Leo Miller
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Professor PhD, Biology, University of Rochester (1968) Office: (312) 996-2220 University of Illinois at Chicago |
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Professor PhD, Biology, University of Rochester (1968) Office: (312) 996-2220 University of Illinois at Chicago |
Northwestern University Medical School
Human Histology
University of Illinois
Undergraduate Courses:
LAS 100 Freshman Seminar: Introduction to University Study
CC 100 Freshman Success Seminar
BIOS 100 General Biology: The Biology of Cells
BIOS 103 Human Development and Reproduction
HON 201 Honors College Seminars
BIOS 220 Mendelian and Molecular Genetics
BIOS 325 Vertebrate Embryology
Graduate Courses:
BIOS 448 Chromosome Structure and Function
BIOS 525 Molecular Biology II
BIOS 526 Molecular and Genetic Analysis of Development
BIOS 594 Special Topics in Biological Sciences
BIOS 596 Topics in Molecular Biology: Determination and Differentiation
Description of courses which constitute my major teaching responsibilities:
BIOS 325: Vertebrate Embryology. Class Home Page
http://www.uic.edu/~leo/bios325.html
5 credit hours, lecture and laboratory course. Elective for the
Biology Major. Mainly juniors and seniors with majors in biology or
health science programs. Enrollments (100-150 students) are limited
by the number of laboratory sections offered, but the course is
always filled to capacity.
The study of vertebrate embryo development has recently taken on added significance due to advances such as in vitro fertilization, fetal tissue transplantation, embryonic stem cells and cloning. The accessibility of the human embryo in vitro, combined with advances in molecular biology has also opened the door for genetic engineering, and tissue and gene therapy. These embryological advances have also raised a number of ethical, religious and legal issues which we discuss in class. My goal is to help students understand the basic biological principles of embryology and how they are relevant to making informed choices about these issues, how human development is similar to the development of other vertebrates and how abnormalities in developmental processes can lead to congenital defects.
BIOS 103: Human Development and Reproduction. Class Home Page http://www.uic.edu/~leo/bios103.html 5 credit hours, lecture, discussion and laboratory course. Elective which meets university requirements for Natural Science Course Distribution Credit. The course is always filled to capacity (250 students).
I developed this course for undergraduates who are not Biology majors. To facilitate discussion and make feedback a little easier I divide the class in half by teaching 2 sections. Many of the topics have been selected because they are inherently interesting and are relevant to the students lives. This provides an engaging context to teach basic biological principles, the students are more interested in learning and they remember more of the material. I feel it is important to present a universal view of each topic and involve the students in different styles of learning. For example, I lecture on the biology of the mammary gland, including its cell biology, physiology and development. I also lecture on the biology of breast cancer and show a video on the human impact of this cancer, the role of genetic counseling and genetic tests. We then have a Discussion/Lab in which a volunteer from La Leche League talks about breast feeding. Lastly, the students have the option of taking part in the "Race for the Cure" to fulfill the course field trip requirement. Last year over 100 students participated.
Other topics I cover include in vitro fertilization, cloning, human embryonic stem cell lines, fetal tissue transplantation, genetic engineering of human cells and gene therapy. I teach the basic biological principles in the context of life. Many of these topics have challenged our views of parenthood, family, and personal identity and have raised a number of ethical, religious and legal issues which we must confront. While I emphasize the basic scientific principles of embryology and reproduction in this course I also spend time discussing how the biology is relevant to confronting these ethical issues. My goal is to help students become critically thinking, scientifically literate citizens, ready to make informed decisions about issues related to human development, health and reproduction.