• Click to access the current schedule of readings, notes, announcements, etc.

• Prof. Steve Hagen
• Office: 2362 New Physics Building
• Office hours: (to be announced)
• Telephone: 352-392-4716
• .

• ISIS lists the course as meeting on MWF mornings. That is incorrect. In fact the course will meet as follows:
• Tuesdays / Thursdays, 10:40 - 11:55 am
• Room 2260 NPB (CME conference room)

The course will introduce major themes in biological physics, with an emphasis on the statistical physics of biological systems at the microscopic or molecular level. The course is not intended to replace an introductory biology course. Rather, it aims to introduce the physical science graduate student to the rapidly expanding field of biological physics, where physical arguments and reasoning can provide significant insight into the design and function of biological systems. Relevant concepts in biology and chemistry are introduced as needed: no detailed knowledge of biology or chemistry (beyond the basic, high-school level) is required for this course.

Major Topics: We will begin by discussing the transduction of free energy by biological systems, then explore the role of entropic forces and friction in biology. We will then investigate biomolecular self-assembly and cooperative transitions and the function of biomolecular motors and enzymes.

Other Topics: As time permits, we can subsequently follow our interests and expand on the textbook or visit other interesting and important topics in this field. These may include

• Noise in gene expression
• Information theory in molecular biology
• Virus capsid structure and stability
• Mechanical properties and irreversibility in single biomacromolecules
• Quorum sensing and bacterial communication

We will use the new textbook, Biological Physics: Energy, Information, Life, by Philip Nelson. This is a physics textbook, but it is more readable and less mathematical than many other physics texts. The book operates on two parallel tracks: Track I is aimed at undergraduate students, while Track II is aimed at senior undergraduates and graduate students. We intend to emphasize Track II.

The UF bookstore did not order copies of the textbook (!!). You can however find a reasonably priced copy online if you search here. Also, Nelson's text is available at Marston Science Library on 2-hour reserve (call number QH505 .N37).

Click here to download the course handout (syllabus). You will need the PDF reader.

• The Origin of Life and Energy by Ronald F. Fox.
• Genetic regulation at the nanomolar scale, by McAdams & Arkin.
• Noisy Genes, by Alexander van Oudenaarden.
• Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics of Small Systems, by F. Ritort, J. Liphardt, and C. Bustamante.
• Information Theory in Molecular Biology, by Christoph Adami.