery program offers specific opportunities for students interested in the biological sciences and neuroscience.  Students can customize the courses they'll take based on their own interest in these topic areas - see the options below.

Click Here to read a story documenting the 2021 Spring Quarter at MBL!

Courses

 

       Module 1

        Module 2

      Module 3

  Students Choose One Students Choose One Students Choose One
 

BIOS 27750

Stem Cells & Regeneration 

BIOS (# TBA)

Embryology

BIOS 20198

Biodiversity

 

BIOS 27724 /

NSCI 21515 

Introduction to Imaging for Biological Research

 

NSCI 21510 /

BIOS 27753

Fundamentals of Synapses

NSCI 21530 /

BIOS 27752

Dynamic Camouflage

 

(Optional) - Available during each module.

HiPS 25902 / BIOS 29270 / CHSS 34300 / HIST 25511

A History of Cell Molecular Biology

  

Click below to learn more about the Semester in Biological Discovery program!

 

Program Information

    The MBL Spring Quarter will run from March 24 to May 30, 2025. The Spring Quarter joins the Semester in Biological Discovery three weeks after semester students.

    Please note the program continues through UChicago finals week. Students will be able to return to Chicago in time for Class Day and Convocation. 

    Program Fee: $8,075

    The program fee includes all housing, food and course supplies. Travel costs are not included. Need-based financial aid is available, and will be automatically applied to the program fee for students who are accepted into the program.

    Tuition will be processed as normal for the Spring Quarter.

    Applications for the Spring Quarter program are open now!

    Use this link to apply for the SBD Program for Spring Quarter! Spaces are limited so be sure to apply early!

    Priority Admission Deadline: November 1

    Rolling Admission Deadline: November 31

    Students are required to live on the Marine Biological Laboratory campus in dorms provided as part of the program.

    Participants will need to opt-out of Spring Quarter housing on-campus, and move out of university housing on Saturday, March 15 by 12PM.

Course Descriptions

    A. Gillis  agillis@mbl.edu   

    This course presents an overview of the diversity of living organisms, including archaea, bacteria, single-celled eukaryotes, fungi, plants, and animals, with an emphasis on their evolutionary histories, relationships, and the biological and evolutionary implications of the characteristic features of each group. We will explore how these different lineages have evolved remarkable solutions to challenges in locomotion, metabolism, and life in extreme environments.  Work in the lab will take advantage of the diversity of organisms that live around, or are maintained at, The Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA.

    K. Echeverri    kecheverri@mbl.edu

    This course will focus on contemporary stem cell biology and regeneration with emphasis on molecular mechanisms and applications. The course will cover the history of stem cell discoveries through the latest advances, including genome-wide profiling, targeted gene editing, and other techniques used in stem cell and regeneration research. A portion of the course will consist of modules where specific stem cell types will be discussed together with relevant diseases they could impact (i.e. stem cells and neurodegeneration). A focus of the course will be around how discoveries in aquatic research organisms have driven the progress in regeneration biology.  In this classroom and lab based course, students will have the opportunity to work on an independent research project under the supervision of a Resident Faculty at MBL. The lab portion of the course will introduce and provide hands-on experience on experimental approaches and techniques used in cell biology, development, and regeneration research. There will be a focus on microscopy (brightfield, fluorescence, high-resolution microscopy) and use of open source software to analyze images. There will be an introduction into the use of stains, antibodies, and genetically-encoded fluorescent markers to analyze cellular structures in aquatic organisms that include axolotls, nematostella, worms, cephlapods and zebrafish. In addition, this course will provide hands-on experience on molecular tools to generate DNA constructs and introduce the use of CRISPR as an important tool to knockdown gene function in genetic and non-genetic experimental systems.

    L. Kerr  lkerr@mbl.edu     C. Wolff  cwolff@mbl.edu

    Imaging has been, and continues to be, a critical tool in biological research.  This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of imaging, but will quickly advance to discussing cutting edge advancements in the field.  More importantly, the course will focus on hands-on opportunities to use state-of-the art microscopes, as well as provide an opportunity for students to design and execute an original research project which makes use of the skills gained during the course.  Students will begin by building their own, simple microscopes, and then move on to learning how to use confocal and electron microscopes, as well as mastering techniques for fixed and live sample preparation.  In addition, students will analyze the data they collect using several software tools.  Lectures will be designed to introduce each topic, as well as highlight limitations and challenges in the field.

    Dr. Roger Hanlon       rhanlon@mbl.edu

    This course takes an integrative approach to understanding a neurally controlled system of dynamic defense against visual predators. Camouflage is a widespread form of defense throughout the animal kingdom in every known habitat - land or sea. In the oceans, cephalopods (cuttlefish, octopus, squid) have evolved a sophisticated sensorimotor system called Rapid Adaptive Coloration, which can instantaneously change their total body appearance within a fraction of a second to range from highly camouflaged to startlingly conspicuous for a wide range of behaviors. The forms and functions of this dynamic system will be teased apart in integrative fashion in a top-down approach from ecology to organismal biology to organs, tissues and cells. The course touches on neural anatomy, sensation, visual perception (including psychophysics) and animal behavior. There are also applied biology aspects of this system that will be presented as well.

    J. Morgan jmorgan@mbl.edu        J. Rosenthal jrosenthal@mbl.edu

    In this course, students will learn about the fundamentals of synapses, from molecular analysis to structure and function. Marine and aquatic models have historically provided a unique opportunity to investigate synaptic function due to the large size of their neurons, including the synaptic connections. Today, these synapse models are used to study basic principles of neuron-to-neuron communication (synaptic transmission), as well as disease mechanisms. In addition to lectures and discussions of key literature, this course will feature hands-on laboratory-based exercises in molecular genetics, imaging and physiology of synapses, as well as independent "discovery" projects to explore new topics in synapse biology.

    K. Matlin kmatlin@uchicago.edu

    This course will trace the parallel histories of cell and molecular biology, focusing particularly on the 20th century. Through discussion, we will explore continuities and discontinuities between these fields and their precursors. In addition, we will strive to not only develop definitions of cell and molecular biology that are based upon their practices and explanatory strategies, but also to determine to what extent these practices and strategies overlap. Finally, we will examine the relevance of these definitions to current developments in biology. This seminar is not designed to be comprehensive, but rather to provide an overall framework for thinking about the historical development of and conceptual tensions between cell and molecular biology.

    More information will be added here soon!