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| Teaching The Department of Veterinary Physiology & Biochemistry is on the Belfield campus. The Department is housed in the new Veterinary Faculty Building on the Belfield Campus and it is adjacent to the Conway Institute of Biomolecular & Biomedical Research and the main Science Block. The Department of Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry provides undergraduate teaching in the Pre-Clinical Division of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine to 80 First Year and 80 Second Year Veterinary Students. Total tuition hours for the course approximates 300 hours. In the first year the course deals with the following: cellular functions, energy metabolism, digestion, the cardiovascular and respiratory systems in domestic animals. A short course in Chemistry, designed as an introduction to biochemistry, is given. The biochemistry course includes : enzymology, the biochemistry relating to the digestion of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and with the intermediary metabolism of these compounds, the biochemistry of vitamins, minerals and water. Courses in (a) molecular & cell biology and (b) veterinary applied biophysics are presented, integrated where appropriate, with the teaching of Veterinary Physiology & Biochemistry and Veterinary Anatomy. In the second year the course in Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry consists of a general introduction (i) to systemic physiology with emphasis on special developments encountered in animals of veterinary importance and on features basic to animal husbandry and clinical subjects; and (ii) to whole animal physiology in relation to energy metabolism and nutrition, to the environment and to meat, milk and egg production. Learning issues are covered by provision of lectures, practical classes, computer-assisted-learning and small group tutorials. As a consequence of a recent review of the curriculum the course content has been revised and modernised. Areas for which the Department has teaching responsibilities range from molecular biology right through to integrated physiology. Some practical demonstrations for undergraduate students are carried out at Lyons Estate Farm. |
