3 ECTS credits
75 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 4021500ENR for all students in the 1st semester at a (E) Master - advanced level.

Semester
1st semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Enrollment Requirements
.
Taught in
English
Partnership Agreement
Under interuniversity agreement for degree program
Faculty
Faculty of Science and Bio-engineering Sciences
Department
Bio-Engineering Sciences
Educational team
Geert Angenon (course titular)
Activities and contact hours
26 contact hours Lecture
Course Content
  • Overview of plant hormones
  • Detailled description of some plant hormones: auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, abscisic acid. In each case, biosynthesis, catabolism, transport, perception, signal transduction and responses at the cellular and organismal levels are discussed.
  • Interaction of plants with symbiotic organisms (N-fixing micro-organisms, ecto- and endomycorrhizae)
  • Interaction of plants with pathogenic organisms
Additional info

None

Learning Outcomes

General competences

Students are able to understand the recent developments in plant physiology. They comprehend the objectives, methodology and scientific relevance of the literature on (molecular) plant physiology.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Other Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Other exam with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

The examination consists of two parts:

(I) Two questions from two different main parts of the lectures. The student has 25 min to prepare a schematic written answer; this is followed by a 25 min oral discussion, during which additional questions will be asked by the examinator. The score is based on the oral examination, the written preparation is only meant as a help for the oral part.

Each question counts for 25% of the final mark.

(II) A presentation by the student of one subject in the broad field of molecular plant physiology and based on two recent research papers (no review papers) to be selected by the student and approved by the course responsible (send the papers by e-mail to Geert.Angenon@vub.ac.be at the latest one week before the exam). During the exam the student should concisely and critically present in 10-12 min (a) the background, (b) the objectives, (c) the experimental set up and the main conclusions of the most important experiments described in the chosen papers and (d) formulate suggestions and hypotheses for further research. The presentation is followed by 12 min discussion. The student can use whatever material considered suitable (e.g. a printout of the papers, a printout of important figures, a powerpoint presentation …).

The presentation counts for 50% of the final mark.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Molecular Biology: Standaard traject