Biological timekeeping
About the course
This course is recommended for PhD candidates with a chronobiology and physiology focus. It is also relevant to ecologists studying phenology or behaviour who may wish to understand the internal mechanisms driving seasonal and daily adaptations to the environment.
The course is available as a singular course.
Acceptance is based on the following priorities:
• UiT PhD candidates with relevant background in biology.
• Other PhD candidates with relevant background in biology.
The course aims to establish understanding in the following areas:
- The key principles and intellectual formalisms of chronobiology
- The evolutionary origins and ecological importance of biological timekeeping
- The mechanistic basis to biological timekeeping at levels from the genetics to the whole organism
Admission requirements
Objectives of the course
Upon successful completion of the course , the candidate will have achieved the following learning outcomes:
Knowledge
The candidate..
- Can demonstrate advanced and critical knowledge on the formal properties, approaches and jargons in the field of Chronobiology.
- Can critically evaluate and integrate the anatomical and molecular basis of the mechanisms underlying daily and seasonal rhythms including the understanding of knowledge gaps.
- Can evaluate the evolutionary origins and ecological importance of biological timekeeping and identify unresolved questions.
- Can demonstrate what a research project in Chronobiology entails.
Skills
The candidate…
- Can independently analyse and interpret biological rhythms data in the form of actograms and other ways of visualising rhythms.
- Can identify, evaluate and synthetise the scientific literature
- Can find background information in the existing literature for framing their own project.
- Can find relevant methodologies in the existing literature to develop an experiment.
General competence
The candidate…
- Can critically evaluate how scientific knowledge is generated, including ethical considerations.
- Can communicate science findings, orally and in writing both to specialists and the general public.
- Can synthetize and critically evaluate scientific literature to identify opportunities for new studies
- Can present scientific content clearly and in logical order while using language appropriate for the audience and occasion
- Can propose, discuss and evaluate hypotheses
- Can design a research project in the form of a grant proposal.
Credit reduction
If you pass the examination in this course, you will get an reduction in credits (as stated below), if you previously have passed the following courses:
- BIO-3014 Biological timekeeping 10 ects
Teaching methods
Language of instruction and examination
EnglishSchedule
The schedules are normally finalized and published well in advance of the start of the semester, often a few weeks beforehand. This gives students the opportunity to organize their studies and prepare for upcoming activities.
It is recommended to check the schedule regularly, as changes may occur.
Examination
| Oral exam | Duration: 6 Hours Weighting: 25/100 |
Grade: A–E, fail F |
| Assignment | Weighting: 50/100 |
Grade: A–E, fail F |
| School exam | Duration: 3 Hours Weighting: 25/100 |
Grade: A–E, fail F |
To take an examination, the student must have passed the following coursework requirements
| Lecture attendance and completion of pre-reading for lectures | Grade: Approved – not approved |
| Actogram analysis practical | Grade: Approved – not approved |
| Completion of peer feedback | Grade: Approved – not approved |
Everything you need to know about before, during, and after the exam; registration, absence, appeals, and diplomas: UiT Exams homepage
