Only a few things are essential to life, and food is one of them. What people eat is about what they need to be healthy, what they want to eat (personal preference and culture), and what they have available or can afford to eat. Agriculture plays a vital role in human food security. Many experts feel the world is facing a food supply crisis. Knowledge and application of the principles of plant and soil sciences will have a dramatic effect on human food security, now and into the future, both locally and globally. However, these issues will also be impacted by future human population growth, urbanization, consumer preferences, human decisions regarding civic duties, and climate change. Students successfully completing this course will leave with an understanding of the need to sustainably expand the world’s food supply, the basic principles of plant and soil science and their application to this problem, and their own potential role in determining our ability to meet this challenge. Students may not receive credit for both this course and PLS 104.

A laboratory techniques course designed to give students the technical skills and understanding necessary to critically examine biological systems at the molecular level. The course will emphasize the principles of chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology as applied to a model system for laboratory investigations. Laboratory, nine hours per week. Prereq: BIO 150 and AGR 360, or consent of instructor.