BIOL20060

The success of life on earth can largely be attributed to the high degree of organisation that can be seen in biological systems. Such systems occur at different levels, including molecular networks operating at the cellular level, networks and groups of cells coordinated at the organism level, and ultimately networks of organisms interacting with the environment. This module will explore some of these systems in greater detail by building on the basic concepts of biology gained in Stage 1. Working in small group tutorials led by a member of academic staff, students will choose a topic of interest to explore and research. The tutorials will be supported by a series of workshops to develop skills in data interpretation and analysis, scientific writing, writing a scientific summary (abstract), producing a graphical abstract, referencing and creating a bibliography. The module will place particular emphasis on the development of communication skills, in particular the skills involved in collating, reading, interpreting and summarising a topic to produce a concise scientific literature review on a topic.