Director, Undergraduate Degree Program   Joyce J. Diwan
Director, Graduate Degree Program   Jane F. Koretz

Biochemistry and biophysics are closely related fields. Biochemistry focuses on the interconversion of compounds in the many complex reactions of life, on the mechanisms whereby enzymes catalyze and regulate these reactions, and the function and structure of the molecular components of living organisms. Biophysics is principally concerned with processes of energy conversion, information transmission, and the structure and properties of materials in biological systems, as explored with methods of physics. Biochemical and biophysical research is advancing the frontiers of research in the basic life sciences, and making possible advances in more applied fields such as medicine and agriculture. For example, in the pharmaceutical industry, elucidating mechanisms of drug action and devising new ways of dealing with diseases, has increasingly depended on application of knowledge and techniques of biochemistry and biophysics.

Rensselaer’s biochemistry and biophysics undergraduate curriculum includes thorough grounding in mathematics, chemistry, and physics, along with modern biochemistry, biophysics, and molecular-level biology. Advanced biochemistry and biophysics courses, most of which are jointly taught by biology and chemistry faculty, impart knowledge and training in cutting-edge research approaches. Our students are thus exceptionally well prepared for graduate school and/or desirable prospective employees in various sectors of the biotechnology industry. The curriculum also provides an excellent background for students planning careers in medicine. While rigorous, the undergraduate biochemistry and biophysics curriculum has sufficient flexibility and choice of courses to allow students to tailor their education to particular career paths. Most of our students pursue undergraduate research in faculty laboratories. Many seek industrial experience through Rensselaer’s Cooperative Education Program. The high degree of flexibility facilitates fitting a coop experience into the degree program if desired.

The master’s degree program has as its primary goal the education of students for jobs in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and other related industry sectors. It is also well-suited to the needs of those students who wish to upgrade their skills while employed in industry. The program may also be attractive to those who wish to obtain an M.S. degree before proceeding to professional study in medicine, veterinary science, dentistry, etc.; or to those students who have a B.S. Degree in a field not closely related to modern biological science, and who wish to prepare for eventual entry into a doctoral program at Rensselaer or elsewhere.

Areas of Advanced Research and Study

Biophysical research at Rensselaer includes the study of areas as diverse as focusing processes of the eye, electrical impedance assays of cell motility, water transport across epithelial tissues, photosynthesis, cellular bioengineering, biofluid mechanics, and electric current computed tomography. Protein structure is being studied by a variety of approaches including molecular modeling, spectroscopic probes, de novo design and chemical synthesis of unnatural proteins, and molecular biology approaches. Biochemical research includes the application of chromatography to large-scale purification of biological macromolecules, biosensors, prebiotic chemistry, biochemical signaling, bioanalytical chemistry, and the catalysis and mechanisms of protein folding.

Faculty

The science and engineering faculty members of the Center for Biophysics listed below provide a variety of research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the Biochemistry and Biophysics degree programs. Faculty members from the Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics Departments who are involved in the teaching of biochemistry and biophysics courses are designated with an asterisk (*).

Biology
C. Bystroff*, J.L. Collier*, J. Diwan*, J.F. Koretz*, R.H. Parsons, H. Roy*, J.C. Salerno*

Biomedical Engineering
R. Bizios, N. DePaola, J.C. Newell

Chemistry
Y.A. Akpalu, C.M. Breneman, C. T. Choma*, W. Colon*, J.P. Ferris, G.M. Korenowski, S. Krause*, J. Stenken

Mechanical Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering and Mechanics
B.E. Thompson

Mathematical Science
M.H. Holmes*, D. Isaacson*

Chemical Engineering
G. Belfort, S.M. Cramer, J. S. Dordick

School of Science
I. Giaever, C.R. Keese

Undergraduate Curricula

1. Molecular Biology may be taken in the spring of the second or third year.
2. Students may substitute CHEM-4450 plus CHEM-4460.

The total credits should minimally add up to 124, while Humanities and Social Science course credits should add up to at least 24 credits. Molecular Biophysics Modules and the Laboratory Option course may be taken in different semesters than those shown (shifting electives).

Option and Elective Recommendations   Depending on immediate and long range goals, students whose plans include one or more of the following career paths are advised to consider the courses listed below for inclusion among their choices of modules and options or for selection as free electives. These choices should be discussed with the student’s adviser.

Undergraduate Minors in Biochemistry and Biophysics

Students majoring in chemistry, biology, or chemical engineering may obtain a minor in either biochemistry or biophysics by completing the courses listed below. Minor requirements vary because some essential courses are automatically selected in meeting the requirements for each major.

Biochemistry Minor for Chemistry Majors   Students must complete BIOL-2120 Intro. Cell & Molecular Biology, BCBP-4770 Molecular Biochemistry II, and two of the following: BCBP-4710 Biochemistry Laboratory, BIOL-4260 Cell Biology, BIOL-4620 Molecular Biology, BCBP-4860 Protein & Nucleic Acid Structure, BCBP-4310 Genetic Engineering, BCBP-4780 Protein Folding, CHEM-4310 Bioorganic Mechanisms.

Biophysics Minor for Chemistry Majors   Students must complete BIOL-2120 Intro. Cell & Molecular Biology, BCBP-4770 Molecular Biochemistry II, and two of the following: MATH-2400 Intro. to Differential Equations, MATH-4720 Mathematics in Medicine and Biology, BIOL-4270 Human Physiology I, BCBP-4210 Biophysical Methods, BCBP-4810 Biological Spectroscopy, PHYS-2510 Quantum Physics.

Biochemistry Minor for Biology and Bioinformatics Majors   Students must complete BCBP-4770 Molecular Biochemistry II, CHEM-2440 Physical Chemistry for Life Sciences, and two of the following: BCBP-4710 BiochemistryLaboratory, BIOL-4260 Cell Biology, BCBP-4860 Protein & Nucleic Acid Structure, BCBP-4780 Protein Folding, BCBP-4310 Genetic Engineering, CHEM-4310 Bioorganic Mechanisms.

Biophysics Minor for Biology and Bioinformatics Majors   Students must complete BCBP-4770 Molecular Biochemistry II, CHEM-2440 Physical Chemistry for Life Sciences, and two of the following: MATH-2400 Intro. to Differential Equations, MATH-4720 Mathematics in Medicine and Biology, BIOL-4270 Human Physiology I, BCBP-4210 Biophysical Methods, BCBP-4810 Biological Spectroscopy, PHYS-2510 Quantum Physics.

Biochemistry Minor for Chemical Engineering Majors   Students must complete BIOL-2120 Introduction to Cell & Molecular Biology, BCBP-4760 Molecular Biochemistry I, BCBP-4770 Molecular Biochemistry II, and one of the following: BCBP-4710 Biochemistry Laboratory, BIOL-4260 Cell Biology, BIOL-4620 Molecular Biology, BCBP-4780 Protein Folding, BCBP-4860 Protein & Nucleic Acid Structure, BCBP-4310 Genetic Engineering, CHEM-4310 Bioorganic Mechanisms.

Biophysics Minor for Chemical Engineering Majors   Students must complete BIOL-2120 Introduction to Cell & Molecular Biology, BCBP-4760 Molecular Biochemistry I, BCBP-4770 Molecular Biochemistry II, and one of the following: MATH-4720 Mathematics in Medicine and Biology, BIOL-4270 Human Physiology I, BCBP-4210 Biophysical Methods, BCBP-4810 Biological Spectroscopy.

Minor in Astrobiology   To complete the minor in Astrobiology, a student must take a minimum of 16 credits of course work in this field. These courses include ASTR-4510 Origins of Life: A Cosmic Perspective and ISCI-4500 Topics in Origins of Life, four credits each, and two semesters of the one-credit course ISCI-4510 Origins of Life Seminar. A further two courses outside the major field of study are also required, selected from the following:

Graduate Programs

The Master of Science degree in Biochemistry and Biophysics requires 30 credit hours of work, of which 15 credits must be in courses with a suffix between 6000 and 6990, and between six to nine credits must be in research. Students must either have had in their undergraduate training, or must include in their M.S. plan of study, three of the molecular biophysics module courses listed above in the undergraduate curriculum, or their graduate equivalents. A thesis based on original work is required.

A Master of Science in Applied Science may be pursued in biochemistry and biophysics. This new degree program features the possibility of combining master’s-level cooperative education participation, or equivalent industrial experience, with course work for the degree in biochemistry and biophysics.

Courses   Courses of interest to Biochemistry and Biophysics graduate students are listed under the departmental designations BIOL, BCBP, and CHEM.