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About Us
Who we are...
The students and faculty of the Biology Department are a community of learners who use inquiry-based methods to investigate the breadth of Biology, its connection to other disciplines, and its relevance to individuals and society.
As a community of learners, students and faculty work collaboratively to expand their understanding of biology.
Towards that end:
- faculty members maintain research programs that mentor students;
- faculty members and students collaboratively explore current scholarship in Biology;
- faculty members and students communicate their scholarship with their peers and the public.
Further, students will:
- engage in inquiry-based methods to investigate biological systems. The results of this are to be seen as students:
- analyze, evaluate, and apply information from the Biological literature;
- develop a diverse collection of investigative skills that they will use to study biological systems;
- communicate their conclusions effectively both orally and in writing;
- investigate the breadth of Biology, recognizing that Biology is a diverse discipline unified by fundamental themes:
- how the process of evolution underlies both the diversity and unity of life;
- how biological systems use energy and materials;
- how living systems store, retrieve, transmit, and respond to information;
- how interactions within biological systems can produce complex, novel properties;
- how structure relates to function in biological systems.
- investigate Biology's connection to other disciplines. Students will recognize that a comprehensive understanding of biological systems requires the application of knowledge and skills from multiple disciplines.
- study the relevance to individuals and society of Biology. Students will recognize the linkages between the discipline of Biology and human social systems.
The Biology Major:
- Students begin the major with the Introductory Biology sequence (BIOL 121, 221 and 222). This set of courses builds a fundamental understanding of all areas of Biology, from cellular and molecular to organismal to ecological and evolutionary.
- Upon completing the Introductory sequence, students take five additional courses in any of the four fundamental areas of biology: organismal diversity, ecology/evolution, structural/functional biology and cell/molecular biology.
- Supporting courses in chemistry and mathematics are also required. Additional courses in physics and advanced chemistry are recommended but not required.
- A more complete description of the Biology curriculum and course options can be found by following the Curriculum link to the left.