CoursesTwo courses, QCB 515 (Method and Logic in Quantitative Biology) and PHY 562 (Biophysics), are required for all BPY students, as is a Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) course. Three additional elective courses must be completed and can be chosen from the following list. A minimum of a B average in program courses is necessary for successful completion of the program requirement. Courses not on the approved lists may be taken as electives with approval from the DGS.Elective CoursesAPC 524/MAE 506/AST 506 Software Engineering for Scientific ComputingCBE 503 Advanced ThermodynamicsCBE 517 Soft Matter Mechanics: Fundamentals ApplicationsCHM 503/CBE 524/MSE 514 Introduction to Statistical MechanicsCHM 515 Biophysical Chemistry ICHM 516 Biophysical Chemistry IICHM 538 Topics in Biological ChemistryCHM 542 Principles of Macromolecular Structure: Protein Folding, Structure, and DesignCHM 544 Metals in Biology: From Stardust to DNACOS 511 Theoretical Machine LearningCOS 524/COS 424 Fundamentals of Machine LearningEEB 504 Fundamental Concepts in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior IIEEB 507 Recent Research in Population BiologyELE 535 Machine Learning and Pattern RecognitionMAE 567/CBE 568 Crowd Control: Understanding and Manipulating Collective Behaviors and Swarm DynamicsMAE 552 Viscous flows and boundary layersMAE 550/MSE 560 Lessons from Biology for Engineering Tiny DevicesMAE 566 Biomechanics and Biomaterials: From Cells to OrganismsMAT 586/APC511/MOL511/QCB513 Computational Methods in Cryo-Electron MicroscopyMOL 504 Cellular BiochemistryMOL 504B/BPY 504 A Practical Introduction to Light Microscopy for Biological Applications (half-term)MOL 506 Cell Biology and DevelopmentMOL 514 Molecular BiologyMOL 518 Quantitative Methods in Cell and Molecular BiologyMOL 518B/BPY 518 Modern Image Analysis for Biological Microscopy Data (half-term)MOL 521 Systems Microbiology and ImmunologyMOL 523 Molecular Basis of CancerMOL 559 Viruses: Strategy TacticsMOL 567 Electron Microscopy in Structural BiologyMOL 575 Light Microscopy and Biological ImagingMSE 504/CHM 560/PHY 512/CBE 520 Monte Carlo and Molecular Dynamics Simulation in Statistical Physics Materials ScienceNEU 437/537 Computational NeuroscienceNEU 501A Cellular and Circuits NeuroscienceNEU 501B Neuroscience: From Molecules to Systems to BehaviorNEU 502A Systems and Cognitive NeuroscienceNEU 502B From Molecules to Systems to BehaviorNEU 537 Computational NeuroscienceNEU 560 Statistical Modeling and Analysis of Neural DataORF 524 Statistical Theory and MethodsPHY 505 Quantum MechanicsPHY 506 Advanced Quantum MechanicsPHY 509 Quantum Field TheoryPHY 511 Statistical MechanicsPHY 525 Introduction to Condensed Matter PhysicsPHY 535 Phase Transitions and the Renormalization GroupQCB 505/PHY555 Topics in Biophysics and Quantitative BiologyQCB 508 Foundations of Statistical GenomicsFirst-year rotationsAll students are required to complete a minimum of two 10-week research rotations during their first year of graduate study, with a maximum of four, to explore possible research advisers. All rotations must be discussed with and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies in advance. Students are required to meet with the faculty member they are rotating with at the beginning of the rotation to form a working plan. Students are expected to show up routinely to work on their project and to attend all group meetings, and it is recommended that the student meet with the faculty member periodically. At the end of each rotation, the department will obtain feedback from both students and faculty. Satisfactory rotation performance is one condition of reenrollment. Most students will have a thesis advisor by the end of their third rotation. If a student foresees a problem in choosing an advisor, they will meet with the DGS to discuss a course of action.General ExamThe general examination is usually taken in January of the second year and consists of an 8-10 page written thesis proposal and a 2-hour oral exam on the proposal. The exam committee will consist of three faculty who are not the student’s advisor, with at least two from the training faculty in Biophysics.TeachingA student must teach a minimum of one full-time assignment (6 AI hours), or teach two or more part-time assignments for a total of 6 AI hours. Students will typically teach in year 3 or 4 of the program.Seminars and presentationsBiophysics graduate students are required to attend the weekly biophysics seminar series in each semester they are in residence. Each student is also expected to give a talk or poster presentation each year starting in year 2 in either the LSI or CPBF retreats which typically take place during the fall semester. Students are also expected to give a short research talk for our LSI Graduate Student Colloquium at the end of their first year. Committee MeetingsResearch progress is overseen by a thesis committee selected by the student after passing the general exam. The committee consists of the thesis adviser and two additional faculty members. At least one member must be the Biophysics training faculty. The thesis committee must be approved by the DGS. Thesis committee members also typically serve as readers and examiners for the dissertation and FPO.