Fundamentals of Cell Biology
Lauren Dalton, Oregon State University
Robin Young, University of British Columbia
Heather Ng-Cornish
Copyright Year:
ISBN 13: 9781955101387
Publisher: Oregon State University
Language: English
Formats Available
Conditions of Use
Attribution-NonCommercial
CC BY-NC
Reviews
This textbook does what it claims to do, which is to provide sufficient information for a foundational cell biology course. It provides an introductory overview of cell biology. The text is up front about information not included in the text,... read more
This textbook does what it claims to do, which is to provide sufficient information for a foundational cell biology course. It provides an introductory overview of cell biology. The text is up front about information not included in the text, e.g., what background information students are expected to understand already. It provides helpful links to review concepts not covered in this book.
No glaring errors
This textbook focuses on modern experimental approaches to studying cell biology, rather than a historical timeline of biological discoveries. This makes this book more relevant for students by having them learn about approaches that they’ll actually use in a cell biology lab.
I was impressed by the figures in this OER text. The authors clearly put a lot of time and effort into preparing many new models and schematics. Upper-level biology courses absolutely depend on images to bring the science to life. I also liked the Youtube links and other refresher/review links interspersed throughout the text.
Each chapter is laid out in the same manner, so that the reader knows what to expect.
Even the review questions at the end of each chapter are separated into subsections.
Well organized
User-friendly. I liked the integrated Youtube links, as well as the pop-up definitions for hyperlinked terms.
Occasional misspellings
Inclusive acknowledgement about conflicts some students may feel when discussing the theory of evolution
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction and Review
- Visualizing Cells through Microscopy
- Biological Membranes
- DNA, Chromosomes, and the Interphase Nucleus
- The Endomembrane System
- Mitochondria and Chloroplasts
- The Cytoskeleton
- Cell Signaling
- The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
- Glossary
- About the Authors and Illustrator
Ancillary Material
Submit ancillary resourceAbout the Book
This textbook is focused specifically on the principles and concepts of a foundational Cell Biology course. The book takes a more conceptual approach that highlights how scientists study cells, and how to analyze and interpret experimental results. Rather than focusing primarily on historical experiments that were key to our understanding of cells, the book explores a range of more modern experimental techniques so that students can begin to understand how cells are studied now, in the 21st century. The book includes over 200 newly created illustrations and animations, that were specifically designed for this book, as well as review questions at the end of each chapter, to help students explore and understand the material.
About the Contributors
Authors
Dr. Lauren Dalton is a Senior Instructor I / Academic Advisor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon, where she teaches introductory and advanced cell biology as well as a course on scientific writing. Her PhD work at the University of British Columbia–Vancouver leveraged the “awesome power of yeast genetics” to understand the molecular mechanisms of vesicle trafficking in the endomembrane system. From her first time as a teaching assistant for Cell Biology, it was clear that teaching was her passion. Since then, she has devoted her career to teaching students with modern pedagogy and is an advocate for inclusive teaching. With two young kids at home, she has been known to bring in a toy or two to illustrate scientific concepts!
Dr. Robin Young is an Assistant Professor of Teaching at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. She is an award-winning microscopist with a research background in plant an animal cell biology, focusing on the morphology and function of the endomembrane system. She has been teaching cell biology in some capacity since 2003 and has been curating precursor forms of this textbook since 2010. She’s an advocate of active classrooms, accessibility in higher education, and showcasing the differences in cellular function across the various Eukaryotic kingdoms. Her favorite organelle is the plant Golgi.
Illustrator
Heather Ng-Cornish is a graphic designer from St. John’s, Newfoundland, currently based in Victoria, British Columbia. She completed her BSc (Hons) with co-op distinction in environmental chemistry at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna, British Columbia. During her degree, Heather completed her honors thesis using analytical chemistry to study smoke taint in Okanagan wine grapes due to wildfires. Throughout her degree she gravitated toward visual representations of scientific processes to solidify her understanding. Now Heather uses her skills and education to aid scientists in communicating complex concepts to all audiences. Combining sciences and art is a dream come true! For more information, see heatherngcornish.com.