PHYSCI 149
Systems Biology and Mechanisms of Major Cardiometabolic Diseases
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites: Life Sciences 7A, 7B, 7C. Strongly recommended: Chemistry 153A. Designed for juniors/seniors. Integration of principles gained through basic science curriculum with modern systems biology concepts, approaches, and presently understood mechanisms of selected human cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Actual class taken: LS30 (the second part of the 2-part series) If you, for a time, or still believe that you are not competent in mathematics, you clearly have not taken Professor Garfinkel's Mathematics for Life Scientists class. You see, there is no such thing as being "good at math" or "bad at math". It's either you didn't try, or you didn't care enough to try. Why would you do that to yourself, let alone, why would anyone do that to themselves? Mathematics is one of the most beautiful subjects to ever trigger neuronal connections within your plastic brain, and it is one of the few keys to understanding our limitless universe. I too, never understood why people always said that mathematics is crucial for everything- afterall, when am I ever going to use calculus as a businessman, or algebra as a chef? Hey, I'll admit it. I was wrong. Chaos is everywhere, and let this class open your eyes to what you have been blind to for many years. Let this man breathe new life into your unsatisfied brain, because you know what? It's perhaps that you have not yet had a proper math class in the past that prevented you from enjoying this wonderful subject. It's perhaps that you did not have Garfinkel as your mentor, your spiritual guide that made you fail that geometry class. But hey, everyone's got to start somewhere, right? You enter the classroom fearing mathematics for your life, and you leave feeling a need to do something with what you've learned. That is the magic of Professor Garfinkel's teachings. Oh, and the friends that you make in class? They're some of the nicest, most genuine kids that you'll ever encounter at UCLA. Trust me. I've taken enough pre-med requirement classes to understand the true nature of the so-called "pre-med competition". There is no competition in this class. Everyone can get As, everyone can get A+s. It's just a matter of how well you're going to know the subject once you leave the course- and trust me, you're going to want to know every little aspect of it. When you leave Professor Garfinkel's lecture halls at the end of the quarter, you will leave the room knowing that you learned something that will stay with you for the rest of your life. Something, that I guarantee, will profoundly influence the way you see the world, forever shrouded in chaos.
Actual class taken: LS30 (the second part of the 2-part series) If you, for a time, or still believe that you are not competent in mathematics, you clearly have not taken Professor Garfinkel's Mathematics for Life Scientists class. You see, there is no such thing as being "good at math" or "bad at math". It's either you didn't try, or you didn't care enough to try. Why would you do that to yourself, let alone, why would anyone do that to themselves? Mathematics is one of the most beautiful subjects to ever trigger neuronal connections within your plastic brain, and it is one of the few keys to understanding our limitless universe. I too, never understood why people always said that mathematics is crucial for everything- afterall, when am I ever going to use calculus as a businessman, or algebra as a chef? Hey, I'll admit it. I was wrong. Chaos is everywhere, and let this class open your eyes to what you have been blind to for many years. Let this man breathe new life into your unsatisfied brain, because you know what? It's perhaps that you have not yet had a proper math class in the past that prevented you from enjoying this wonderful subject. It's perhaps that you did not have Garfinkel as your mentor, your spiritual guide that made you fail that geometry class. But hey, everyone's got to start somewhere, right? You enter the classroom fearing mathematics for your life, and you leave feeling a need to do something with what you've learned. That is the magic of Professor Garfinkel's teachings. Oh, and the friends that you make in class? They're some of the nicest, most genuine kids that you'll ever encounter at UCLA. Trust me. I've taken enough pre-med requirement classes to understand the true nature of the so-called "pre-med competition". There is no competition in this class. Everyone can get As, everyone can get A+s. It's just a matter of how well you're going to know the subject once you leave the course- and trust me, you're going to want to know every little aspect of it. When you leave Professor Garfinkel's lecture halls at the end of the quarter, you will leave the room knowing that you learned something that will stay with you for the rest of your life. Something, that I guarantee, will profoundly influence the way you see the world, forever shrouded in chaos.
Most Helpful Review
Spring 2024 - Prof. Yang was my favorite professor this quarter, and PHYSCI 149 is a class I have to recommend. It's an interesting, holistic mix of (primarily) the bottom-up factors (genes, metabolic pathways, etc.) that contribute to metabolic diseases (i.e. CVD, CAD, diabetes, obesity, atherosclerosis) with asides that include the immune system and environmental influences. The course concludes with systems biology and omics, which is becoming increasingly important in personalized medicine -- for those interested in research, it's a light review with interesting selected examples, and for those interested more in clinical aspects, it's a great way to dip your toes into this field. The workload throughout the course is reasonable, and Prof. Yang tries her best to facilitate meaningful discussions during class and office hours while also sharing interesting readings she finds relevant to the course. Note that there are quizzes on the weekly readings, which can be a tad time-consuming to finish through before you get used to knowing what to look for. I also had some conferences to attend this quarter, and both Prof. Yang and the TA (shoutout to Jade for being the chillest TA I've had in a while) were accommodating with coordinating absences as lecture + discussion attendance is 25% of the grade. Final was optional again this quarter. Breakdown: Discussion Attendance - 10% Lecture Attendance - 15% Paper Presentation - 15% Weekly Homework - 30% Lit Review Paper - 15% Final Exam - 15% (opt.)
Spring 2024 - Prof. Yang was my favorite professor this quarter, and PHYSCI 149 is a class I have to recommend. It's an interesting, holistic mix of (primarily) the bottom-up factors (genes, metabolic pathways, etc.) that contribute to metabolic diseases (i.e. CVD, CAD, diabetes, obesity, atherosclerosis) with asides that include the immune system and environmental influences. The course concludes with systems biology and omics, which is becoming increasingly important in personalized medicine -- for those interested in research, it's a light review with interesting selected examples, and for those interested more in clinical aspects, it's a great way to dip your toes into this field. The workload throughout the course is reasonable, and Prof. Yang tries her best to facilitate meaningful discussions during class and office hours while also sharing interesting readings she finds relevant to the course. Note that there are quizzes on the weekly readings, which can be a tad time-consuming to finish through before you get used to knowing what to look for. I also had some conferences to attend this quarter, and both Prof. Yang and the TA (shoutout to Jade for being the chillest TA I've had in a while) were accommodating with coordinating absences as lecture + discussion attendance is 25% of the grade. Final was optional again this quarter. Breakdown: Discussion Attendance - 10% Lecture Attendance - 15% Paper Presentation - 15% Weekly Homework - 30% Lit Review Paper - 15% Final Exam - 15% (opt.)
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