To: CST Collegial Assembly

From: CST Committe on Undergraduate Education

Date: February 24, 1999

Re: proposed program in biophysics

Introduction. This memo proposes a new program leading to a BS degree in biophysics. The biology department was involved at all stages of planning for the track, but it is not a joint biology-physics venture; the track will be administered within the physics department. Early versions of the program were critiqued by an advisory panel of three faculty from graduate schools offering the doctorate in biophyiscs/physiology. The program utilizes courses already in the inventory, and faculty already "on board"; no new resources are needed to implement the track.

Table of Contents The remainder of this memo contains the following.

The term "biophysics" is not terribly precise, and could be used to describe programs in health physics, radiation oncology, radiology/imaging, or research into the physiology of nerve cells or cell membranes, for example. The program described here prepares undergraduates to do graduate research in physiology or neurobiology, and a more accurate if less succinct label for the track would be "biophysics/physiology". The student who wishes to include some organic chemistry into the mix, along with the physics and biology, could describe the resultant track as "molecular biophysics/physiology". The track could also be used by a student who is interested in physics, but wishes to go on to medical school.

Temple does have a strong effort in neurobiology (see Appendix B), and an earlier version of this program required several courses in neurobiology. However, the graduate advisory panel recommended less neurobiology, more basic chemistry and biology, and the current version of the program reflects this advice.

Why, then, continue to associate the track with the specific area, biophysics/physiology? The program will be described simply as "biophysics" on the transcript. Further, a student with this general background could go on to graduate school in, say, computational biophysics or biochemistry rather than biophysics/physiology. As soon as the student begins the advising process at Temple, they can be assured that the track can lead to several different graduate programs. However, in brochures and on the Web, it seems better to describe the track as biophysics/physiology for the following reasons. (1) The track should have a credible lab component. The biology department has a course in electrophysiological techniques, and the student can also learn more technique by carrying out an independent study project guided by faculty doing research in this area. (2) The track becomes an advertisement for one of Temple's strengths: the neurobiology research effort at Temple hospital and main campus. (3) There should be some synergism between biology and physics components of the track. Appendix E lists categories used to classify talks given at meetings of the Biophysical Society. For many of these categories, a background in biochemistry or physical chemistry would seem to be as appropriate, or more appropriate than a background in physics. Neurobiology requires a background in electrical theory or electronics, traditionally acquired in physics or electrical engineering departments.

There are areas of biophysics where the student should take the standard physics major, rather than the biophysics program. As a useful rule of thumb, if the research involves equipment which is so complex that it cannot be understood using only Physics 221 (electronics), then the student is better off completing the standard physics major. Examples: radiation therapy using particle accelerators; medical imaging using MRI, PET, or CAT scans. Appropriate graduate programs for students with these interests are labeled "medical physics" or "radiology".

Comparison to standard tracks. Presumably a student intending to go on to graduate school in science will take more than the bare minimum of science courses required for the undergraduate science degree, if time and finances allow. However, Temple students are usually short of cash, and often short of time, because they have already spent 1-2 years at a community college before transfering to Temple. Therefore the number of courses required for the track was kept to 20, including 2 physics electives and two science electives. For comparison purposes, the physics B.S. is 21 required science and math courses, including two electives. The biology B.S. is 19 required science and math courses, including 5 biology electives and two science or mathematics electives which may be in other departments.

Core requirements are those appropriate for the B.S. degree.

Ma 85-86-127 Calculus I-II-III

Physics 87-88 Introductory classical physics I-II

Physics 187 Electricity and magnetism

Physics 188 Modern physics

Physics 184 Mathematical physics (with Mathematica lab)

Physics 231* Thermodynamics

(* indicates a three semester hour course; all unstarred courses listed are 4 semester hours.)

Biology

Biology 103 Introduction to biology I (coreq. Chemistry 121 Organic Chemistry I)

Biology 203 Genetics (prereq. Chemistry 121-22, Biology 103, and permission of instructor)

Biology W204 Cell Structure (")

Chemistry 71-73 (labs = Chemistry 73-74) General chemistry I-II

Chemistry 121/3 Organic chemistry I/lab

Chemistry 122/4 Organic chemistry II/lab

Electives choose 4, in consultation with adviser. All must be 200-level or above. At least two must be physics courses. Choose from electives in physics, neurobiology, physiology, genetics, cell structure, biophysics, biochemistry, and physical chemistry. Majors who plan to do graduate biophysics in a physics department should choose Physics 201, 211, W215, and 306; and should try to complete as much of the standard BS in physics as time allows.

Sample schedule: early biology and chemistry.

This schedule shows that a student can wait until the junior year to switch to the biophysics program, yet still finish the track in four years. Note, however, that a person considering this program should take Physics I-II as early as possible.

Fall Spring

Fr Math 85 Calculus I Math 86 Calculus II

Chemistry 71/73 General Chemistry 72/74 General

chemistry/lab I chemistry/lab II

Composition 50 Intellectual Heritage

Soph Math 127 Calculus III Elective

Intellectual Heritage Core

Jr. Physics 187 Electricity Physics 188 Modern

and magnetism physics

Physics 231 Thermodynamics Physics 184 Mathematical physics

Core Core

Sr Physics elective (>200) Physics elective (>200)

Elective Elective

Core Core

Sample schedule: for persons intending graduate study in a physics department

This schedule is designed for the person who wishes to study biophysics in a physics department; for example: study computational physics with emphasis on modeling of biological systems. The electives suggested in square brackets, as [Ph 201, classical mechanics], give the student the equivalent of a physics BA.

Fall Spring

Fr Math 85 Calculus I Math 86 Calculus II

Chemistry 71/73 General Chemistry 72/74 General

chemistry/lab I chemistry/lab II

Composition 50 Intellectual Heritage

Physics 187 Electricity Physics 188 Modern physics

and magnetism

Chemistry/Lab I

Core Core

Electives [ Ph 306 QM; Ph 202 Electives

Classical mechanics II]

Core Core

Sample schedule for a transfer student

The student is assumed to have completed two years at a community college or four-year institution before coming to Temple with 45+ credits. According to Jane Stringer of Academic Advising, such a student typically has about half their Core completed, but still needs a W course not in the major, a W course in the major, one IH and/or one International studies course, and one race requirement. Typically they have completed Comp 50, as well as Core requirements in American Culture, the Arts, and of course quantitative reasoning and science. I will assume the student needs 2 more Core, 2 W courses (one in and one out of major) and one race course. I assume the student has completed Calculus I-III, Physics I-II, and Chemistry I-II at the community college.

SS Core

The student may need additional summer Core if the four Core courses listed do not also satisfy the race and second W course requirements.

Appendix A: memo summarizing policy on waiving certain prerequisites to biology courses

To: Ed Gruberg, Ralph Hillman, Joel Sheffield, Lawrence Yager

From: Donald Neville

Date: October 28, 1998

Re: policy on waiving of prerequisites for biophysics majors taking biology courses

Recently I have been asking members of the biology department to waive certain prerequisites, for biophysics majors taking biology courses. This note summarizes my understanding of those conversations. I ask you to read this note, and address your comments to your chair and/or to myself. I will contact Joel in a week to get your responses.

The elements of the policy are as follows:

(i) The instructors who are presently teaching Biology 203, 204, 325, 354, and 356 have agreed to waive certain prerequisites as follows.

Biology 203 (Genetics): waive Biology 104

Biology 204 (Cell Structure): waive Biology 104

Biology 325 (research techniques in molecular biology): waive Biology 203

(ii) Biology majors are required to complete Biology 104 with a grade of C- or better before Biology 203, 204, and 325 can be taken. Similarly, biophysics majors who have not taken Biology 104 will be required to complete at least one 100- or 200- level physics requirement for the biophysics track with a grade of C- or better before Biology 203, 204, or 325 can be taken.

(iii) If a prerequisite has been waived, the biophysics major must contact the biology instructor to determine whether any topic in Biology 104, Biology 203, or neurobiology should be studied prior to the beginning of class.

(iv) It is impossible to write down any policy on prerequisites that can be cast in stone, like the 10 commandments. Course contents change, and instructors change. The policy outlined in items (i)-(iii) above is reasonable at the present time; adjustments may have to be made in future years.

Appendix C: members of graduate advisory panel

The following people kindly consented to review an initial draft of the proposed track:

Dr. Donald M. Small, chair

Department of Biophysics

Boston University School of Medicine

Dr. Peter Brink, chair

(and) Dr. Rick Mathias

Department of Physiology and Biophysics

University Hospital and Medical Center

SUNY Stony Brook

Dr. Yoram Rudy

Department of Physiology and Biophysics

Case Western Reserve School of Medicine

The initial draft required students to take several 300-level courses in neurobiology, but allowed students considerable leeway in choosing 100- and 200-level biology electives. (The neurobiology courses use considerable physics, but relatively straightforward physiology, so that a physics student can meet the prerequisites by independent reading in introductory biology, even though the courses are 300-level.) The panel suggested more requirements at the introductory level (in both chemistry and biology), and fewer or no neurobiology requirements.

My impression is they would have accepted a student who took the track as originally structured, because interdisciplinary programs attract students with unusual backgrounds, and graduate schools are used to tailoring reading and course work to bring students up to speed. However, if students know well ahead of graduate school that they plan to do research in this area, the panel felt the student should get basic background while still an undergraduate. Accordingly, I made the neurobiology courses into electives, and added requirements of two semesters of organic chemistry and three semesters of biology: Biology 103 (the semester of introductory biology which covers the molecular, rather than system level of organization); Biology 203 (Genetics); and Biology W204 (Cell Structure and Function).

Appendix D Schools offering the Ph.D. in "Physiology and Biophysics", "Molecular Physiology and Biophysics", or "Cellular Biophysics". Schools which describe their graduate program as simply "Biophysics" are not inclouded on this list, because the program may be radiation biophysics only.

Baylor College of Medicine

Boston University

California Institute of Technology

Case Western Reserve University

Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons

Cornell

Georgetown

Mt. Sinai School of Medicine

NYU

SUNY, Stony Brook

University of Connecticut

University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana

University of North Carolina School of Medicine

USC

University of South Florida College of Medicine

University of Washington

Vanderbilt

Yeshiva, Albert Einstein College of Medicine