Mason Science: New Courses and Special Topics Offerings

BIMR 510 001: Creativity and Innovation
Creative and innovative thinking is the most important requirement for success in any field. Creative thinking drives all progress in the arts, the sciences, and the commercial sector. Under this philosophy, students will be immersed in a culture of creativity surrounded by mentors and advisors who explain and demonstrate the creative process. Students will be shown that every team member in a modern career ranging from summer scientists to tenured professors – can be the originator (and inventor) of a seminal idea that opens a whole new field.

CDS 465 DL1: Modeling Interactive Populations
Employs several computational methods to create an agent-based model of an evolving and interactive population. Applied scenarios will include human identification through DNA profiles, community analysis through connected graphs, data generation, virus tracking, and evolution of human traits in me. Software skills developed will include Python, Pandas, and SQL.

EVPP 441 001 and 201: Protist Diversity and Ecology
This course is designed to examine the diversity and ecology of photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic protists (one of the five Kingdoms of organisms) and cyanobacteria (precursors to protists) primarily distributed in freshwater and marine habitats. The evolution and phylogeny of these related, but relatively distinct organismal groups are highlighted. An ecological perspective is used to explore the diversity and ecological significance of algae which are the main primary producers in aquatic ecosystems and heterotrophic protozoa which play an important role as consumers in microbial food webs. Biotechnological applications of protists such as their potential as energy sources and as building materials is explored as well economic and health concerns caused by harmful and nuisance algal blooms and protozoan parasites are discussed. The laboratory provides students with hands on exercises to sample, view and identify protists as well as experience in laboratory and field methods used.

GGS 485 003: Capstone in Geography & Geoinformation Sciences
Provides students with project-based culminating experience that integrates geographic problem solving with real-world data and questions. Students work in teams on client-based projects and present project deliverables. This course requires analytical, collaborative, communication, organizational, and research skills, with students demonstrating mastery of geographic thought and practice.

BINF 704 001: Application of Genomics in Health
Seminar course that meets in person and via Zoom.  Readings are assigned on current Genomics topics in literature / journals with student presentations.

BINF 704 DL1: Bioinformatics Colloquium
Asynchronous online course designed to train students in understanding scientific presentations and publications while giving them a rudimentary capability to craft a colloquium style presentation based on  journal articles.  Students will record and present a talk on current Bioinformatics topics and write up summaries of additional speakers’ talks for a grade.

BINF 704 DL2: Colloquium Speaker Series
Seminar series on the latest findings from Principal Investigators (both internal and external speakers) that share published and unpublished data regarding infections (i.e. RNA and DNA viruses as well as bacteria), immunity (both tissue and immune cells in primary and secondary lymphatics), diagnostics, and therapeutics (drugs, exosomes, etc).

BINF 704 DL3: Special Topics Speaker Series
Seminar series on the latest findings from Principal Investigators (both internal and external speakers) that share published and unpublished data regarding infections (i.e. RNA and DNA viruses as well as bacteria), immunity (both tissue and immune cells in primary and secondary lymphatics), diagnostics, and therapeutics (drugs, exosomes, etc).

BIOL 417 001: Paleoclimatology
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information

BIOL 417 004: Water and Disease
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information

BIOL 417 DL1: Bioinformatics/Comp Biology I
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information

BIOL 417 DL2: Research and Development in Biotechnology Companies
This course focuses on Research and Development approaches and methodologies used in solving critical problems in biosciences/life sciences through biotechnology.  The course will focus on various steps needed for product development and commercialization.  The course will primarily cover agricultural and medical technologies in a case study format.  Students will develop skills to evaluate novel technologies and methodologies being used in the biotech industry to address medical and agricultural problems.  Students will learn to develop skills needed to analyze patents, literature and data, and learn to formulate research plans.

BIOL 417 DL3: Biology Seminar
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

BIOL 491 204: Comparative Genomics
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

BIOL 508 DL1: Research and Development in Biotechnology Companies
This course focuses on Research and Development approaches and methodologies used in solving critical problems in biosciences/life sciences through biotechnology.  The course will focus on various steps needed for product development and commercialization.  The course will primarily cover agricultural and medical technologies in a case study format.  Students will develop skills to evaluate novel technologies and methodologies being used in the biotech industry to address medical and agricultural problems.  Students will learn to develop skills needed to analyze patents, literature and data, and learn to formulate research plans. 

BIOL 695 002: Application of Genomics in Health
Online course that meets in person and via Zoom.  Readings are assigned on current Genomics topics in literature / journals with student presentations.

BIOL 695 DL1: Colloquium Speaker Series
Fully online course that meets at lunchtime with various guest speakers.  Topics cover current trends in Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

BIOL 695 DL3: Bioinformatics Colloquium
Asynchronous online course designed to train students in understanding scientific presentations and publications while giving them a rudimentary capability to craft a colloquium style presentation based on  journal articles.  Students will record and present a talk on current Bioinformatics topics and write up summaries of additional speakers’ talks for a grade.

BIOS 704 001: Applications of Genomics in Health
Seminar course that meets in person and via Zoom.  Readings are assigned on current Genomics topics in literature / journals with student presentations.

BIOS 704 DL1: Colloquium Speaker Series
One-hour seminars offered weekly from top funded researchers from around the country on various topics of molecular biology of medicine, diagnostics, and therapeutics. The broad topics have included virology, bacteriology, molecular medicine, Ebola, extracellular vesicles, HIV/Aids, neurological diseases associated with these diseases and a range of diagnostics approved by the FDA as well as therapeutics that cover basic fundamental drugs, antibodies and nucleic acid approaches.  Registered students are required to submit a one-page report one week after the seminar with introduction, results, discussion and reference sections.

BIOS 704 DL2: Topics in Biosciences
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department for more information.

BIOS 704 DL3: Bioinformatics Colloquium
Asynchronous online course designed to train students in understanding scientific presentations and publications while giving them a rudimentary capability to craft a colloquium style presentation based on  journal articles.  Students will record and present a talk on current Bioinformatics topics and write up summaries of additional speakers’ talks for a grade.

CHEM 579 001: Advanced Topics in Material Chemistry
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

CLIM 759 002: Atmospheric Convection
To provide a deep understanding of the structure and theory of atmospheric moist
convection, particularly as it relates to the structure and sensitivity of climate system.

CDS 486: Elements of High Performance Computations
This course is designed to prepare you for the dynamic world of high-performance computing (HPC). The course covers HPC essential foundations, including Unix basics, file systems, command scripts, Git, C++ programming (key language for HPC development), the basics of parallel programming, and exploration of HPC system architectures.

CSI 709 002: Natural Language Proc for Compl Sy
The course focuses on the fundamentals of natural language processing (NLP), comparatively or coupled with other computational methods such as machine learning (with an emphasis on decision trees, random forests and neural networks), agent-based modeling, social network analysis, and image processing. Emphasis on current large language models (LLMs), such as BERT, PaLM, GPT or Semantic Analysis are included. The course provides tools for the analysis of datasets that include text, audio, and/or image/video files.

CSI 899 DL1: Colloquium in Computational Science and Informatics
Weekly research seminar featuring topics at the frontier of computing and its applications to both natural and social science domains. Recent focus of the seminar on agent-based modeling, machine learning, artificial intelligence and related developments is designed to keep the faculty and graduate students in the Department of Computational and Data Sciences up-to-speed on the latest developments in the field.

CSS 739 001: Natural Language Processes for Complex Systems.
The course focuses on the fundamentals of natural language processing (NLP), comparatively or coupled with other computational methods such as machine learning (with an emphasis on decision trees, random forests and neural networks), agent-based modeling, social network analysis, and image processing. Emphasis on current large language models (LLMs), such as BERT, PaLM, GPT or Semantic Analysis are included. The course provides tools for the analysis of datasets that include text, audio, and/or image/video files.

CSS 898 DL1: Research Colloquium in Computational Social Science
Weekly research seminar featuring topics at the frontier of computing and its applications to both natural and social science domains. Recent focus of the seminar on agent-based modeling, machine learning, artificial intelligence and related developments is designed to keep the faculty and graduate students in the Department of Computational and Data Sciences up-to-speed on the latest developments in the field.

EVPP 490 005: Media Production for Environmental Science and Policy
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

EVPP 505 002: AI Applications for Conservation
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

EVPP 505 003: Selected Topics in Environmental Science
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

EVPP 505 DL6: Selected Topics in Environmental Science
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

GGS 384 001: Special Topic in Geospatial Intelligence
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

GGS 399 001: Transportation Geography
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

GGS 399 002: Geography of Religion and Belief Systems
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

GGS 400 001: Colloquium in Geoinformation Science
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

GGS 590 003: Urban Planning
Cities are changing rapidly and are facing complex challenges. According to the World Health Organization, nearly half of the global population currently lives in cities, which is projected to grow to 70% by 2050. This necessitates thinking differently about how to solve 21st-century problems. Our Urban Planning course gives an overview of theoretical and empirical urban design and planning models that emerged to describe the spatial structure of cities. It highlights the evolving structure of cities and examines the planning and political processes as well as the economic forces forming cities. The goals and expectations of this course are ambitious, but the main objective is to give the class a taste of how to think and act as a planner. Participants should expect to gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of what planners do, as well as examine the possibilities and limitations they face.

GGS 590 004: Spatial Computing
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

GGS 590 005: Selected Topics in Geospatial Intelligence
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

GGS 684 001: Selected Topics in Geospatial Intelligence
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

GGS 900 001: GGS Colloquium
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

GEOL 503 002: Special Topics in Earth Science Education
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

GEOL 792 001: Seminar in Earth Systems, Geology, and, Earth Science
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

MATH 639 001: Differential Geometry
A Klein geometry is one based on a homogeneous space G/H where G is a Lie group.  The geometric objects (classes in G/H) are those invariant under G.  Given a differential manifold M it is natural to ask if it can be modeled on a Klein geometry.  For example, Euclidean geometry concerns the objects invariant under the group of rigid motions (rotations and translations) of n-dimensional Euclidean space and a Euclidean structure on a manifold M is equivalent to a flat Riemannian metric.  A Cartan geometry is a structure infinitesimally modeled on a Klein geometry. For example, all manifolds M with Riemannian metrics are infinitesimally modeled on Euclidean geometry. On the other hand, a Riemannian structure is locally Euclidean if and only if the metric is globally flat.  The latter occurs if and only if the Riemann curvature tensor vanishes. In general, a Cartan geometry possesses an infinitesimal invariant (like the curvature tensor) whose vanishing detects whether the infinitesimal model (the Cartan geometry) is a local model of a global geometry (the Klein geometry). This invariant can be understood as a connection on a certain principal bundle over M.  The general theme of this course will be to understand the question: "Why is differential geometry the study of a connection on a principal bundle?".   This course will naturally lead to the course "Geometric Structures on Manifolds" being offered in Spring 2025.

Recommended Prerequisites: Math 621 and Math 631.

Recommended Corequisite: Math 740

MATH 649 DL1: Extremal Graph Theory
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

MATH 689 001: Operator Theory and Applications
Duality and reflexivity, Lebesgue spaces and the dual of the space of continuous functions. Weak and weak-* convergence, closed convex sets in the weak topology, Mazur’s lemma, Alaoglu’s theorem. Calculus of variations: the direct method, the role of convexity. Positive operators and polar decomposition. Compact operators. Fredholm alternative result and applications to integral equations and elliptic boundary value problems. Trace class and p-Schatten classes. Spectral theory for compact operators, continuous functional calculus, the spectral theorem.

NEUR 411 001: Seminar in Neuroscience
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

NEUR 411 002: Model Organisms and Neuroscience Research 
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.

NEUR 461 DL1:Transform Academia with Artificial Intelligence Research
This asynchronous online course aims to provide students comprehensive insights into generative AI technologies and their transformative effects on academic research and education. Integrating lectures, reading materials, practical projects, and discussions on ethics, the course will delve into topics such as enhancement of writing, data analysis, and innovative problem-solving through AI —preparing students for their future roles in an academic landscape deeply intertwined with AI advancements.

NEUR 592 DL1: Neuroscience of Consciousness
This course introduces you to the neuroscience of consciousness –  a phenomenon that is fundamental to our lives. You receive a neuroscience overview into the realms of consciousness and unconsciousness, including the hard problem of consciousness, and neuroscientific theories of consciousness. You also learn about the neuroscience methods applied to unravel the neural signatures of consciousness. The course is designed for everyone who has ever wondered why we are conscious and how our brains create such unique, subjective experiences. 

NEUR 592 DL2: Transform Academia with Artificial Intelligence Research
This asynchronous online course aims to provide students comprehensive insights into generative AI technologies and their transformative effects on academic research and education. Integrating lectures, reading materials, practical projects, and discussions on ethics, the course will delve into topics such as enhancement of writing, data analysis, and innovative problem-solving through AI —preparing students for their future roles in an academic landscape deeply intertwined with AI advancements.

NEUR 689 002: Sleep and Circadian Rhythms
This course introduces the fields of circadian rhythms with emphasis on sleep including the underlying molecular and genetic machinery, neuroanatomy, and neurophysiology. The impact of sleep and lack thereof will be explored on diseases and modern society. Considerable time will be spent reading and analyzing the primary literature in human and animal models. 

PHYS 703 002: Seminar in Physics
A seminar/colloquium where we invite different speakers from all over to come talk on cutting-edge research.

PHYS 780 001: Nonlinear Finite Element Simulation
Description forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to the department  for more information.