PSPP - Plant Sciences/Plant Pathology

PSPP 291  Special Topics: 1-3 Credits ()

Course prerequisites as determined for each offering. Courses not required in any curriculum for which there is a particular one-time need, or given on a trial basis to determine acceptability and demand before requesting a regular course number.
Repeatable up to 12 credits.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. None required but some may be determined necessary by each offering department.

PSPP 501  Navigating Graduate Studies: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

(F) This course is designed for early career Masters and PhD students in the agricultural, environmental, and biological sciences. The course helps students navigate practical aspects of graduate school, identify and achieve their professional goals, and develop and articulate their research through writing.

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  1. Define scholarship and build habits supporting graduate writing
  2. Articulate their preferred approach for setting and achieving professional goals, with a particular emphasis on graduate school goals
  3. Constructively give and receive feedback on verbal and written work
  4. Contrast leadership styles, assess current leadership strengths, and identify areas for growth

PSPP 516  Research Design and Analysis: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: STAT 500. (F) Data analysis and interpretation of problems unique to agricultural and biological research. Topics include: sample size determination, assumptions and transformation of data scale, completely random, randomized block, Latin Square, and split-plot designs, comparisons among means, factorial experiments, use of the statistical programming language R, and data visualization. This course may not be appropriate for students who have completed STAT 511 and 512

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Recognize and understand the role of replication, randomization, and local control in experimentation.
  2. Analyze and interpret data from completely random, randomized block, latin square, split plot (and variations) and repeated measures experiments.
  3. Analyze and interpret factorial experiments

PSPP 521  Plant Science for Teachers: It Grows on You: 1 Credits (1 Lec)

(Su) In this course you will learn about the characteristics of plants, how abiotic factors influence plant growth and development, and experimental design and data collection methods. You will be challenged to create innovative lessons to deliver this content in your particular classroom setting. Offered Summer.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. propagate live plant specimens and create and maintain a plant journal.
  2. explain the form and function of the plant's root, shoot, stems, leaves, flower and fruiting body.
  3. integrate science literature into the classroom, in addition to developing cross curricular lessons with science, art, math and IEFA.
  4. explain how plants have adapted to their local environment.
  5. research and identify indigenous uses for plants.

PSPP 522  Insect-ology for Teachers: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

(Su) This exciting course is designed for elementary, middle school and high school teachers. The course provides an effective way to integrate instructional scientific strategies for teachers. Students will share cross-level instruction and constructive ideas. The goal of this course is to promote the study of insects and applications of insects. This eight-week course is intended for teachers enrolled in the Masters of Science in Science Education degree program, the NTEN Certificate Program, and other teachers with a minimum of two years teaching experience seeking professional development. Offered Summer.

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  1. explain the key steps and differences of insect life cycles and be able to discriminate between key insect morphological features.
  2. identify insect orders and design and develop an Insect Order Identification Quiz and Answer Key.
  3. integrate key themes from short historical non-fiction writing which describe the role of insect mythology in the Old World and Native American cultures to create an action poster of an insect of their choice.
  4. research and evaluate current theories for insect population decline.
  5. design and construct an Ant Farm and record observations in a journal.
  6. conduct a local field investigation that identifies two insects that are beneficial to humans and two insects that are harmful to humans to demonstrate knowledge of symbiotic relationships.
  7. research, design and create “Insect Junk Art” with materials that mimic the form and function of real insects.

PSPP 524  Adv Plant Pathology: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: BIOB 160. (Fall, odd years.) This course is designed to give graduate students in the Department of Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology or other departments a broad survey of plant pathology subject matter at the graduate level and to give all graduate students in PSPP a common experience and introduction to PSPP graduate faculty. This course will serve as a companion to Genetic Plant Improvement (PSPP 542) taught in Spring odd alternate years by the plant breeding faculty

PSPP 530  Crop Physiology: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: BIOO 433; CHMY 211. This online offering examines interactions between plants and the environment. Light, environment, plant canopy development, photosynthesis, source-link relations, growth analysis, growth regulation, water relations, and environmental stresses are addressed

PSPP 541  Advanced Eukaryotic Genetics: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: BIOB 375 or equivalent General Genetics course. (Sp) REREQUISITE: BIOB375. Advanced Eukaryotic Genetics will root recent genetic findings into a classical genetic context, with a primary goal of empowering students to read and interpret classical and current literature in the field of genetics and apply genetic analysis to research problems

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Compare and contrast foundational genetic theories with more modern findings.
  2. Interpret, discuss and apply findings from modern genetic scientific literature
  3. Perform genetic analysis utilizing a number of genetic tools and techniques.
  4. Evaluate genetic research.
  5. Communicate clearly about genetics by leading a class and a discussion
  6. Apply genetic theories to their research
  7. Apply genetic analysis to an advanced data set
  8. Evaluate the findings from the genetic analysis and apply to their research

PSPP 542  Genetics of Plant Improvement: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: AGSC 441, STAT 500. The past, present and future of plant improvement. Emphasis on genetic principles underlying classical plant breeding, and on molecular biological principles underlying plant genetic engineering

PSPP 546  Herbicide Physiology: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: BCH 380 and BIOO 433 or equivalents. (Sp) Offered every other Spring, even numbered years. A team-taught, distance delivery course on the biochemistry and physiology of herbicide action in plants. Herbicide discovery, classification, and mechanisms of action and resistance are explored

PSPP 547  Biomimicry for Teachers: 2 Credits (1 Lec, 1 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Graduate students only. (Spring, even years.) Biomimicry is a new paradigm that assists in the understanding of how to take a function in nature and translate the design for human use. Biomimicry is multi-disciplinary, challenging the student to research the literature, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate, combining both biology and design innovation. Students must be able to research and read the academic literature, and translate biological concepts into layperson explanations, focusing on function, mechanism, and design principles
Repeatable up to 2 credits.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. practice and apply biomimicry in a relevant way to your career.
  2. compare biomimicry with biophilia, bioutilization, and biomimetics.
  3. read biological intelligence stories and analyze them for the function, mechanisms, and strategies designed to solve challenges that living organisms face.
  4. emulate designs from nature that can solve real world human problems.

PSPP 548  Flowering Plants of the Northern Rocky Mountains: 2 Credits (2 Lec)

(Su) The purpose of this field-oriented course is to learn how to identify flowering plants in nature using a flora. The course covers nomenclature, taxonomy, the basic parts of flowers, and common plant family characteristics. This skill gives students a foundation in the practical skills needed to identify and place plants in their plant families. As a result, students will learn plant anatomy terms and how they are applied in a dichotomous key. Application of these skills to K-12 classrooms are shared, expanding curriculums.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Identify the parts of flowering plants and become familiar with botanical terms
  2. Learn morphological characteristics of common plant families
  3. Learn how to use a plant key to successfully identify flowering plants
  4. Apply these skills and botanical texts to the classroom

PSPP 549  Botany of Spices & Medicinal Plants for Teachers: 2 Credits (1 Lec, 1 Lab)

(F) A study of spices and plants used for the flavor, fragrance, dietary supplement, cosmetic, and botanical product markets around the world. Students will design K-12 inquiry-based curriculum regarding the botany and sources of spices and medicinal plants.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Demonstrate the ability to research botanical spices and medicinal plants in depth: Latin nomenclature, phytogeography, history of use, chemical compounds, and claims for health.\\n
  2. Critically analyze disparate sources of information concerning the health claims for spices and dietary supplements.
  3. Demonstrate home kitchen techniques creating products from spices and medicinal plants, such as teas, decoctions, poultices, syrups, and extracts.
  4. Articulate market trends for good practices and sustainable guidance for the ethical sourcing of spices and botanical supplements.
  5. Design curriculum that includes the study of spices and medicinal plants for K-12 students.

PSPP 550  Plant Disease Control: 4 Credits (4 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: BIOM 421 Concepts in Plant Pathology or consent of instructor
COREQUISITE: STAT 511 or PSPP 516. (Sp) Offered every other Spring, odd numbered years. Plant pathogens present major biological constraints in all crop production systems. For their management, we make numerous compromises between disease losses, and management costs in terms of monies, effort, and environmental impacts. In this course, important representative diseases from each disease class will be presented. These will be followed by discussions of the applied research on their control. Following Wednesday’s lectures a one-hour review will be conducted of presented papers including methods, data quality, utility and contextual fit within the body of research on each subject
.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Students will be able to describe and evaluate methods of plant disease management.
  2. Students will be able to design plant disease management plans that cover all stages of crop development
  3. Students will develop the skills to evaluate disease management alternatives.
  4. Students will be able to justify choices when selecting alternative components for plant disease management programs.
  5. Be able to evaluate and condense the aggregate scientific literature into effective disease recommendations for growers in their area.
  6. Be aware of the technical challenges presented by each major class of diseases in conducting applied research and the experimental designs and methods that minimize these limitations
  7. Be able to design a comprehensive research program focused on developing management options for emerging disease problems.

PSPP 565  Plant-Pathogen Interaction: 3 Credits (3 Lec)

(Sp) Offered every other Spring, even numbered years. Co-convened with BIOM 465. This course teaches the molecular mechanisms by which plants and pathogens/insects interact during the progress of pathogenesis or resistance, and the methods to study and visualize intercellular interactions during pathogenesis and defense.

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Define concepts of Molecular Plant-Microbe & Insect Interactions;
  2. Describe the mechanisms that plants use to recognize pathogens and pests, and active defense;
  3. Describe the cellular and molecular processes to translational activities upon interactions;
  4. Describe the methods to study and visualize intracellular interactions during interactions;
  5. Discuss experimental approaches used and propose a new hypothesis to advance an overall understanding of interactions at the molecular level.

PSPP 575  Professional Paper: 1-10 Credits (1 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Graduate standing. (F, Sp, Su) A research or professional paper or project dealing with a topic in the field. The topic must have been mutually agreed upon by the student and his or her major adviser and graduate committee
Repeatable up to 10 credits.

PSPP 589  Graduate Consultation: 1-3 Credits (1-3 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Master's standing and approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies. (F, Sp, Su) This course may be used only by students who have completed all of their coursework (and thesis, if on a thesis plan), but who needs additional faculty or staff time help

PSPP 590  Master's Thesis: 1-10 Credits (1 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Master's standing
Repeatable up to 10 credits.

PSPP 591  Special Topics: 1-4 Credits (1 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: Upper division courses and others as determined for each offering. Courses not required in any curriculum for which there is a particular one time need, or given on a trial basis to determine acceptability and demand
Repeatable up to 12 credits.

PSPP 592  Independent Study: 1-3 Credits (1 Lec)

PREREQUISITE: Graduate standing, consent of instructor, approval of Department Head and Dean of Graduate Studies. (F, Sp, Su) Directed research and study on an individual basis
Repeatable up to 6 credits.

PSPP 594  Seminar: 1 Credits (1 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Graduate standing or seniors by petition. (F, Sp) Course prerequisites as determined for each offering. Students prepare, present, and critique scientific presentations
Repeatable up to 4 credits.

PSPP 598  Internship: 2-4 Credits (2 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Graduate standing, consent of instructor and approval of Department Head, and Dean of Graduate Studies. (F, Sp, Su) An individualized assignment arranged with an agency, business or other organization to provide guided experience in the field
Repeatable up to 12 credits.

PSPP 642  Structural and Functional Genomics: 3 Credits (2 Lec, 1 Lab)

PREREQUISITE: BIOB 375. (F) Offered every other Fall, odd numbered years. The objective of this course is to teach graduate students cutting-edge technologies used in omics with practical training in online databases and analytical tools. Students are expected to learn basic approaches in functional genomics, including forward and reverse genetics, transposon insertion, RNA interference (RNAi), TILLING (Targeted Induced Local Lesion IN Genomes), fine structure genetics (Modifier screens, Enhancer trap, GAL4 mediated over-expression), and current platforms for genome-editing. Laboratory sections will be computer-based, using publicly available online resources. Students will explore archives and sequence assemblies, analyze single molecules, navigate genome browsers, use comparative mapping tools, and work with phenotype/genotype data for genome-wide association studies (GWAS)

View Course Outcomes:

  1. Students will be able to explain omics technologies and basic approaches in functional genomics.
  2. Students will be able to critically read scientific literature.
  3. Students will be able to design a research project to characterize the function of a gene and write a brief grant proposal using a pipeline of multiple omics technologies.
  4. Students will be able to use online resources to access archives and sequence assemblies, analyze single molecules, navigate genome browsers, use comparative mapping tools, and work with phenotype/genotype data for genome-wide association studies (GWAS).
  5. Students will be able to format local data and upload the data to genome browsers and online toolboxes for analysis.

PSPP 690  Doctoral Thesis: 1-10 Credits (1 Other)

PREREQUISITE: Doctoral standing
Repeatable up to 10 credits.