Teaching

BIO 354 - Origins and Evolution of the Immune System
This upper level undergraduate course is focused on the comparative immunology of prokaryotes, protozoans,
plants, fungi, invertebrates, and “lower” vertebrates.  The class is aimed at teaching students, who at Emory are
mainly on the pre-med track, to see evolutionary patterns that help explain how our own immune system developed
from those of our ancestors.  Such comparative study highlights the strengths and weaknesses of our immune
system, and points to ways in which other organisms have overcome the same pathogenic stresses we currently
face.  Topics covered include:

• Restriction-modification systems
• RNA interference
• Antimicrobial proteins
• Reactive oxygen species
• Cell death
• The hypersensitive response of plants
• Systemic acquired resistance in plants
• Proteolytic cascade systems
• Phagocytosis
• Humoral immunity in invertebrates
• Cellular immunity in invertebrates
• Immune specificity
• Immune memory
• Acquired immunity of vertebrates
• Pathogen infection strategies
• Adaptive evolution of immune systems

IBS 594 - Evolutionary Biology
This team-taught graduate level course covers the history and current status of major research areas in
evolutionary biology through lectures and readings from the primary literature.  Topics covered include:

• Natural selection
• Population structure
  
• Molecular evolution
• Phylogenetics
• Sexual selection
• Speciation
• The evolution of sex
• Kin selection and eusociality
• Game theory
• The evolution of novelty
• Developmental programs
• Aging
• Virulence
• Human evolution
• Macroevolution