NST2060 Case Studies in Drug Development Systems
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts CreditsDrug development is a dynamic, multidisciplinary industry that encompasses the discovery, scientific, clinical and economic assessment of a new compound's safety, efficacy, potential side effects and requires the collaboration and innovation of scientists, chemists, clinicians, statisticians, lawmakers, business leaders and entrepreneurs. Over the last 30 years, the idealized goal of drug discovery has been to identify a specific chemical substance that is highly specific for a single molecular target and arrests or stems the advancement of disease. Although the goal is highly specific and the process seems linear, there are many contributing, and often unforeseen factors that inform drug design, the drug development pipeline and the eventual success or failure of a given drug candidate. In this course, we will take a systems approach to identify and describe all of the contributing elements of identifying, characterizing and bringing a drug to market, to define the physiological, biological, economic and regulatory systems that characterize the process and to outline the social, economic and environmental considerations of a sustainable and productive model for drug development.

Prerequisites: NST10XX (NST 1)

NST2020 Case Studies in Ecosystems Management
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts CreditsSuccessful businesses must fully appreciate and understand sustainable management strategies for our vital natural resources. Here we will focus on understanding the ecological principles of natural resource management while exploring new strategies for environmental conservation.

Prerequisites: NST10%

This course is not equivalent to HSS2080. Please disregard the note indicating equivalency. The system is not able to correct this at this time.

NST1070 Climate and Human Health
4 CreditsThis course investigates the interaction between the spheres of natural science and human health. Human activities impact the global climate and the resultant climate change impacts human health, both directly and indirectly. This course focuses on the background of various global health issues and their links to climate using the scientific method and multiple data-driven activities to evaluate research questions. We will also evaluate the integrity of scientific data, assessing reliable sources of information with respect to transparency and scientific bias.

Specific topics covered in this course include the connections between global changes such as sea level and temperature rise with human impacts including increasing climate migration, spread of infectious disease, and threats to food security. We will also investigate connections between industrialized agricultural, fossil fuel use, and the deterioration of water and air quality. Finally, we address the prominent role of environmental racism in the human health and climate connection. In taking this course, students will gain a broader understanding about the long-term effects of their actions, both on themselves as individuals and on other global citizens, and recognize opportunities for individual and systemic changes that result in a more sustainable world.

Prerequisites: None

FIN3515 Corporate Financial Management
4 General Elective CreditsThis course is designed for students interested in corporate financial management. Its principal goals are to provide the concepts and techniques required to make long-term investment and financing decisions within the firm. At the end of the course, students will be able to make real asset investment decisions by valuing a proposed investment project or acquisition. Students will also be able to qualitatively and quantitatively assess the appropriateness of a firm's financing policy. Topics covered include alternative valuation methods, estimating cost of capital, real options, capital structure, and corporate payout policy.

Prerequisites: SME2021 or FIN

Recommended: ACC3502

FIN4510 Corporate Finance Modeling and Decision Tools
4 General CreditsThis course is designed to provide a practical application of corporate finance skills to a variety of analyses commonly performed by investment bank and commercial bank financial analysts. Mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, private equity placements, senior and mezzanine debt issuances, leveraged buyouts, and other common financial transactions will be covered. We will explore the process of each transaction and place heavy emphasis on the role of the financial analyst in analyzing each situation. Students will gather source data and build and apply models typically used in practice by investment banks, commercial banks, and corporate finance consultants. The course is designed for those interested in careers in investment banking, commercial banking, corporate finance consulting, and strategic planning.

Prerequisites: SME2021 or FIN2000

FIN4540 Corporate Financial Strategy
4 General Elective CreditsWith the quickening rate of technological, demographic, institutional, and political change and globalization, managers, consultants, and investment bankers face increasingly turbulent and complex business environments. This course investigates the use of financial instruments and strategies to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage and create value. The course explores the relationships among corporate strategy, corporate finance, and financial innovation, and should be of interest to managers who aspire to use financial strategy and tools to support their strategic choices and to those who will be advising corporations on how to achieve their financial goals.

Prerequisites: SME2021

Recommended: ACC3502

SCN3689 Crime Science
4 Advanced Liberal Arts CreditsThis course examines the role that the modern natural sciences play in analyzing physical evidence collected at a crime scene. It begins by defining forensic science and understanding why the government has placed special qualifiers on scientific expert witnesses and their testimony. Students will survey the sciences used in a modern crime lab to understand the principles behind the analyses. Historical and current crimes and their trials as well as a mock crime scene will highlight lecture material. Disciplines that will be covered include Toxicology, Controlled Substances, Arson, DNA, Blood Splatter, Friction Ridge, Ballistics, and Crime Scene Processing.

Prerequisites: NST1

QTM3674 Cryptology/Coding/Theory
4 Advanced Liberal Arts CreditsCryptology includes the study of both cryptography, the science of developing _secret codes_ or ciphers for secure and confidential communication, and cryptanalysis, the breaking of ciphers. Coding theory consists of mathematical techniques for detecting and correcting errors that occur during data transmission. These topics are critical to secure and reliable information exchange, with applications ranging from e-commerce to the transmission of photographs from deep-space to military operations. Through this exploration into the technical, social, and historical aspects of cryptology and coding theory, students will learn and extensively use basic concepts from number theory, finite field and ring theory, matrix algebra, and the software package GAP. Highlighted topics include the RSA cryptosystem, digital signatures, DES, linear and cyclic codes, and the coding theory based McEliece cryptosystem. This course is suitable for students with one year of university-level mathematics, or the equivalent; it should also be interesting for upperclassman from a variety of majors.

Prerequisites: QTM1000

SCN3602: Eclipses on Earth

4 Advanced Liberal Arts Credits

This course will involve an in-depth exploration of the Sun-Earth-Moon system and how that system results in eclipses. From understanding how the relationship between the Sun, Earth, and Moon generate eclipses, we will discuss the different types of eclipses, and explore the prediction of eclipses. We will consider the historical explanations and uses of eclipses in both the social and scientific realms. We will also examine the history of solar observations to understand safe solar viewing practices. This course is designed to fulfill the advanced experiential component of the curriculum as well. In teams you will work with local teachers and libraries to develop ways of teaching about eclipses to K-12 students and a general audience. You will also assist in developing safe solar viewing plans for your external "clients" on the eclipse day.

Prerequisites: NST 10XX

SCN3615 Ecology of Animal Behavior
4 Advanced Lib Arts CreditsThe study of the nature, variety and function of the fundamental types of animal behaviors. Communication, habitat selection, predation and antipredator defense, reproductive strategies, tactics and mating systems, and play and social behaviors will be compared and analyzed, and applications to human behavior will be discussed.

Prerequisites: NST10%
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