Chemical Biology (CHEM6520)

Course overview

This course focuses on the application of principles of inorganic & organic chemistry to the understanding of biological function at the molecular level. Topics covered will include functional group chemistry in a biological setting, mechanistic enzymology, chemistry of coenzymes & vitamins, computational & spectroscopic methods in chemical biology, metal ion acquisition & speciation in biological systems, metallo-proteins, role of metal ions in disease states. This is a key course for Masters students who have not previously studied chemical biology or biochemistry.

CHEM6520 has been created in response to the changing face of research and its increasing multidisciplinary nature.ﾠBiological research is becoming increasingly molecular and a working knowledge of the chemical processes and their mechanisms is essential in the interpretation of data generated by biological experiments.ﾠLikewise, chemical research is rarely done in isolation from other fields and chemists are often required to use their chemical skills to investigate, manipulate and affect biological systems; especially in growth research areas such as pharmaceutical science and molecular engineering.ﾠChemical Biology provides a knowledge and skill set to students who will work at the interface between chemistry and biology.ﾠAn understanding of the reactions and mechanisms involved in the major biological pathways and processes and the chemical characteristics of the important biological molecules as well as knowledge of techniques used to investigate biological molecules are essential tools in the repertoire of any scientific researcher in the 21st century.

Course requirements

Assumed background

Students should have already completed the equivalent of first year University Chemistry and will require a knowledge of organic chemistry (substitution and elimnation reactions, reactions of carbonyl-containing compounds) and transition metal / coordination chemistry (crystal field theory, concepts such as oxidation state, denticity, stability or formation constants).

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

Introductory level tertiary Chemistry

Recommended prerequisites

We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:

Introductory level tertiary Biology

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

BIOC2052(co-taught), CHEM2052

Restrictions

Restricted to students enrolled in the Masters of Molecular Biology, Masters of Biotechnology or Masters of Bioinformatics programs.

Jointly taught details

This course is jointly-taught with:

• BIOC2052

Lectures, Workshops and workshop assessment.

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Check your online timetable regularly.

Students are reminded that the workshopsﾠare an integral part of the course and your attendance is expected. Recordings of workshops are not possible, due to the interactive nature of the activities. Studentsﾠare asked to always bring their student cards to the workshops for identification during assessment items performed during workshops. THE MOLECULAR MODEL KIT REQUIRED FOR THIS COURSE SHOULD BE TAKEN TO EVERY WORKSHOP.ﾠﾠ

Aims and outcomes

1)ﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠTo provide students with the fundamental chemical knowledge required to fully understand the mechanisms operating in biological systems.

2)ﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠTo provide students with the ability to appreciate chemical reactions and theories within a biological context.

3)ﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠTo provide students with a knowledge and skill set that will equip them to study and perform research in biological and/or chemical sciences.ﾠ ﾠ

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

In-semester exam

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

20%

Due date

4/09/2024 3:00 pm

Other conditions

Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L03, L04, L07, L08

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Science communication Assignment: Article & Video

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• Team or group-based
• Online

Mode

Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation

Weight

25% 12.5% for article, 12.5% for video.

Due date

17/09/2024 2:00 pm

News article due 2pm 10 September

Video due 2pm 17 September

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Details of the proposed article will be submitted electronically using the link provided in the Assessment folder on BlackBoard and then reviewed for suitability. The video and written article will be submitted electronically also on BlackBoard.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Applications for Extensions

Information on applying for an extension can be found here: my.UQ Applying for an extension

Extension applications must be received by the assessment due date and time.

If you are unable to provide approved documentation to support your application by the due date and time, you must still submit your application by the deadline but with an attached Word document that outlines why you cannot provide the approved documentation by the deadline. You will then need to acquire and upload the approved documentation to your request within 24 hours. Please note: When an extension request has been submitted and is pending, students are expected to continue to work on the assessment item, with the aim of submitting by the requested due date and time.

Prolonged Absence

If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 14 days, we advise you to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completin gyour courses this semester.

Extensions wtih Student Access Plans (SAP)

For extension up to 7 days, your SAP is all that is required as documentaiton to support your application. However, extension requests longer than 7 days (for any one assessment item) will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g. a medical certificate.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item, then 10% of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item (assessment ‘marked from’ value) will be deducted as a late penalty for every day (or part day) late after the due date. For example, if you submit your assignment 1 hour late, you will be penalised 10%; if your assignment is 24.5 hours late, you will be penalised 20% (because it is late by one 24-hour period plus part of another 24-hour period). 10% will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point your submission will receive a mark of zero (0) unless an extension has been approved.

In most instances one or more hurdles will apply to your assessment item so you will need to submit it to fulfil the requirements of the course regardless of how late it is and the mark you are likely to be awarded.

Workshop Quizzes

• Hurdle
• In-person
• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Quiz

Weight

10% Lowest quiz of the 7 will be disregarded.

Due date

5pm 7/08/2024

5pm 21/08/2024

5pm 11/09/2024

5pm 18/09/2024

5pm 2/10/2024

5pm 9/10/2024

5pm 16/10/2024

Other conditions

Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L03, L04, L06, L07, L08

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Workshop assessment is submitted before leaving the workshop session. You should therefore bring a device with you to the workshop capable of connecting to the internet (e.g. laptop or tablet).

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Applications for Extensions

Information on applying for an extension can be found here: my.UQ Applying for an extension.

Extension applications must be received by the assessment due date and time.

If you are unable to provide approved documentation to support your application by the due date and time, you must still submit your application by the deadline but with an attached Word document that outlines why you cannot provide the approved documentation by the deadline. You will then need to acquire and upload the approved documentation to your request within 24 hours. Please note: When an extension request has been submitted and is pending, students are expected to continue to work on the assessment item, with the aim of submitting by the requested due date and time.

Prolonged Absence

If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 14 days, we advise you to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester.

Extensions with Student Access Plans (SAP)

For extensions up to 7 days, your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, extension requests longer than 7 days (for any one assessment item) will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g. a medical certificate.

End of semester exam

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

45%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

2/11/2024 - 16/11/2024

Learning outcomes

L01, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07, L08

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

Assessment Hurdles

In order to pass this course, you must meet ALL of the following requirements (if you do not meet these requirements, the maximum grade you will receive will be a 3):

1. You must obtain an overall course mark of 50% or more; and

2. You must obtain a mark of 30% or more for BOTH sections of the end of semester examination; and

3. You must obtain a minimum weighted average mark of 40% across all other non-examination course assessment items (science communication assignment and workshop quizzes).

The maximum grade you will receive will be a 2 if you:

1. Obtainﾠa weighted average mark of 30% or less across the two examination components (in-semester and end of semester); and/or

2. Obtain a weighted average mark of 30% or less on the non-examination course assessment items (science communication assignment and workshop quizzes).

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply. 

Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.  

If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.  

Supplementary assessment can take any form (such as a written report, oral presentation, examination or other appropriate assessment) and may test specific learning outcomes tailored to the individual student, or all learning outcomes. 

To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment. 

Additional assessment information

Assessment Submission

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure the on time, correct and complete submission of all assessment items.

Please ensure you receive and save the submission confirmation for all submitted items, you may be asked to produce this as evidence of your submission.

Turnitin

By submitting work through Turnitin you are deemed to have accepted the following declaration “I certify that this assignment is my own work and has not been submitted, either previously or concurrently, in whole or in part, to this University or any other educational institution, for marking or assessment”.

All students must ensure they receive their Turnitin receipt on submission of any assessments. A valid Turnitin receipt will be the only evidence accepted if one or more of your submissions are missing. Without evidence, the assessment will receive the standard late penalty, or after seven days, will receive zero. In the case of a Blackboard outage, please contact the Course Coordinator as soon as possible to confirm the outage with ITS.

Assessment/Attendance

Please notify your Course Coordinator as soon as you become aware of any issue that may affect your ability to meet the assessment/attendance requirements of the course. The my.UQ website and the Electronic Course Profile (ECP) for your course also provide information about your course requirements, the rules associated with your courses and services offered by the University.

A note for repeating students in this course

Any student who enrols in a course must not be given exemption or partial credit from their previous attempt(s) for any individual piece of assessment. Instead, the student must successfully complete all of the learning activities and assessment items within the study period of enrolment (PPL Assessment - Procedures Section: Assessment integrity).

If the same assessment item is set from one year to the next, repeating students are allowed to submit the same work they submitted in previous attempts at the course. Where possible SCMB recommends that you use the feedback you received in your last attempt to improve parts of the item where you lost marks. Resubmission of an altered or unaltered assessment item by a repeating student (where the same assessment has been set) will not be considered as self-plagiarism.

Important Note

Turnitin is to be used for assignments/laboratory reports to check for plagiarism. Penalties can be severe for plagiarism.

The University has adopted the following definition of plagiarism: Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting as one's own original work the ideas, interpretations, words or creative works of another either intentionally or unintentionally. These include published and unpublished documents, designs, music, sounds, images, photographs, computer codes and ideas gained through working in a group. These ideas, interpretations, words or works may be found in print and/or electronic media.

Students are encouraged to read the UQ Academic Integrity and Plagiarism policy.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Other course materials

Additional learning resources information

The texts listed in the Library resources section are alternative texts which may be helpful with various sections of the course.ﾠ A student should not buy all those listed.ﾠ Which sections of the course relate to which specific books will be made clear in lectures.ﾠ The molecular model kit is available from the School Locker shop on campus, but any molecular modelling kit will be helpful to students both as a study aid and in Workshop activities.

Blackboard

Additional supplementary material may be posted on the Blackboard site for BIOC2052/CHEM6520 at learn.uq.edu.au

Please check the Announcements section of the Blackboard site regularly for information updates.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.