To the Instructor
I have drawn relevant material from many scientific disciplines, assuming
only a basic level of competency in physics, chemistry, and biology.
Mathematical rigor has been limited to presenting key results and simple
proofs. Instructors should use their discretion in placing emphasis on or
“filling holes” in areas that may seem somewhat inadequate or limited in
scope. The half-course model is suggested for teaching material directly
from the book and solving the end-of-chapter problems. For a fullsemester course, the book should be used in a course that requires students to refer to the primary literature. The latter may be more suitable for
intermediate to advanced-level classes, although I strongly suggest
training students to read papers early in their careers.
The approach taken in this book is to focus on preparing the student
to read papers in this field, and so I have limited specific examples to
landmark papers. This book should provide the necessary background to
enable the student to comprehend articles from scientific journals. I teach
the material from this book in conjunction with a student seminar series
in which the students select interesting papers for presentation and class
discussion. This approach combines discussion-based and problemsolving skills, and provides exposure to a highly interdisciplinary field of
study.
Malkiat S. Johal
xx
Preface to the First Edition