Tuesdays 10–12 (lab days 10–14) and Thursdays 10–12. Tuesday 12–14 is for project work and supervision when announced. Exercises are due Wednesday 23:59; project reports are due Sunday 23:59.
Block A: Passive and active walkers
| W5 (2, 4 Feb) |
Intro: physics of living matter (Nelson Ch. 1–2) |
Microscopy & image analysis; workshop: LLM-assisted analysis |
E1 |
P1 kick-off |
| W6 (9, 11 Feb) |
10–14 Lab: Brownian motion |
Random walks → diffusion |
E2 |
M1 |
| W7 (16, 18 Feb) |
Diffusion; 12–14 tracking clinic |
Viscous drag, dimensional analysis, Stokes–Einstein |
E3 |
|
| W8 (23, 25 Feb) |
Langevin equation; Reynolds number |
Students present Purcell, Life at low Reynolds number |
E4 |
M2 |
| W9 (2, 4 Mar) |
Active matter: active Brownian particles, run-and-tumble |
Vicsek model + simulation workshop |
E5 |
Report Sun 7 Mar |
Block B: Entropy, ions and membranes
| W10 (9, 11 Mar) |
10–14 P1 defenses |
Entropy, multiplicity, Boltzmann; elective fair (P2) |
E6 |
Choose P2 by Sun 14 Mar |
| W11 (16, 18 Mar) |
Free energy; entropic forces, depletion |
Chemical potential; osmosis |
E7 |
P2 kick-off |
| W12 |
Easter |
|
|
|
| W13 (30 Mar, 1 Apr) |
Osmotic flow; 12–14 P2 supervision |
Charges, screening, Nernst |
E8 |
M1 Tue |
| W14 (6, 8 Apr) |
Donnan equilibrium, ion pumps |
Resting potential; nerve simulation instructions (2B) |
E9 |
|
| W15 (13, 15 Apr) |
10–14 P2 lab / project work |
Block C: Active materials shape themselves; elective fair (P3) |
E10 |
M2 Tue |
| W16 (20, 22 Apr) |
Mechanosensing, mechanotransduction; 12–14 P2 supervision |
Physics of adherent cells; differential adhesion, Cellular Potts model |
E11 |
P2 report Sun 25 Apr; choose P3 by Thu |
Block C: Morphogenesis, mechanobiology and imaging
| W17 (27, 29 Apr) |
10–14 P2 defenses (M4) |
New microscopy: QPI, light-sheet, quantum-limited imaging |
E12 |
P3 kick-off |
| W18 (4 May) |
10–14 P3 lab |
Ascension Day |
|
M1 |
| W19 (11, 13 May) |
Pattern formation: Turing vs Wolpert |
Ultrasound and cells |
E13 |
M2 |
| W20 (18, 20 May) |
Course recap; 12–14 supervision |
Project work and supervision |
|
P3 report Sun 23 May |
| W21 (25, 27 May) |
10–14 P3 defenses |
Course evaluation |
|
|
Final oral exam: W23–W24.