 | |
| CHIM0643-1 | Biomolecule thermodynamics
 |
|
| Duration : | 15h Th |
|
| Credits/ECTS : |
|
|
| Holder(s) : | Valérie Gabelica |
|
| Language : | Langue française |
|
| Course contents : | Thermodynamics is the science dealing with energy transformation. Thermodynamics is usually presented as a branch of physics or engineering, but did you know that, in 1780, Antoine Laurent Lavoisier and Pierre Simon de Laplace did use a calorimeter to measure heat produced by a living Guinea pig?
This course will illustrate how the basic laws of thermodynamics allow tackling various questions related to life sciences. Thematic courses include protein folding and molecular pharmacology. Furthermore, other themes changing each year will be tackled, e.g. molecular motors, metabolic modeling, prebiotic chemistry and the origins of life,... |
|
| Course objective : | Knowledge: to stimulate reflexion on the application of the laws of thermodynamics in different questions related to biology.
Know-how: writen communication in the form of a bibliography review article, and a peer-review. |
|
| Prerequisites : | The course will give the opportunity to re-discover the essential concepts of thermodynamics. Nevertheless, mastering key concepts in general chemistry, physics and biochemistry will be extremely useful. |
|
| Workshops : | Bibliographic search. |
|
| Organization : | Five lectures in the second semester (timetable to be discussed): two basic lectures, three conferences on advanced subjects. |
|
| Written notes : | Copy of the slides.
Book (available in the library): D.T. Haynie, Biological Thermodynamics, Cambridge University Press, 2001. ISBN: 0 521 79549 4. |
|
| Assessment : | Written essay (40 %): the student choses a research subject with the consent of the teacher, performs literature search, and writes an essay. After peer review (see below), the essay is corrected and the final version is given at the end of semester.
Peer review (20 %): each student reviews the work of a colleague. This means reading the work and providing constructive comments improving the manuscript.
Final exam (40 %) : oral exam on the whole course and on the research subject. |
|
| Contacts : | Dr. Valérie Gabelica
Institut de Chimie, Bat. B6c, local R65a
Tel: 04/366.34.32
E-mail:v.gabelica@ulg.ac.be |
|
|
| |
