Intended learning outcomes (knowledge, skills and competences to be developed by the students):

The aim of this curricular unit is to capacitate the students for scientific research.

Its specific objectives are:
1) to understand the scientific method and how science progresses,
2) to read and present the scientific literature with critical thinking
3) to plan and perform experiments and research projects,
4) to understand how to communicate and share scientific knowledge,
5) to understand the principles of the main experimental methods in biomedical sciences.

The concepts presented in the theoretical classes are developed in the presentation and discussion of scientific papers in the theoreticalpractical classes. The students will have to understand and present the papers through the different perspectives presented in the theoretical classes. Developing a written research project during the Curricular Unit will allow applying and developing all the concepts from a practical stand point. This will prepare the students for their future scientific research.

Syllabus:

• Fundamental concepts in the history of science and epistemology.
• Scientific method.
• Hypothesis-driven, data-driven, and descriptive research.
• Correlation, causation, and mechanism.
• Exploratory and confirmatory data.
• Critical thought.
• Experimental design.
• Design of a research project.
• Scientific presentations and publications.
• Open science and data management.
• Methodologies in biochemistry, cell biology and development, microscopy, genetics and genetic manipulation, genome-wide association studies, evolution and phylogeny, genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, gene expression, data science, case studies, clinical assays, meta-analysis.