Dunn Research Group
CHEMENG 320 - Chemical Kinetics and Reaction Engineering. Theoretical and experimental tools useful in understanding and manipulating reactions mediated by small-molecules and biological catalysts. Theoretical: first classical chemical kinetics and transition state theory; then RRKM theory and Monte Carlo simulations. Experimental approaches include practical application of modern spectroscopic techniques, stopped-flow measurements, temperature-jump experiments, and single-molecule approaches to chemical and biological systems. Both theory and application are framed with regard to systems of particular interest, including industrially relevant enzymes, organometallic catalysts, heterogeneous catalysis, electron transfer reactions, and chemical kinetics within living cells.
CHEMENG 420 - Growth and Form. Advanced topics course examining the role of physical forces in shaping living cells, tissues, and organs, making use of D'Arcy Thompson's classic text On Growth and Form. The course begins with a review of relevant physical principles drawn from statistical physics, polymer theory, rheology and materials science. We then examine current knowledge of cellular mechanotransduction pathways, the roles of physical forces in guiding embryonic development, and the contribution of aberrant cellular response to mechanical cues in heart disease and cancer. The course concludes by examining current frontiers in stem cell biology and tissue engineering.
CHEMENG 183 - Biochemistry II. Focus on metabolic biochemistry: the study of chemical reactions that provide the cell with the energy and raw materials necessary for life. Topics include glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, the citric acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, photosynthesis, the pentose phosphate pathway, and the metabolism of glycogen, fatty acids, amino acids, and nucleotides as well as the macromolecular machines that synthesize RNA, DNA, and proteins. Medical relevance is emphasized throughout.