Dr. Lattin’s Teaching at LSU
BIOL 4160 Vertebrate Physiology
This undergraduate course is organized around understanding how different groups of vertebrate animals from fish to mammals address several main challenges: 1) getting oxygen in and carbon dioxide out; 2) moving oxygen and carbon dioxide around; 3) getting and using energy; 4) moving around and staying warm; and 5) staying moist. Each unit focuses on a particular organ or organ system. This course also touches on specialized adaptations to different environments, and we investigate the physiological mechanisms that facilitate survival at multiple levels: cells, tissues, organs, systems, and whole organisms.
Schedule: Most Fall semesters, including Fall 2025.
Prerequisites: None.
BIOL 4155 Environmental Physiology
This is an undergraduate course focused on understanding how organisms survive in their environments and how species deal with common problems (respiration, energy acquisition, water balance) using similar, or sometimes very different, tools. This course will also explore specialized adaptations to “extreme” environments from deserts to the deep seas. This integrative course investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms that help coordinate an animal’s internal state with its external environment to promote survival. This is a certified Communication-Intensive (C-I) course with intensive writing and public speaking components that meets all of the requirements set forth by LSU's Communication across the Curriculum program.
Schedule: Most Fall semesters, but not Fall 2024 or 2025
Prerequisites: BIOL 2153 (Principles of Genetics)
Students from Dr. Lattin’s Environmental Physiology course use primary research articles to add physiology-based content to Wikipedia, and three of Dr. Lattin’s students were featured on the Wiki Education blog. Read the whole blog post here.
BIOL 7800 Scientific Communication for Biologists
This course prepares graduate students in biological science how to successfully communicate about their science to colleagues and the public. This includes: 1) exposure to tools and resources to develop professional skills, 2) familiarization with funding mechanisms, 3) a milieu for preparation, submission and peer review of compelling manuscripts and grants, and 4) a foundation for communicating science orally and through writing to diverse audiences.
Schedule: Most Spring semesters; will not be offered in Spring 2026.
Prerequisites: Must be a Master’s or PhD student at LSU. Senior-level undergraduates who are planning to attend graduate school in the biological sciences may be able to take this course with special permission from Dr. Lattin.
BIOL 7901 Graduate seminars (various topics)
Dr. Lattin occasionally offers one-credit graduate seminars on topics of interest to her students. In Spring 2023, she taught a seminar on Microbial Ecology. In Fall 2024, she taught a seminar on Sensory Physiology.
Schedule: Occasional semesters.
Prerequisites: Must be a Master’s or PhD student at LSU. Senior-level undergraduates may be able to take this course with special permission from Dr. Lattin.