The study of model organisms is a powerful and proven experimental strategy for understanding biological processes. This paper describes an attempt to utilize advances in yeast molecular biology to enhance student understanding by presenting a more comprehensive view of several interconnected molecular processes in the overall functioning of an organism, and introducing the concept of the inverse problem as it relates to biology. The inclusion of a module based on a single model organism within a course on molecular and/or cell biology gives the students an idea of the process of research specialization. In addition, it also affords an opportunity for the instructor to invite researchers with expertise in the field and integrate their lectures on advanced topics into the academic program in a formal sense. (Contains 1 figure, 1 table, and 1 footnote.)