Food and Industrial Biotechnology

Educational objectives

General outcomes
Aim of the course is to provide basic notions and skills of differential and integral calculus for functions of one real variable; moreover also some basic notions of statistics will be studied.
Specifically during the course the students will learn how to deal with problems involving simple differential or statistical models.
At the end of the course the student will have gained essential tools for the solution of problems involving linear algebra, differential and integral calculus, differential equations.
The students will be able to perform basic statistical tests in different experimental frameworks.

Specific outcomes
1) Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, the students will know and understand:
a) the basic facts about numerical sets;
b) the idea of limit for functions of one real variable;
c) the idea of continous, differentiable, integrable function;
d) the idea of sample and of statistical test.

2) Applying knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, the students will be able to:
a) apply the basic topological properties of the real line;
b) calculate limits of functions;
c) establish both qualitative and quantitative properties of functions of one real variable (monotonicity, minima and maxima...)
d) calculate integrals of functions of one real variable defined on intervals;
e) design and perform basic statistical tests.

3) Making judgements
During the lessons, several exercise sheets will be distributed to the students, as well as auto-evaluation tests.
Thanks to the autonomous resolution of the exercises, and the subsequent correction in the classroom, the students
will acquire both the ability to evaluate their knowledge and the ability to tackle similar problems.

4) Communication skills
The written form of the exercises, assigned either during lessons or during the written test, and the oral exam will allow the students to evaluate their skill in correctly communicating the knowledges acquired during the course.

5) Learning skills
At the end of the course the students will be able to generalize to more complex cases the basic knowldeges of mathematical and statistical analysis; such skill is acquired by means of several "theoretical-type" exercises assigned during the course.

Educational objectives

Physics is the most basic experimental science. It is essential for the understanding of natural and non-natural phenomena. It is therefore at the basis of any other scientific discipline, as it defines methods and models for the interpretation of experimental data.

For a biotechnologist, physics in interesting for two main reasons: first, it allows students to learn the basic techniques of scientific investigation; secondly, it provides the fundamental notions to understand both the functioning of devices and methods of investigation typical of biotechnology. It also explains the mechanisms that regulate the existence of living beings.

The knowledge and skills acquired in this course will allow the student to study chemistry and experimental techniques typical of the biotechnology (spectroscopy, diffraction, microscopy, electrophoresis, etc..).

Students who have passed the exam will be able to know and understand (knowledge acquired)

1. techniques for the acquisition and analysis of experimental data
2. the main physical laws
3. the operating principles of typical devices used in a biotechnology
4. the interpretation of the constitution of living and nonliving matter

Students who have passed the exam will be able to (skills acquired):

1. carry out simple measurements and give them the correct interpretation
2. solve simple physics problems.
3. make estimates of the values of physical quantities in real contexts
4. interpret correctly the equations describing the main physical phenomena
5. describe the results of an experiment or the predictions of a theory in understandable terms, using both graphical and numerical tools.

Educational objectives

Learning aims

General aims: the main aim of this course is to provide the students with basic knowledge on how cells are organised and how they work, with a particular focus on the animal eukaryotic cell. The classroom teaching sessions conform a learning path that takes the students from the basic facts about prokaryotic cells to the detailed study of the morphological and functional aspects of the eukaryotic cells, particularly those of animals. All these theoretical aspects are reinforced with four practical sessions, which provide the students with hands-on knowledge on how to use the optic microscope to study the morphology of pro- and eukaryotic cells, both as isolated entities or as part of different tissues of the animal organism.

Specific aims: after completing the course and passing the exam, the students will know and understand (acquired knowledge) about: the diversity of cells (prokaryotic and eukaryotic); the functional components of cells, starting from the nature of biological molecules in an aqueous environment, following with the structure and function of lipids in biological membranes; proteins, including their synthesis, structure and trafficking; nucleic acids, including their synthesis and the mechanisms underlying the flux of genetic information; the spatial and functional divisions of eukaryotic cells; complex cellular functions including signalling, cell division and death; as well as cellular organisation into the four types of animal tissues.

After completing the course and passing the exam, the students will be able (acquired know-how) of: identifying the different types of cells and tissues at the optic microscope, as well as intracellular organelles in electron microscopy images; of critically reasoning about the molecular mechanisms that underlie the working of cells; and of understanding the methodologies used to come about the knowledge we currently have about those mechanisms.

Critical thinking will be stimulated during the practical laboratory sessions in which the optic microscope is used for the study of different animal tissues, whose main characteristics have to be schematised by the students in a diagram that is evaluated by the teacher at the end of the practical session.

The communication skills of the students will be stimulated during the teaching sessions by discussing the arguments under examination and the student’s questions about them, and by devoting a full teaching session at the end of the course to questions and answers about all the concepts treated along the course. Their performance in communication will be evaluated during the oral part of the final examination. The students that pass the exam will be able to discuss cell biology concepts using the appropriated terminology.

The students are encouraged to study the concepts discussed during the teaching sessions independently, completing their class notes with the reference books recommended by the teachers. This should reinforce their ability to develop a complete picture of biological processes and to integrate all the aspects discussed into a general frame of knowledge.

Educational objectives

The aim of the General and Inorganic Chemistry course is to give the students the basic knowledge concerning the properties of the most common elements and compounds, and their reactivity. Provided the different math and physics backgrounds of students graduated from different high schools, the teaching approach will be tailored in order to deal gradually with the different topics, with the help of numeric and lab exercises. The basic concepts will be taught using the logical outline of the structure of matter: atomic structure and electronic structure (this last one governing chemical properties), chemical thermodynamics basic concepts and their implications, the states of matter, solutions, chemical equilibria with some important applications such as acid-base equilibria and ionic equilibria in solutions and the basics of equilibrium electrochemistry.

Students, after passing successfully the exams, will be acquainted and be able to understand (absorbed knowledge):

- the interactions between atoms and/or molecules from which chemical bonds originate;
- the most important chemical compounds and their reactivity;
- the fundamentals of chemical equilibrium and its implications.

Students, after passing successfully the exams, will be acquainted and be able to (absorbed expertise):
- understand the reactivity of different chemical elements and compound types;
- predict and explain the trends of chemical reactions;
- use the given concepts for practical and analytical problems.

Educational objectives

The objective of Botany course is to provide a basic preparation on the structure and functions of plant cells and organisms aimed at acquiring necessary skills for an integrated analysis of plant systems and their use in plant biotechnologies.
The specific objectives of the course are: providing theoretical/practical information for understanding structures and functions of the plant cells and the different levels of plant organization; making students able to recognize fungal organizations and their role in ecosystems; providing information for the understanding of reproduction processes in plants.

Students who have passed the exam will be able to recognize and understand (acquired knowledge):
- the different levels of organization of plant organisms;
- the morphological and functional characteristics of plant cells;
- meristematic, primary and secondary tissues of plant organs;
- the structure and identify the functions of the organs;
- cellular organization and the biological cycle of fungi;
- the use of stereo-microscope and optical microscope;
- histological techniques for the diagnosis of primary and secondary tissues;
- dichotomous analytical keys for taxonomic recognition of plants

Educational objectives

This course provides an introduction to Thermodynamics, Kinetics and Spectroscopic methods to study biological systems. The different sections of the course will be independent. However, they will be connected by the mathematical principles of kinetics, which are fundamental in describing spectroscopic observations, and by emphasizing the use of spectroscopic applications to detect and characterize biochemical systems.

Educational objectives

Biotechnological research plays a major role in responding to the environmental and development challenges facing man. This course aims to provide the basic principles of environmental biology, highlighting the interaction and interdependence among the components of biological and ecological systems. Specific training objectives are: the knowledge of the environmental conditions and the processes that are basic for life on earth; the understanding of the structure, functioning and evolution of bio-ecological systems, from the molecular to the community levels; the analysis of the effects of anthropic pressure on natural systems. Further formative objective of the course is to provide the students with the skills to create learning paths in the bio-ecological field. also by field and laboratory experience.
The knowledge and skills acquired during this course will be a reference framework for the study of biotechnological applications and for the analysis of their impact on the environment.

The students who have passed the exam will know and understand (acquired knowledge)

– the temporal, spatial and hierarchical scales of the functional processes of the bio-ecological systems;
– the mechanisms that determine the structure and functioning of bio-ecological systems;
– the complex interactions between organisms and between organisms and environment;
– the mechanisms that regulate the patterns and the speed of evolutionary changes within and between species;
– the origin and maintenance of biological diversity;
– evolutionary thinking in the study of ecology;
– the existence and importance of the relationshps between culture and nature, between society and the environment.

The students who have passed the exam will be able to (acquired skills):
- see biological phenomena in a multi-scale and multi-factorial context;
- interpreting ecological data;
- use general ecological concepts to analyze the consequences of the natural environment changes;
- critically analyze problems relating to biodiversity, evolution and global change;
- identify and develop key issues to create learning paths in the environmental field.

Educational objectives

The aim of the course is to provide adequate knowledge on the structure and properties of food constituents, on the mechanisms of the main reactions of alteration. The main knowledge acquired will cover food composition, structure of food constituents, main alteration of food components. The student will be able to apply the acquired knowledge, with the following competence: ability to assess the quality of food, based both on compositional data and on eventual alteration and adulteration during food processing.
Knowledge and understanding:
Knowledge and understanding of nutrients and other products that are intrinsic or unrelated to the composition of the food. The teaching addresses the knowledge of the chemical structure, the physico-chemical characteristics and the effect on the organism, adulteration of food components, modification of nutrients during treatments and processing (i.e. cooking).
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
The student will acquire the ability to approach food, as a source of nutrients with various functions (energy, plastic and regulatory), to recognize the molecular structures of the most common food components and their reaction products; to recognize and understand the generic functional and chemical properties of the most common food components; to understand the chemical reactions occurring during food processing, to understand how reactive groups of food components play an important role in chemical reactions, to describe the effect of chemical reactions on the characteristics of food in a qualitative sense and to describe the influence of processing conditions on chemical reaction and on the properties of food components;. The course will provide students the tools to understand and monitor phenomena and to apply the knowledge acquired. After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
Autonomy of judgment:
The learning of the basic concepts of food chemistry will consolidate the student's scientific culture and therefore allow him to independently elaborate judgment in the interpretation of experimental data as well as in the deepening of his own knowledge both in the own area of work that outside of it.
Communication skills:
Acquisition of the ability to expose and explain, in a simple but rigorous manner with an appropriate technical language, the nutritional characteristics of foods, the influence of storage and processing conditions on chemical reaction and on the properties of food components.
Learning skills:
Students in the Food Chemistry course must acquire the basic knowledge in the food area and demonstrate that can apply the chemical-structural concepts learned in other lectures of the course.

Educational objectives

The aim of the course is to provide adequate knowledge on the structure and properties of food constituents, on the mechanisms of the main reactions of alteration. The main knowledge acquired will cover food composition, structure of food constituents, main alteration of food components. The student will be able to apply the acquired knowledge, with the following competence: ability to assess the quality of food, based both on compositional data and on eventual alteration and adulteration during food processing.
Knowledge and understanding:
Knowledge and understanding of nutrients and other products that are intrinsic or unrelated to the composition of the food. The teaching addresses the knowledge of the chemical structure, the physico-chemical characteristics and the effect on the organism, adulteration of food components, modification of nutrients during treatments and processing (i.e. cooking).
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
The student will acquire the ability to approach food, as a source of nutrients with various functions (energy, plastic and regulatory), to recognize the molecular structures of the most common food components and their reaction products; to recognize and understand the generic functional and chemical properties of the most common food components; to understand the chemical reactions occurring during food processing, to understand how reactive groups of food components play an important role in chemical reactions, to describe the effect of chemical reactions on the characteristics of food in a qualitative sense and to describe the influence of processing conditions on chemical reaction and on the properties of food components;. The course will provide students the tools to understand and monitor phenomena and to apply the knowledge acquired. After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
Autonomy of judgment:
The learning of the basic concepts of food chemistry will consolidate the student's scientific culture and therefore allow him to independently elaborate judgment in the interpretation of experimental data as well as in the deepening of his own knowledge both in the own area of work that outside of it.
Communication skills:
Acquisition of the ability to expose and explain, in a simple but rigorous manner with an appropriate technical language, the nutritional characteristics of foods, the influence of storage and processing conditions on chemical reaction and on the properties of food components.
Learning skills:
Students in the Food Chemistry course must acquire the basic knowledge in the food area and demonstrate that can apply the chemical-structural concepts learned in other lectures of the course.

Educational objectives

This course is aimed at providing the students the fundamentals of Organic Chemistry and the ability to manage this area of Chemistry to face with success studies of the courses that are based on Organic Chemistry. Accordingly, the rationalization of the reactions is emphasized over rote-learning. Thus, main classes of organic compounds will be examined trying to oppose the impression that the study of Organic Chemistry is a mere collection of molecules and reactions. On the contrary, students will have the opportunity to understand that all individual topics are joined and that what they learn at the beginning is the basis for understanding what follows and to understand how and why organic compounds react the way they do. The mechanism of some of the most common organic reactions will be examined in detail, even using animations, describing the unifying concepts and principles that are the basis of the understanding process. In some cases, it will be shown how a theory can be generated from experimental evidence. As the students attending this course are interested in food science, some of the main classes of natural substances will be treated with the aim of showing that the general principles that govern organic reactions in laboratory are the same that govern the reactions of food components.
Knowledge and understanding
The main task of the course is indeed to stimulate a learning method that masters general, unifying principles, that favours understanding and rationalization over memorizing data.
Applying knowledge and understanding
Students will have to learn how to apply what they have learned attending the course of Organic Chemistry to face typical problems of Organic Chemistry, even a new setting, reasoning their way to a solution. What they have learned will have to be applied to the Food Chemistry area. Students will also have to be able to plan and manage their activity (managerial and/or research activity). Laboratory training and movies will be suitable tools for allowing them to acquire the ability to apply understanding and comprehension.
Making judgements
The ability of making judgements will be stimulated by means of the analysis of experimental data, explaining why and how a given rationalization has been suggested and favouring debates on the effectiveness of alternative proposals. The ability of making judgements will be checked through an oral examination aimed at evaluating the ability of students to use their way what they learned.
Communication skills
Communication skills will be stimulated by organizing working groups where scientific articles related to subjects described at lesson will be examined and individual lectures given by students. Thus, students will have the possibility to acquire the ability to communicate in a clear manner and to work in group.
Learning skills
In addition to acquire enough knowledge and understanding to pass the examination, students will have to develop a learning method that allows them to manage the basic principles of Organic Chemistry so as to be able to manage the continuous updating and widening process that this scientific area requires. To this end, particular care will be devoted to provide students with information required to examine and evaluate the details of a chemical process, even supplying them with the means needed for entering databases.

Educational objectives

Educational goals

The aims of the course are to i) spread the fundamental principles of classical genetics; and to ii) to highlight the enormous impact of genetics in different fields of our life and the conceptual and the practical consequences derived from the use of genetic method and mutational analysis.

The students will be provided with theoretical and methodological bases useful to deepen their undestanding of biological systems. The acquired knowledge will allow the students to tackle more complex issues such as: i) the structural and functional analyses of eukaryotic genomes, ii) the study of global gene expression in animals and plants, iii) the methodologies of genome editing and gene therapy.

An further educational goal of the Genetics course is to provide, through laboratory experience, the skills to be able to intervene critically on ethical and social aspects related to the use of modern genetic approaches for treatment of diseases.

The knowledge and skills acquired are necessary for continuing the training in Biotechnology.

Students who pass the examination will be able to know and understand:

- The genetic basis of heredity

- The relationships between genotype and phenotype

- The complex mechanisms of gene regulation in differentiation and development

- The organization and functions of eukaryotic genomes

- The contents of a scientific article on Genetics

Educational objectives

General skills

Today’s view of Microbiology has gone far beyond the simple idea of microbes as causative agents
of a diversified spectrum of human pathologies. The current opinion considers microorganisms
mainly as major constituents of ecosystems, vital components of eukaryotic organisms, very often
key mediators in productive and industrial processes. Our course in Microbiology is therefore
intended to provide students with the knowledge clues required to understand the high plasticity
of the microbial world. The focus is on progressively integrating specific notions about bacterial
and viral structures, their functional relationships, and the organization and evolution of genomes
into a logical learning path. This will secure the understanding of the molecular mechanisms which
regulate the interaction of microorganisms with both biotic and abiotic environments. Students
will thus acquire the competences to assess the role of microorganisms in biomedical,
biotechnological, and environmental area.

Specific skills

A) Knowledge and understanding. The student will have acquired knowledge and understanding
- Structure of the prokaryotic cell (Bacteria and Archea) and biosynthesis of the cell components.
- Organization of the bacterial genome and role of the mobile genetic elements
- Procedures for microbial growth and for microbial growth control
- Processes of bacterial colonization of the host and of the environment
- Mechanisms of action of antibiotics and emergence of antibiotic resistance

B) Applying knowledge and understanding
- Understanding the key role played by microorganisms in the interactions with the host and the
environment.
- Understanding the biological processes of multicellular organisms banking on the knowledge
acquired from the microorganisms
-Understanding biotechnological applications of microorganisms

C) Making judgments
- Being able to analyze in a thoughtful and informed manner the information on the microbes
world
- Making informed decisions on the use of products derived from bacteria or viruses and on the
importance of vaccinations

D) Communication skills
- Being able to communicate to the public the notions learned on the microbe world in a correct
and informed manner using appropriate terminology
- Being able to fully interpret any microorganisms-associated phenomena from both a personal
and social point of view.

E) Learning skills
-be able to make logical connection among different topics covered
-learning the specific terminology

Educational objectives

General skills

At the end of the course and after passing the exam, the student will have acquired the
knowledge and skills in the areas below. In general, the student will be able to:
describe the structure and function of the main classes of biological macromolecules;
explain the main metabolic pathways in terms of chemical reactions, recognizing and
reproducing the structures of the metabolites; explain the principles and applications
of the most common biochemical methodologies. On the basis of the acquired
knowledge, the student will have the ability to interpret and explain biological
phenomena from a biochemical point of view, describing the molecular bases of life
in terms of structures and chemical reactions. Students' critical and judgmental skills
will be developed through exercise classes, in which videos will be projected and
numerical exercises carried out, and through laboratory experiences. In the latter,
students will apply the theoretical concepts studied in class, performing and
interpreting experiments that, in the future, they will be able to independently
reproduce. Communication skills will also be exercised during the theoretical lessons,
which include moments of open discussion. In the future, the student will be able to
count on the knowledge and skills just described for the understanding of other
disciplines and for the work in analysis and research laboratories.

Specific skills

a) Knowledge and ability to understand:
- knowledge and understanding of the relationship between structure and function
of the main classes of macromolecules and biological molecules;
- understanding of metabolism chemical logic;
- knowledge of the main metabolic pathways and of their single reactions;
- understanding of the principles and phenomena underlying the main
biochemical methodologies;

b) Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
- ability to interpret and explain biological phenomena from a biochemical point
of view;
- ability to apply appropriate techniques to specific experimental problems;

c) Autonomy of judgment:
- being able to solve biochemical problems, also through a quantitative approach;
- being able to identify biological and biomedical phenomena that can be
explained from a biochemical point of view;
- being able to select and evaluate the most appropriate techniques to solve a
specific experimental problem;

d) Communication skills
- being able to illustrate and explain biochemical phenomena with appropriate
terms and with logical rigor;
- being able to draw the structure of the main metabolites and of biomolecules in
general;
- being able to describe how the main biochemical techniques work;

e) Learning ability:
- acquisition of the fundamentals and cognitive tools to continue independently in
the study of biochemistry;
- acquisition of the basic knowledge necessary to progress autonomously in other
biological disciplines;
- ability to learn quickly and apply biochemical techniques in laboratory working
environments.

Educational objectives

The course consists of two integrated modules: Molecular Biology and Recombinant Biotechnology

Educational objectives

The objective of the course is to provide students with the knowledge of the main basic techniques of genetic engineering, molecular biology and bioinformatics. From these bases selected topics will be expanded and deepen to keep in touch with the latest updates in biotechnology, with particular attention to plant molecular biology.

Educational objectives

General objectives:

After completing this course students will be able to describe:
- Genome structure and function
- The main processes based on DNA and RNA in prokaryotes and eukaryotes: replication, recombination, repair, transcription, translation;
- The main regulation levels (pre-transcription, post-transcription e post-translation) in prokaryotes and eukaryotes

- Specific objectives:
Knowledge and understanding
- Students will get acquainted with the with essential concepts in molecular biology

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
- Students will learn the proper terminology and acquire the ability to apply their new knowledge to other courses

Critical and judgmental capacities
- Students will learn to critically discuss and evaluate an experimental result.

Ability to communicate what has been learned
–Students enrolled in the course will be able to communicate what they have been learning during the oral exam.

Ability to continue the study independently in the life
- Students will acquire not only the scientific basis of molecular biology, but also the terminology and the methodologies used in this field. This skill will accompany the students during the rest of their academic career.

Educational objectives

Analytical Chemistry addresses the fundamental aspects of acqueous solution equilibria. The course of Analytical Chemistry has the objective of providing both the basic principles of equilibrium in aqueous environment, and of the most widespread instrumental chemical analysis techniques. Specific training objectives are: the knowledge of equilibria in solution; the calculation of the pH and of the concentrations of a system at equilibrium (spontaneous or induced), the use of the buffer solutions, the knowledge of the theory of the most common techniques of chemical instrumental analysis.
The knowledge and skills acquired in this course will constitute a fundamental aid in subsequent studies focused on biotechnological applications.

Students who have passed the exam will be able to know and understand (acquired knowledge)

- the meaning of equilibrium;
- the calculation of the pH in aqueous solutions;
- the usefulness of buffer solutions;
- spectroscopic techniques;
- chromatographic techniques;
- mass spectrometry;
- the criteria for choosing instrumental analyses.

Students who have passed the exam will be able to (acquired skills):
- calculate the pH of a solution;
- prepare and use a buffer solution;
- select the best analytical technique according to the sample to be analyzed;

Educational objectives

Fermentation biotechnologies are defined as industrial production techniques, in which living organisms or their components (eg enzymes) produce the required material. Technologies based on microbial fermentation involve the use of microorganisms in an artificial environment (in fermenters under aerobic or anaerobic conditions) for the production of their primary or secondary metabolites, such as citric acid, alcohols or antibiotics. Currently, the use of recombinant DNA techniques and synthetic biology have made it possible to produce different compounds (eg Insulin, growth factors, interferon) from genetically modified organisms.

Students who have passed the exam will be able to know and understand (acquired knowledge)

- the nutritional needs of microorganisms and industrial land
- industrial methods of cultivation
- the basic biology of the main microorganisms used as a platform strain in industrial production
- the metabolic versatility of microorganisms
- the use of molecular techniques for genetic, protein and metabolic engineering
- The main industrial productions by fermentation of proteins and metabolites

Students who have passed the exam will be able to (acquired skills):
- Understand the scientific literature concerning the handling and industrial use of microorganisms
- Design microorganisms through the applications of synthetic biology
- Develop microbial and enzymatic applications in medical, pharmaceutical, food and industrial production processes.

Educational objectives

Specific outcomes

A) Knowledge and understanding
Students who have passed the Plant Physiology and Biochemistry module
- will have acquired a basic and integrated vision of plant biology
- will be able to understand the plant metabolism and its modifications during the development and of the
interactions of the plant with the surrounding environment.
- will have acquired the cultural bases to understand in molecular terms the physiological relationships
between the plant and its ecosystem

B) Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
-Ability to apply knowledge for the choice of analytical strategies to study plant metabolism
-Ability to apply the knowledge and tools acquired to develop skills in understanding the relationships
between structures and functions of the main physiological processes that underlie the life and
development of plants and their interaction with the environment.
- Ability to apply the basic and experimental knowledge acquired on biotechnological approaches in the
production of agro-industrial goods and services using plant systems.

C) Autonomy of judgment
- ability to autonomously understand and solve scientific problems concerning the physiology of the plant
and its interaction with the environment.
- Ability to independently evaluate and interpret experimental data for the study of plant physiology and
biochemistry.

D) Communication skills
- Acquisition of adequate terminology in the communication of the contents of the discipline.
- Acquisition of skills and tools useful for communication and dissemination of acquired knowledge and
results of practical activities carried out during the course of study.- Ability to communicate the skills
acquired to operators in the agricultural sector and to managers of public and private sector research
organizations.

E) Learning ability
- Autonomous capacity for in-depth study of basic scientific information and basic technical knowledge
in plant physiology and plant biotechnology.
- Ability to learn cognitive tools and scientific method typical of the activity of a biologist who works in
the field of plant biology and plant biotechnology
.- Ability to acquire the tools that favor the constant updating of knowledge on the physiological and
molecular mechanisms related to the development of plants and their interaction with the environment.

Educational objectives

Specific outcomes

A) Knowledge and understanding
Students who have passed the Plant Physiology and Biochemistry module
- will have acquired a basic and integrated vision of plant biology
- will be able to understand the plant metabolism and its modifications during the development and of the
interactions of the plant with the surrounding environment.
- will have acquired the cultural bases to understand in molecular terms the physiological relationships
between the plant and its ecosystem

B) Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
-Ability to apply knowledge for the choice of analytical strategies to study plant metabolism
-Ability to apply the knowledge and tools acquired to develop skills in understanding the relationships
between structures and functions of the main physiological processes that underlie the life and
development of plants and their interaction with the environment.
- Ability to apply the basic and experimental knowledge acquired on biotechnological approaches in the
production of agro-industrial goods and services using plant systems.

C) Autonomy of judgment
- ability to autonomously understand and solve scientific problems concerning the physiology of the plant
and its interaction with the environment.
- Ability to independently evaluate and interpret experimental data for the study of plant physiology and
biochemistry.

D) Communication skills
- Acquisition of adequate terminology in the communication of the contents of the discipline.
- Acquisition of skills and tools useful for communication and dissemination of acquired knowledge and
results of practical activities carried out during the course of study.- Ability to communicate the skills
acquired to operators in the agricultural sector and to managers of public and private sector research
organizations.

E) Learning ability
- Autonomous capacity for in-depth study of basic scientific information and basic technical knowledge
in plant physiology and plant biotechnology.
- Ability to learn cognitive tools and scientific method typical of the activity of a biologist who works in
the field of plant biology and plant biotechnology
.- Ability to acquire the tools that favor the constant updating of knowledge on the physiological and
molecular mechanisms related to the development of plants and their interaction with the environment.

Educational objectives

Specific outcomes

A) Knowledge and understanding
Students who have passed the Plant Biotechnology module
- will have acquired in-depth knowledge in the molecular and cellular aspects of the functioning of plant
systems, including in this system the complex interactions of plants with the environment and with
pathogenic microorganisms.
- will have expertise on biotechnological processes for agro-industrial and food production, for the
transformation of non-food plant products, for the control of the quality of the environment, for the
development, reproduction and genetic improvement of plants

B) Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
-Ability to apply knowledge for the choice of analytical strategies to study plant metabolism
-Ability to apply the knowledge and tools acquired to develop skills in understanding the relationships
between structures and functions of the main physiological processes that underlie the life and
development of plants and their interaction with the environment.
- Ability to apply the basic and experimental knowledge acquired on biotechnological approaches in the
production of agro-industrial goods and services using plant systems.

C) Autonomy of judgment
- ability to autonomously understand and solve scientific problems concerning the physiology of the plant
and its interaction with the environment.
- Ability to independently evaluate and interpret experimental data for the study of plant physiology and
biochemistry.

D) Communication skills
- Acquisition of adequate terminology in the communication of the contents of the discipline.
- Acquisition of skills and tools useful for communication and dissemination of acquired knowledge and
results of practical activities carried out during the course of study.- Ability to communicate the skills
acquired to operators in the agricultural sector and to managers of public and private sector research
organizations.

E) Learning ability
- Autonomous capacity for in-depth study of basic scientific information and basic technical knowledge
in plant physiology and plant biotechnology.
- Ability to learn cognitive tools and scientific method typical of the activity of a biologist who works in
the field of plant biology and plant biotechnology
.- Ability to acquire the tools that favor the constant updating of knowledge on the physiological and
molecular mechanisms related to the development of plants and their interaction with the environment.

Educational objectives

Plant Pathology is the discipline that studies the interaction between plants, pathogens and the environment. Safety in food production is one of the hallmarks of global strategies aimed at ensuring food for all for the future. Currently the production of food of plant origin is severely compromised by the increasingly pressing challenge posed by pathogens. These latter directly deplete nutrient resources by deteriorating and sometimes eliminating crops: indirectly worsen the quality of food by forcing farmers to use pesticides and by releasing mycotoxins into the crops, secondary metabolites of fungal origin harmful to humans and animals. The Plant Pathology therefore has as its primary purpose the study of pathogens,
of the main defensive strategies of plants, the defensive strategies implemented by man and the recognition of symptoms of the main diseases that put at risk the quantity and quality of agricultural production.

Students who have passed the exam will be able to know and understand (acquired knowledge)

- The concept of the pyramid of the disease
- The different types of phytopathogens: viruses, bacteria and fungi
- The diagnosis of plant pathogens
- The cycle of infection and the ecology of a pathogen
- The basis of defensive strategies, innate, of plants
- Taxonomically important structures in the recognition of a pathogen
- The main symptoms of diseases of cultivated plants

Students who have passed the exam will be able to (acquired skills):
- Identify the main factors causing illness in the main crops
- Establish the salient features of a cycle of infection of a pathogen
- Identify the main pathogens (bacteria and fungi)
- Identify disease symptoms caused by viruses, bacteria and fungi in major crops
- Outline standard strategies for controlling plant diseases

Educational objectives

The objective of the course is to contribute to the education of the future professionals who need to be able to interact in international contexts. This course aims at enabling the students to reach the threshold level of English competence as stated in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Educational objectives

Expected learning outcomes

- know the laboratory methodologies
- know how to set up an experiment
- know how to critically evaluate the results of an experiment
- know how to statistically elaborate the results of an experiment