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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Dear<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Undergrads and Faculty,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Please see below for information from Prof. Bob Horvitz on<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Biology<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Advanced Undergraduate<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Seminars<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>for
AY 2023-2024.</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Descriptions and posters for each course can be found </span></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">on
the following page.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><a href="https://biology.mit.edu/undergraduate/current-students/subject-offerings/advanced-undergraduate-seminars/" title="https://biology.mit.edu/undergraduate/current-students/subject-offerings/advanced-undergraduate-seminars/">https://biology.mit.edu/undergraduate/current-students/subject-offerings/advanced-undergraduate-seminars/</a></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Please note that scheduling for these courses is flexible and will be determined jointly by the prospective students and the instructors at the beginning of the semester. </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">**Please note, students who have taken the seminars before can share their experience with any MIT students they think might be interested.</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">***</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black">TO: MIT Biology Majors <br>
FROM: H. Robert Horvitz, Professor of Biology<br>
DATE: August 21, 2023</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black"> I am writing to inform you of an exciting offering from the Department of Biology for the 2023-2024 academic year: a set of 7 very current seminar courses, 7.34x, Advanced Undergraduate
Seminars. A complete listing of the courses, instructors, and brief course descriptions is enclosed. The topics are highly varied and encompass areas<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>of genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, developmental
biology, microbiology, immunology, cancer biology, neurobiology, plant biology, pharmacology, stem cells, regeneration, bioengineering, computational modeling of biological processes, drug and vaccine discovery and development, gene therapy, and human disease. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>A
student can take any number of these courses. The courses, which generally involve four to eight students, are for 6 units, graded pass/fail, and meet two hours each week. The focus is on reading and discussing the primary research literature. Most courses
have one short written assignment and one oral presentation. Some include field trips (possibly remote this year) to MIT research laboratories or to companies using technologies discussed in the courses. The level of each course will be tailored to the students
who enroll. Because of the small size of these courses, we expect students not to drop these courses once they have begun.</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black">The scheduling of these courses is flexible. The day of the week and 2-hour period of the day each course will meet will be determined jointly by the prospective students and the instructors at
the beginning of the semester. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black"> These courses offer a number of special features: small class size, a high degree of personal contact with the instructor(s), a focus on the primary research literature, and an opportunity
to discuss current problems in biology interactively. I believe these courses greatly enrich an undergraduate’s experience. There are limited alternative opportunities available to undergraduates to interact closely with instructors who are experienced full-time
researchers; to learn to read, understand, analyze and critique primary research papers; and to engage in the type of stimulating discussions and debates that characterize how science is really done. Most advanced MIT undergraduates (generally juniors and
seniors) have been sufficiently exposed to the basics of biology to be able to read the primary literature and appreciate both methodologies and cutting-edge advances. These courses have two goals: first, to expose students to the kind of thinking that is
central to contemporary biological research; and second, to impart specific knowledge in particular areas of biology. These courses are designed to be intellectually stimulating and also to provide excellent preparation for a variety of future careers that
require an understanding both of what modern biology is and of how it is done. Students who have taken Advanced Undergraduate Seminars in the past (different specific courses, same general design) have been enormously enthusiastic about their experiences.</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black"> I am writing to you before Registration Day to encourage you to consider enrolling in one of these seminar courses. Please feel free to contact any of the instructors to learn more about
their courses and in particular to discuss possible meeting days and times if those listed are not possible for you.</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black"> To learn more about the Advanced Undergraduate Seminars to be offered during the Fall 2023 semester, please check our website (</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121"><a href="https://biology.mit.edu/undergraduate/current-students/subject-offerings/advanced-undergraduate-seminars/" title="https://biology.mit.edu/undergraduate/current-students/subject-offerings/advanced-undergraduate-seminars/"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;color:#0078D7">https://biology.mit.edu/undergraduate/current-students/subject-offerings/advanced-undergraduate-seminars/</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black">)
and/or contact the instructors.</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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