CEE 6580

Biotechnology for Sustainability

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2026-2027 Catalog.

The biotech revolution is underway, with uncertain implications for widespread genetic modification of humans and other lifeforms. While biomedical biotech faces key scientific and ethical crossroads, applications to non-human systems offer critical solutions for food, water, and energy amid population growth and hydrologic change. This course explores biotechnology in the sustainability space, examining technical, economic, and policy challenges. Topics include diagnostic biotech, biofuels and biorefineries, bioremediation, biomining, synthetic biology, systems biology and AI, climate biotech, sustainable agriculture, and exoplanet colonization. Students should have a basic understanding of cellular biology and genetics and will explore molecular techniques (DNA, RNA, proteins) used in these fields. A group project enables deeper engagement with both wet lab and computational tools, alongside consideration of the ethics of genetic engineering.

Prerequisites CEE 4510/CEE 5510 or BIOMI 2900 or other cellular or molecular biology focused biology course.

Enrollment Priority Enrollment limited to: Graduate students.

Exploratory Studies (CU-CEL)

Last 4 Terms Offered (None)

Learning Outcomes

• Critically evaluate major environmental sustainability challenges and the role of biotechnology in addressing them.
• Explain and apply key biotechnology approaches across domains such as health diagnostics, bioremediation, biofuels, sustainable agriculture, climate systems, and synthetic biology.
• Analyze biological systems using molecular and systems biology tools, including gene expression profiling, metabolic pathway analysis, and modeling approaches.
• Utilize bioinformatics resources and data (e.g., gene databases, literature) to identify genes, design assays, and model biological processes.
• Critically assess and communicate scientific information in biotechnology through literature analysis and clear technical presentation.

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