NST1040 Human Biotechnology
4 Foundation Liberal Arts CreditsThis course will provide you with a broad review of the basic scientific concepts, ethical considerations, and practical applications of biotechnology in our daily lives. We will discuss the regulations, technologies, and methods used by academic research laboratories, agricultural and pharmaceutical industries, and forensic scientists. Through this course, you will gain a number of different perspectives on personalized medicine, stem cells, drug discovery, development, and regulation, food, and the environment, all of which are directly connected to human health and well-being. By the end of this course, you will recognize the importance of biotechnology in the world today and see multiple scales of its application from molecular to global levels. You will be able to compare and contrast the positive and negative contributions biotechnology has made to our lives and you will grasp its strengths and limitations as we move forward into the middle of the 21st century.

SCN3660 Human Health and Disease
4 Liberal Arts CreditsThis class explores human health and disease. We identify the biological roots of infection, exploring advances in medicine and related disciplines. We analyze all facets of risk - from genetics to lifestyle - proceeding topically through major threats to human longevity and quality of life. Topics include the latest understanding of chronic illness - cancer, stroke, heart disease - that account for most premature mortality in the developed world. We will examine strategies to protect our health and to ameliorate some of the consequences of aging; we will investigate new challenges, such as emerging infections and eating disorders. Psychological aspects of wellness are discussed as well.

Prerequisites: Foundation Science

SCN3635 Human Nutrition
(Formerly Personal Nutrition)
4 Advanced Liberal Arts Credits
Every day we are bombarded with information about diet and health, often confusing and contradictory. As consumers, it is difficult to separate fact from fad, truth from fiction. This course will provide a foundation in basic nutrition, including anatomy and physiology of the digestive tract and the development of disease, with the goal of applying this information to aid in making informed choices in the treatment and prevention of nutrition related disease. We will also explore how the personal actions a student can take to encourage a sustainable diet, defined as "food choices that maximize personal health while minimizing the impact on the environment.

Prerequisites: NST10%

QTM2600 Linear Algebra

4 Advanced Liberal Arts Credits

Linear Algebra provides the mathematical background for modern applications in statistics and data science. In this course we study linear algebra beginning with the classic but still essential application of solving systems of linear equations. We use this as an entry to think of the properties of high dimensional spaces, and the relationships between those spaces. Students will learn how to compute with matrices and see their application to diverse areas such as cryptography, image recognition, page rank in computer searches and establishing fair ranking and voting systems.

Prerequisites: QTM1010 or AQM2000

NST1060 Oceanography
4 CreditsOver 70% of the globe is covered by ocean. Marine systems are a nexus of life - crucial sources of protein for human populations, reservoirs of minerals, and regulators of the global climate. However, human populations have increased demand for ocean resources in greater numbers than is ecologically sustainable. In addition, the ocean serves as a dumping ground for many types of waste, resulting in waters degraded by pollution. The objective of this course is to give you a basic understanding of the physical, biological, and chemical processes driving ocean fundamentals. In addition, we will examine how human demand on marine resources impacts ocean communities.

This course will stress the importance of the scientific method - both in principle and in practice. Extensive discussion of human environmental impacts on the ocean (e.g., climate change, marine pollution, overfishing) will enhance perspectives of self-awareness and ethical decision-making related to social, economic and environmental responsibility and sustainability (SEERS). Critical analysis is emphasized in class discussions, exam questions, lab reports, written assignments, and the group project. Assignments facilitate development of logical communication skills, appropriate use of graphs and tables, and organizing, synthesizing, evaluating and interpreting scientific information. Through lab and group activities, this course fosters team work and ability to work with others. International and multicultural perspectives are integral to the course, since the oceans influence on human populations is global, both directly on the coasts, and indirectly away from the coasts (via weather, climate, and seafood production).

Prerequisites: None

QTM3620 Optimization Methods and Applications
(Formerly Operations Research)
4 Advanced Liberal Arts Credits

This course provides an introduction to optimization techniques for decision making with spreadsheet implementation. Topics covered include: linear programming, sensitivity analysis, networks, integer programming, nonlinear programming, and multiple objective optimization. Models discussed span different business disciplines including finance, accounting, marketing, human resources, economics, operations, and project management. Throughout the course, learning is reinforced via hands-on computer experience using problems and cases.

Prerequisites: AQM 2000 or (QTM 1010 and QTM2000)

NST1080 Paradigms of Scientific Invest
4 Foundations Liberal Arts Credits

A multidisciplinary examination of the principles of scientific research and routes to discovery with examples from the history of the subject from its Greek beginnings to modern times. The course will provide insight into the sources, motivations, and methods of approach utilized by the developers of modern science. Topics from biology, physics, and engineering will be used to discover how we unravel the mysteries of the natural world and address the question of how do we know what we know is true by critically examining how the science community has resolved conflicting interpretations of the natural world and analyzing the consequent paradigm shifts from previously accepted theories. These concepts will be applied to addressing societal challenges in developing a national science policy, why things go wrong and mitigating man-made disasters. Finally, the real-world utility of these concepts is applied to applications within an entrepreneurship context in terms of evaluating and managing technology ventures.

Prerequisites: None

AQM2000 Predictive Business Analytics

4 Foundation Liberal Arts Credits

This course is only open to students who started Fall 2021 or after

This course introduces students to the foundational ideas of modern data science through a hands-on implementation in modern statistical software. Students will encounter key conceptual ideas like the importance of holdout data, the dangers of overfitting, and the most common performance indicators for various model types through a tour of popular and practical predictive analytics algorithms: linear regression, k-nearest neighbors, logistic regression, classification and regression trees, naive Bayes', and others. In addition to these supervised learning models, students will investigate unsupervised learning models like association rules and clustering, which are designed to uncover structure in data rather than predict a particular target. Throughout the course, students will practice communicating the results of their analyses to a variety of stakeholders.

Prerequisites: AQM1000

QTM3675 Probability for Risk Management

4 CreditsThe fundamental objective of this course is to prepare students for the successful completion of the first level probability examination (Exam P) of the Society of Actuaries. While the necessary theory is addressed, this course focuses on problem solving, so it is well suited for any student with an interest in applied probability concepts and how they are related to a wide variety of situations within and beyond actuarial science, finance, and economics. Topics include general probability and univariate and multivariate probability distributions.

Prerequisites: QTM1010 or AQM 2000

QTM2623 Programming with R for Business Analytics
4 CreditsThis course provides experience in developing, testing, and implementing business analytics software using the R language. R has become the leading tool for analytics software design, statistical computing, and graphics. The language is greatly enhanced by numerous open-source contributed packages and textbooks submitted by users, and it is used almost exclusively in most of the leading-edge analytics applications, such as statistical analysis and data mining. No prior programming experience is assumed. Students will become proficient in programming in the R language with datasets of all kinds with an emphasis on statistical exploration, data mining, graphics, and advanced programming concepts. The course will be case-oriented. The intent is to further enhance the learning experience from other analytics courses, such as QTM1010 and QTM2000.

Prerequisites: QTM1010 and QTM2000 or permission from the instructor