Class dates: Sept 10, 17, 24 and Oct 8, 15 (5 weeks)

Class time: 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm

Location: Assumption, Kennedy 119

The human body is an amazing collection of ~10 trillion cells, each with its own program that controls which genes are expressed. Among these messages are signals that tell the cell whether it should divide (and perhaps become cancerous), change its developmental pathway, become senescent or die. In this class, we'll discuss some of the intricate controls on cell fate and how they vary between tissues and at different times in life. We'll also discuss how our life experiences produce epigenetic changes in our DNA and whether these changes can be passed down to future generations Finally, we'll discuss the ongoing search for reliable biomarkers of aging

Instructor: Clare O'Connor is a cell biologist who received her Ph.D. from Purdue and led a research lab at the former Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology from 1984-1995. From 1995 to 2017, she was a professor in the Boston College Biology Department, where she taught both introductory and advanced courses in genetics and molecular cell biology. Since retiring in 2018, she has taught several WISE courses in these same subject areas.