MSc in Biology
In the MSc Biology curriculum, we offer the following teaching unit:
Please note: currently, our teaching sessions in the MSc curriculum are in German – but we can switch to English on demand
Concepts, Methods an Techniques of Systematics (CoMeTS)
- Contact: Jens G. Rohwer( Jens.Rohwer"AT"uni-hamburg.de)
- Target group: MSc students in biology
61-531 History of Systematics (Lecture)
Jens G. Rohwer
Who really wishes to understand the works of earlier authors should have an idea of the conditions under which they originated. The state of knowledge in all other sciences and technology is such an important factor, likewise the predominant philosophical concepts, religious convictions, political and economic conditions. The lecture is intended to give an overview about the development of biological systematics from classical antiquity up to the most recent developments, and to explain conventions that continue to have an effect until today.
61-532 Concepts, Methods an Techniques of Systematics (lecture / seminar / exercise)
Jens G. Rohwer
Topics of this unit are definition, recording and analysis of characters, the value of herbarium material for research, the most important databases, literature and internet resources, rules of botanical nomenclature and conventions of taxonomy, systematics and phylogenetics.
61-533 Methods of Preparation and Lab Work (practical course)
Felicitas Gunter, Jens G. Rohwer
You will learn to apply preparation methods for (micro-)morphological analyses, from the dissecting microscope to the scanning electron microscope, on request also anatomical methods. In addition, you will perform all steps needed to derive a DNA sequence from a leaf – and to recognize possible sources of error during this process.
61-534 Data Analysis in Phylogenetics and Population Biology (exercise)
Jens G. Rohwer, Felicitas Gunter
Here you will learn how to analyse the previously recorded data, especially to edit and align DNA sequences and to construct phylogenetic trees with different algorithms. You will get to know which techniques may be suitable for which kind of problems, and what are the limitations of the respective methods.
Key Qualifications
- Lecturers changing regularly
- Target group: MSc students in biology
61-510 Scientific Practice (lecture / seminar)
All professors of the department of biology
This teaching unit deals with basic issues such as
- career chances
- development of a scientific question
- scientific publishing
- grant applications and financing of research
- good scientific practice
- scientific misconduct