Course Coordinators
Prof. Maoz Fine, The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat .
Prof. Dan Tchernov, The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa.
Lecturers
Prof. Maoz Fine, The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat .
Prof. Dan Tchernov, The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa.
Prof. Tamar Liberman Goulet, Department of Biology, The University of Mississippi.
Prof. Tali Mass, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa.
Prof. Oren Levy, Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University .
Dr. Tom Shlesinger, School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University.
Course Brief Description
A 10-day course. The course includes lectures, research projects, tours, and journal clubs.
The course focuses on the biochemistry and the molecular mechanisms that enable the symbiosis between the coral and the algae as well as the responses of the symbiotic system under conditions of stress. The biology of coral is examined under different conditions while being acquainted with the variety of methods available to research in this field. Special emphasis is given to environmental changes such as global changes and their impact on the physiology of the coral: chronic and acute stress conditions, coral responses to decrease in pH, responses to increase or decrease in water temperature, responses to increased radiation, mechanisms operated under conditions of stress, the coral as a complex of organisms.
Prerequisite
Basic course in biochemistry and basic course in photosynthesis. * The course will include a lot of activity at sea. The course is not recommended for students who do not swim well.
The grade structure
Journal club (15%)
Test (45%). The test takes place during the course
Group project report (30%) The report is submitted about one month after the end of the course
Personal discussion of results (10%)
Audience
The course is limited to 18 graduate and 3rd year undergraduate students.
Language
The language of instruction is Hebrew (there may be several lectures in English by lecturers from abroad via Skype), however, if students who do not speak Hebrew will take part in the course, the language of instruction will be English. If the language of instruction is English, Hebrew speakers will be given the opportunity to take the exam in Hebrew but the rest of the assignments will be submitted in English.