2.3 Program Objectives · Web viewBiological sciences are key technologies of the 21st century. All...

LIFE SCIENCES (LS)

MASTER PROGRAM

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1. Introduction

Biological sciences are key technologies of the 21st century. All over the world,

universities, industries, governments and international organizations are creating

new opportunities for research, development and applications of biology. Rapid

advances in genome and proteome sciences are opening up a multitude of new

research and business opportunities in life science related industries. KFUPM

leadership realizes that in order for the Kingdom to be at the forefront of

development in the 21st century, we need to embark and excel in this vital field. The

university has established very strong and reputable research programs in both

science and engineering. Thus, KFUPM would like to build on its successes in the

field of science and engineering to integrate the interdisciplinary field of life

sciences (biological sciences). We have a vision that, in the next 10 years, KFUPM

will have a leading role in the Kingdom and the region, in the field of life sciences.

Thus, we propose to establish a new graduate Program in “Life Sciences”.

At present, the Department of Biology is functioning as a support department in

providing graduate and undergraduate biology related courses, required by several

engineering departments and the environmental sciences Program. In addition it will

also serve the bioinformatics Program by offering biology related courses, which

will be taken by the bioinformatics Program students in the future. At the same time,

the department is building up expertise in biological sciences areas as well as

developing infrastructure and manpower. This proposed new Program will start as a

graduate Life Sciences (LS) Program, which will serve the strategic goals of the

Kingdom. The Department of Biology will provide excellent graduate education

through its offered courses and research opportunities.

2. Motivation for the Program

2.1 Needs for a BIOS Program in the Kingdom Our Master Program proposes to address critical needs of the country in the field of

biology and related sciences. Advances in areas such as biotechnology, environmental

sciences, medicine and other fields, continually emphasize the importance of LS

program which, in turn, would prepare students for diverse fields through broad,

interdisciplinary training in the Life Sciences. As a multidisciplinary science, LS

Program is at the forefront of finding answers to some of the contemporary important

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problems including predicting the effects of global climate change on ecosystems,

mapping of the genome to understand the molecular basis of human diseases and

fundamental processes that produce and sustain life on Earth. For instance, at present,

the world’s oceans are experiencing rising sea level due to increased CO2 saturation

and higher surface sea temperatures. In addition, due to increased energy needs and

global warming in the face of diminishing petroleum reserves, there is a crucial need

to develop alternative and clean sources of energy. One such energy source is waste

product (lignocellulosic biomass) for biofuel generation and other important products.

The remodeling and retooling of microbial metabolism holds the key for the

production of advanced biofuels (e.g. alkanes, alkenes, and aromatics). Furthermore,

the genomic and proteomic revolutions in biology have resulted in the exploitation of

DNA via gene mining for use in various biotechnological industries.

The proposed Program is based on the knowledge generated by the methodological

advances in molecular biology (and genetics), microbiology (both bacteriology and

virology), cell biology, biochemistry, -omics (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics)

and biotechnology. The philosophical goal of this Program is to train individuals to

become experts in the field of Biology who will be able to create new knowledge

related to the protection and sustainability of the environment, as well as to provide

solutions to societal challenges in food, energy and health. The Program will

encourage students to efficiently promote, communicate and teach the discipline to

others.

The Program will devote resources to ideas and support the creation and

implementation of interdisciplinary curricular and graduate training programs

within the KFUPM.

2.2 Strength of our Program

The proposed Program is based on the following strengths:

1. The Program is multidisciplinary and will be linked with 7 main Departments in

our University: Departments of Chemistry, Earth Science, Mathematics, Physics,

Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Computer Science. These Departments

not only have various suitable equipment that will be accessible to our students for

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both research and teaching, but also senior scientists with various expertise, who will

add value to our Program. Thus, such broad range collaboration between our

Department and these aforementioned ones constitutes the uniqueness and the

strength of our Program.

2. As discussed in section 2.1, our Program has flexibility to accommodate students

with interest in various fields of Biology, including Environmental and Marine

Biology, Biotechnology, Human Physiology and Health

3. Our Program will be hosted by KFUPM, a University located in the Eastern

Province, which is one of the most industrialized provinces in the Kingdom (due to oil

and oil-related industries). Thus, it will provide an opportunity to many under-

graduates from the working force to join our Program. Such close interaction between

the industry and academia could lead to a better articulation of research questions

relevant to the industry in particular, and the country at large.

4. Finally, our Program is hosted in KFUPM, one of the leading universities in the

country (and the region), which has a proven record of excellence in both teaching

and research in the disciplines of Sciences and Engineering. KFUPM’s outstanding

experience as a leading University greatly contributes to our strength

2.3 Program Objectives

The Program objectives are based on the University as well as College of Sciences vision,

mission, and objective statements. KFUPM vision statement states "To be a vibrant

multicultural University of international repute focused on quality education and

innovative research that prepare professionals and entrepreneurs to lead social and

technical development in the region". The generalized main mission statement of KFUPM is

summarized as follows:

- Preparing professionals empowered with the knowledge, skills, values and confidence

to serve our country.

- Produce research that contributes to the knowledge and sustainable development of

Saudi Arabia.

In addition, the main mission of College of Sciences, to which the Life Sciences Department

belongs, is "to encourage change, flexibility and accessibility to improve our education

outcomes in terms of better student learning and employability as well as serving the

society at large ."

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The current proposed Program, by its uniqueness and flexibility, will contribute in

improving both the learning and employability of students, as clearly outlined in the

objectives of the Program.

The objectives of the Programs are listed below. In addition, a matrix of the

objectives with the outcomes is presented in Appendix A.

1- To provide postgraduate education to qualified students and prepare them for a career in biological sciences such as laboratory specialists in pharmaceutical, medical, forensic medicine, food, environmental and agro-technology industries.

2- To train professionals in the field of environmental biology and biotechnology.

3- Prepare biology researchers and professionals for the existing and future needs of the Kingdom.

4- To prepare students to work independently and to pursue more advanced studies in the field of biology and allied disciplines.

2.4 Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the Master Program, the students will be able to:

1. Easily and correctly, handle the experimental tasks, to use instruments and

employ procedures according to different situations.

2. Apply both theoretical and practical concepts to undertake and solve problems in

biological sciences.

3. Design, conduct and analyze experiments and interpret experimental data.

4. Develop new ideas and conceive novel research in the fields of LS.

5. Work with multi-disciplinary teams to identify, formulate, and solve problem in

LS.

6. Use up-to-date technology, skills and instrumentation related to biology.

7. Practice and conduct professional and ethical responsibility.

8 .Write the outcomes of their research findings in the form of a dissertation and

demonstrate the ability to communicate through public thesis defense .

9 .Use modern library search tools to locate and retrieve scientific information about a topic and experiments.

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3. Courses3.1 List of Courses

The following is the list of all available courses in the proposed Program. We have

highlighted in bold our core courses;

MEPH 510 RadiobiologyLS 511 MicrobiologyLS 512 VirologyLS 513 Microbial BiotechnologyLS 521 BiochemistryLS 523 Human PhysiologyLS 524 ToxicologyLS 526 Protein Structure and FunctionCHE 534 Bioreaction EngineeringENVS 535 Environmental BiotechnologyLS 541 Cellular and Molecular BiologyLS 542 BiotechnologyCE 542 Microbiology in Environmental EngineeringLS 546 Techniques in BiologyCE 548 Biological ProcessesLS 551 Ecology and EvolutionLS 562 InvertebrateLS 563 PaleobiologyENVS 564 Statistical Methods in Environmental ResearchesLS 564 Plant BiotechnologyLS 565 Ethics in BiologyLS 571 Biological Oceanography LS 572 Physiology of MammalsLS 573 Plankton Ecology and ProcessLS 574 AquacultureLS 590 LS Special Topics ILS 591 LS Special Topics IILS 599 SeminarLS 606 Independent ResearchLS 610 MS ThesisCHEM 631 Molecular Biochemistry

5.3 Course requirementsTotal credit hours required for the LS Master is 30 credit hours. Students must take

4 core courses.

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Table 4: Summary of Courses and Credit hours

Type of Courses CR

Core Courses

LS Electives

Free Elective Course

Seminar

Thesis

Total

12

9

3

0

6

30

The details of the core courses, numbers and titles are given in the Table 5 below

Table 5: Name and Credit hours of all Courses

Requirement Course Number and Title CR

Core Course

Core Course

Core Course

Core Course

General Req.

Degree Req.

LS Electives

Free elective course

LS 511 Microbiology

LS 541 Cellular and Molecular Biology

LS 546 Techniques in Biology

LS 551 Ecology and Evolution

LS 599 (Seminar)

LS 610 (MS Thesis)

Choice of 3 courses within the LS elective courses.

Choice of 1 course

3-0-3

3-0-3

2-2-3

3-0-3

1-0-0

0-0-6

9-0-9

3-0-3

Elective Courses (9 credit)

The following courses are offered for the degree of LS Master as

biological electives. All students are required to complete 3 elective courses

(9 credit hours) as shown in the Table below.

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Table 6: List of elective courses

Elective Courses

LS 512 Virology 3-0-3LS 513 Microbial Biotechnology 3-0-3LS 521 Biochemistry 3-0-3LS 523 Human Physiology 3-0-3LS 524 Toxicology 3-0-3LS 526 Protein Structure & Function 3-0-3LS 542 Biotechnology 3-0-3CE 542 Microbiology in Environmental

Engineering3-0-3

LS 562 Invertebrate 3-0-3

LS 563 Paleobiology 3-0-3

LS 564 Plant Biotechnology 3-0-3

LS 565 Ethics in Biology 3-0-3

LS 571 Biological Oceanography 3-0-3

LS 572 Physiology of Mammals 3-0-3

LS 573 Plankton Ecology and Process 3-0-3

LS 574 Aquaculture 3-0-3

LS 590 LS Special Topics I 3-0-3

LS 591 LS Special Topics II 3-0-3

LS 606 Independent Research 0-0-3

Environmental Sciences Master Program Courses

ENVS 535 Environmental Biotechnology 3-0-3

ENVS 564 Statistical Methods in Environmental Research

3-0-3

Physics Department

MEPH 510 Radiobiology 2-0-2

Chemical Engineering Department

CHE 534 Bioreaction Engineering 3-0-3

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Civil Engineer DepartmentCE 542 Microbiology in Environmental

Engineering3-0-3

CE 548 Biological Processes 3-0-3

Chemistry DepartmentCHEM 631 Molecular Biochemistry 3-0-3

MARS 532 -Advanced Marine Invertebrate and MARS 533 Marine

Fisheries will be offered as elective courses when they are being approved

in MS Marine Sciences Program.

Free Elective (3 credit)

All students are required to complete 1 free elective (3 credit hours) to be

chosen from any academic department or Program in the University

according to the approved degree plan.

5.4 Degree planStudents will take 2 core courses (along with one elective) during the first

semester, and another 2 (along with another elective) during the second

Semester. During the third semester, students will take the last elective course

and the free elective. Students will give the seminar in second semester; they

will start their thesis in the third semester and will complete it in the fourth

semester. The following is the degree plan of the Program.

Table 7: Summary of the Degree Plan

Course # Title LT LB CRFirst SemesterLS 511 Microbiology 3 0 3

LS 541 Cellular and Molecular Biology 3 0 3

LS XXX LS Electives 3 0 3

9 9

Second SemesterLS 546 Techniques in Biology 2 2 3LS 551 Ecology and Evolution 3 0 3LS XXX LS Electives 3 0 3

9

LS 599 Seminar 1 0 0

9 9Third SemesterLS XXX LS Elective 3 0 3XXX* Free Elective 3 0 3

LS 610 MS Thesis IP

7 6Fourth SemesterLS 610 MS Thesis 0 0 6

0 6*This refers to any course in the university, irrespective of the level of the course.

5.5 Course Description

The Table below presents the list of courses, their descriptions, and their respective

credit hours. The core courses are in bold.

LS 511 Microbiology (3-0-3)

Principles of microbial growth and control, microbial genetic, industrial and

biocatalyst, microbial evolution aspects, metabolic diversity and various concepts of

immunology, and human diseases caused by microorganisms with some emphasis

on marine microbiology.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

LS 512 Virology (3-0-3)

Biochemical, molecular, clinical, and biotechnological principals of animal viruses.

Plant viruses and viroid, viral structure, classification and assembly, viral

replication, viral recombination and evolution, virus-host interactions, viral

transformation and the use of viral vectors in biotechnology.


LS 513 Microbial Biotechnology (3-0-3)

The history of microbial biotechnology; microbial biodiversity, production of

proteins by bacteria; fuel alcohol, and amino acids, vitamins, alkaloids; biomass

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transformation and microbiology of pulp and paper; polymer synthesis;

bioremediation using microbes; patents and regulations in biotechnology.


LS 521 Biochemistry (3-0-3)

Principles, mechanisms, chemical structures and synthesis of macromolecules of

life, including lipid, polysaccharide, protein and nucleic acids, enzyme mediated

catalytic reactions, and catabolic reactions leading to energy generation.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing.

LS 523 Human Physiology and Anatomy (3-0-3)

Physiological principles governing the function of major organ systems (nervous,

circulatory, respiratory, endocrine) and their interactions in vertebrates emphasizing

mammals especially humans. Anatomic descriptions of these major organ systems

will also be presented. Illustration of physiological principles using modern

approaches.


LS 524 Toxicology (3-0-3)

General principle of toxicology, including adsorption, distribution, metabolism,

biological elimination, sequestration, and remediation of toxicant. Toxicant as

poisons, pesticides, solvents and metals, hydrocarbon pollutants and drugs,

Biotransformation of toxicants, drug-metabolizing enzymes, activation and

mechanism of detoxification.


LS 526 Protein Structure and Function (3-0-3)

Types of proteins with various functions, levels of protein structure and

bioinformatics tools to study structure and predict function, Levinthal folding

paradox, Anfinsen experiment, catalytic Proteins, protein regulation, OMICS

revolution and proteomics, functional genomics, extremophilic proteins.

Prerequisite: LS 521

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LS 541 Cellular and Molecular Biology (3-0-3)

Chemical basis of life, the basic unit of life (the cell) in relation with structure and

function, photosynthesis, cellular respiration, cell reproduction (mitosis & meiosis),

cell cycle regulation. Cell communication, signal transduction, molecular basis of

carcinogenesis Molecular structures and mechanisms involved in the storage,

transmission and utilization of genetic information in simple and complex

organisms, gene transcription and translation, principles and methodology of

recombinant DNA.


LS 542 Biotechnology (3-0-3)

Application of genetics and molecular biology to the developments of

biotechnological products in medicine, environment, agriculture and industrial

manufacture, fundamental issues of biotechnology, development of biotechnology,

practical techniques of biotechnology, implication of biotechnology applications to

the lives of humans and other animals, plants and the environment.


LS 546 Techniques in Biology (2-2-3)

Electrophoresis, chromatography, Uv-Vis spectrophotometry, fluorescence

spectroscopy, circular dichroism, biocalorimetry (isothermal titration calorimetry,

iTC; differential scanning calorimetry, DSC), Mass spectrometry (MS), light and

electron microscopy.


LS 551 Ecology and Evolution (3-0-3)

Understanding of resource sharing among communities, and fundamental concepts

of terrestrial and aquatic environments, Global changes and nutrient cycling,

nutrient availability, resource competition among individuals and within a

community, abundance of organisms and human interactions, primary production,

decomposition, and microbial ecology.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing; LS 551 is equivalent to ENVS 533.

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LS 562 Invertebrate (3-0-3)

Evolutionary and physical diversity of invertebrates, phylogenetic relationships

among the metazoans; biodiversity represented by invertebrates; patterns of

evolution within the major phyla, classification, systematic, and phylogeny, animal

development, life histories and origin of various invertebrate phyla.


LS 563 Paleobiology (3-0-3)

Evolutionary aspects of paleobiology as science, including; the growth of theoretical

paleobiology, punctuated equilibrium, Taphonomy and the quality of fossil record,

toxic paleobiology, macroevolution, paleoecology and paleoclimate.


LS 564 Plant Biotechnology (3-0-3)

History of plant tissue culture, different basic media and their components,

totipotency, callus culture, haploid production, organogenesis, embryogenesis, in

vitro multiplication, cell and protoplast culture, cryopreservation, germ plasma

preservation. Plant genetic engineering, delivery system, transgenic plant production

and molecular analysis, genetically modified (GM) crops and their assessment; bio-

safety guidelines, marker assisted selection, DNA finger printing, bio-fertilizers and

bio-insecticides Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

LS 565 Ethics in Biology (3-0-3)

Writing, oral and critical analysis skills needed to link science to ethics in biology.

Current issues that involve biology, ethics, society and learning plan that integrates

their Biology concentration, capstone and internship interests, and personal and

professional goals.


LS 571 Biological Oceanography (3-0-3)

History of biological oceanography, Marine organisms and their interrelationships

with chemical, geological and physical aspects of their environments. The diversity

of pelagic and benthic marine organisms, bioelemental cycling within these life

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forms and the factors that influence their abundance and distributions. The

consequences of shifts in the ocean biota throughout geological time and how they

may be affected by future climate change.


LS 572 Physiology of Mammals (3-0-3)

Analysis of the functional biology of mammals with emphasis on the mechanistic

basis of physiological functions and their adaptive significance in a variety of

environmental conditions.


LS573 Plankton Ecology and Process (3-0-3)

Biology and ecology of marine phytoplankton, with emphasis on quantitative aspects

of growth, production and distribution in space and time. The diversity, distribution,

identification of the main phytoplankton groups. Emphasis will also include Ecology

and Process.


LS 574 Aquaculture (3-0-3)

Understanding techniques used for stocking fish and commercial invertebrate’s with

emphasis of utilizing various techniques to commercialize production of marine

fishes, invertebrates and other marine organisms


LS 590 LS Special Topic I (3-0-3)

Advanced topics selected in area of life sciences.

LS 591 LS Special Topic II (3-0-3)

Advanced topics selected in area of life sciences.

LS 599 Seminar (1-0-0)

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Presentation of a seminar on a timely and important topic in life sciences.

Attendance to seminars given by faculty members and visiting scientists is also

required.

LS 606 Independent Research (0-0-3)

Independent reading of a particular topic in LS under the supervision of a faculty

member, preferably the one supervising the project. The topic is strongly

recommended to be related to the research in the project.

LS 610 MS Thesis (0-0-6)

A research topic under the supervision of a faculty member in order to probe in

depth a specific problem in Biology. Prerequisite: LS 599

Environnemental Sciences Master Program Courses

ENVS 535 Environmental Biotechnology

(3-0-3)

This course will focus on how biotechnology techniques are applied to solve

environmental problems. Topics to be covered will include an overview of

environmental biotechnology, Agricultural Biotechnology, and Biotechnology of

the marine environment. Covered materials will go on to explore diverse ways in

which biotechnology is applied to tackle environmental problems and issues, from

monitoring of the environment and treatment of waste, to the removal of pollutants

and extraction of oils and minerals. This course will conclude by discussion of

specific topics related to existing environmental problems.

Prerequisite: ENVS 532 or consent of instructor

ENVS 564 Statistical Methods in Environmental Researches (3-0-3)

Role of statistics in scientific research, particularly environmental science. Different

statistical methods and their application in environmental studies, experimental

design; inference and modeling. Solutions to environmental problems based on

statistical methods and modeling.

Prerequisite: STAT 201 or equivalent.

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Civil Engineering Department MS graduate course

CE 542 Microbiology in Environmental Engineering (2-3-3)

Role of microorganisms in wastewater treatment; aerobic and anaerobic digestion of

municipal sludges, and degradation of water quality in drinking water systems;

disinfection of wastewater and drinking water for removal of viruses, bacteria and

protozoa that cause waterborne diseases.


CE 548 Biological Processes (3-0-3)

Theory and applications of biological processes in wastewater treatment; kinetic

models; aeration and oxygen transfer; suspended-growth and fixed-film processes;

aerobic and anaerobic digestion; sludge thickening, dewatering and disposal.

Prerequisite: CE 542 (can be taken concurrently)

Chemistry Department MS graduate course

CHEM 631 Molecular Biochemistry

(3-0-3)

The course focuses on the chemistry, structure, and function of biological

molecules, macromolecules and systems. Topics covered include protein and

nucleic acid structure, enzymology, mechanisms of catalysis, regulation, lipids and

membranes, carbohydrates, bioenergetics and carbohydrate metabolism.

Prerequisite: CHEM 530

Chemical Engineering Department MS graduate course

CHE 534 Bioreaction Engineering (3-0-3)

Enzyme kinetics and immobilized enzymes systems. Cellular growth, bioreactions,

transport processes, intracellular reactions, stoichiometry of microbial reactions.

Analysis of bioreaction rates. Bioreactors modeling and design. Immobilization and

immobilized packed bed bioreactors. Inhibitory effects in bioreactors and the use of

selective membranes. Extractive fermentation. Optimization and on-line control of

bioreactors.

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Physics Department: Master’s Degree in Medical Physics

MEPH 510 Radiobiology (2-0-2)

Effects of ionizing radiations on living cells and organisms, including physical,

chemical, and physiological bases of radiation cytotoxicity, mutagenicity and

carcinogenesis.

Prerequisites: MEPH 561

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