Biological Sciences 2007-2008
Overview
OUR APPROACH TO BIOLOGY
Biology at Union offers a diverse array of opportunities for an undergraduate. Compared to colleges of similar size, the diversity of our courses stands out: molecular biology, organismal biology, population biology, marine biology, ecology. The department has strength in both plant and animal sciences. This gives our students the opportunity to test their interests and aptitudes in many different areas of biology. We also offer the opportunity for interdisciplinary training with programs in Neuroscience, Biochemistry, and Bioengineering. Although we offer some advanced courses, we feel that graduate school is the time for specialization. Undergraduate years should be dedicated to the discovery and definition of goals and to gaining a broad-base education in relevant areas.
Faculty
Fifteen full-time faculty members (largest department on campus). Faculty members and their areas of research are:
Barbara Boyer Professor of Biology Ph.D., University of Michigan Developmental biology, invertebrates
John Boyer Professor of Biology Ph.D., University of Chicago Population biology
Quynh Chu-Lagraff Assistant Professor of Biology, Ph.D., University of Illinois Molecular biochemistry
Jeffrey Corbin Assistant Professor of Biology Ph.D., University of North Carolina Plant ecology Brian Cohen Lecturer of Biology Ph.D., Albany Medical College Molecular biology
Barbara Danowski Associate Professor of Biology Ph.D., University of North Carolina Cell motility and cytoskeleton
Leo Fleishman Professor of Biology Ph.D., Cornell University Animal physiology, sensory biology
Stephen Horton Associate Professor of Biology Ph.D., University of Toronto Molecular genetics
Scott Kirkton Assistant Professor of Biology Ph.D., Arizona State University Biomechanics and physiology
Robert Lauzon Assistant Professor of Biology Ph.D., Queens University Molecular genetics of development
Kathleen LoGiudice Assistant Professor of Biology Ph.D., Rutgers University Ecology
Robert Olberg Florence B. Sherwood Professor of Biology Ph.D., University of Washington Neurobiology
Barbara Pytel Senior Lecturer of Biology Ph.D., New York University Herpetology, freeze tolerance
Stephen Rice Assistant Professor of Biology Ph.D., Duke University Botany
Nicole Theodosiou Assistant Professor of Biology Ph.D., Yale University School of Medicine Developmental Biology
Paul Willing Senior Lecturer of Biology Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Plant physiology
In recent years, many of us have received outside funds to carry out research. In virtually all cases, undergraduates were included in these research projects. In addition, the department received three prestigious Hughes grants in 1988, 1993, and 2004 (for $1.6 million), placing it among the top liberal arts science programs in the country.
Students
More than 250 majors; about 70 interdisciplinary majors, mostly neurosciences, biology-chemistry, and biology-mathematics; about 35 in the accelerated Leadership in Medicine/Health Systems Program with Albany Medical College.
Curriculum
Forty-seven courses — 39 for majors, eight in the General Education Program (non-major distribution requirements), and an elective Practicum in Hospital Health Care in one of three nearby hospitals.
Core Courses
Unless they receive advanced placement credit, all biology majors are required to take three basic core courses: Introductory Biology (two terms) and Molecular Biology of the Cell. Each is given at least twice a year to reduce class size and facilitate scheduling. All laboratories are taught by Ph.D.’s.
Upperclass Courses
Biology majors take at least seven more courses above the core. At Union there is a wide variety of courses in the areas of molecular biology, cell biology, immunology, neurobiology, animal behavior, botany, anatomy, ecology, biochemistry, and physiology. In these advanced courses, class size averages about 25, but some have fewer than 10 students. Most of these courses have a laboratory. Student research will also earn credit for the major and graduation.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Most of our students carry out some kind of independent research under faculty supervision, ranging from one-term projects to three-term projects that usually culminate in an honors thesis. Almost all faculty members have research programs that include students during the year and, in some cases, over the summer. The College has a program of summer research fellowships, many of which are awarded to biology students to work on projects under faculty supervision. Many undergraduates attend national scientific meetings and some have published their research in scientific journals.
RESOURCES
The department is well-equipped for teaching and research. In addition to equipment typical of most active departments we have a laser confocal microscope, transmission and scanning electron microscopes, video-microscopy workstations equipped with digital image processing and microinjection capabilities, a monoclonal antibody lab, and state of the art computer systems for data acquisition and analysis. Undergraduates have access to all of this equipment. LIFE AFTER UNION A large majority of our graduates go to some type of professional or graduate program, including medical and dental school, graduate programs in areas as diverse as agronomy and biochemistry, law school, and business school. In a recent survey of 89 colleges and universities that emphasize undergraduate research, Union ranked first in the number of graduates who went on to medical and dental schools. This study also showed that Union placed 12th in the number of students earning national honors. Many students get jobs related in some way to biology, while others are able to compete well for the typical positions available to all liberal arts college graduates (e.g., banking, management, sales, etc.). In the latter case, a biology degree is advantageous to students seeking jobs that require quantitative and analytical skills.
Biology Web Page: Biology Homepage