Free Online Course on the Chemistry of Life

EdX offers this free online course on “The Chemistry of Life” to develop skills for generating and discussing new ideas at the interface between chemistry and biology by analyzing pioneering studies. Chemistry and biology are traditionally taught as separate subjects at the high school level, where students memorize fundamental scientific principles that are universally accepted. However, at the university level and in industry, science is not as simple because we are constantly confronted by questions about the unknown and required to use creative, integrated approaches to solve these problems. By bringing together knowledge from multidisciplinary fields, the ability to generate new ideas will be possible. The course will last for 13 weeks, with an effort of 2 to 3 hours per week.

There are no requirements, but the applicant should be interested to learn more about chemistry and biology with a general knowledge about both of them, as the course is at the beginner level.

About the teacher:

Motonari Uesugi is a Professor of The Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences and Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University. Dr. Uesugi and his co-workers aim to gain a fundamental understanding of biological events through the study of small molecules.

By the end of the course, you will learn:

[1] How to generate ideas for research and business

[2] How to read and write chemical structures

[3] How to use chemistry for biology

[4] How to control biological events by chemical means

[5] How to integrate chemistry and biology

You can receive a verified certificate to highlight the knowledge and skills you have gained throughout the course with $49.