Biological Sciences Department

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The Biological Sciences Department offers a major in biological sciences with concentrations in molecular biology, environmental science, dance science, and secondary education with certification in biological sciences; a minor in biological sciences; and dual-degree programs in biomedical engineering, chemical and bio-molecular engineering, environmental engineering, and materials science engineering.

The goal of the biological sciences major is to promote scientific curiosity, critical thinking, and intellectual maturity. Biology is not merely a collection of facts, but a process of discovery, and students are encouraged to participate actively in this process. Each course provides a framework for examining the scientific process as a means to master current knowledge and to provide a basis to address problems of the future. The biological sciences core curriculum explores the major disciplines in biology and examines both the diversity of life and the functional aspects of living systems. The core courses encompass the wide spectrum of biology from molecules and cells to populations and ecosystems using evolutionary adaptation as a recurrent theme. Advanced courses allow students to pursue areas of special interest and stress independence and initiative. Many students participate in research, either in collaboration with a faculty member on campus or at an off-campus research setting. This provides an unusual and valuable opportunity for growth in intellectual and scientific maturity beyond the usual undergraduate courses. Results of these studies are occasionally published in scientific research journals. Off-campus internships provide valuable practical experience in a work setting that often leads to informed career choices.

Many students elect internships at community hospitals or at medical or biological research laboratories. Others seek experience at ecological or agricultural research settings that may be as distant as Honduras or Australia. A major in biological sciences may lead to research or graduate study in biology. Many students use the biological sciences major as preparation for medical, dental, or veterinary schools or for one of a variety of careers in public health. Graduates have entered professions that are creative combinations of biological expertise and graduate preparation in business or law. An MBA, for example, can be preparation for management positions in biotechnology, or a law degree for specialization in patent or environmental law.

Department Faculty

Professors

George Delahunty, (physiology and endocrinology), Judith Levin, chair (biochemistry and molecular biology), Janet Shambaugh (cellular and developmental biology), Robert Slocum (plant physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology)

Associate Professors

Mark Hiller (genetics and molecular biology), Cynthia Kicklighter (ecology and marine biology)

Assistant Professors

Birthe Kjellerup (microbiology)

Senior Laboratory Lecturer and Adjunct Assistant Professor

Harry Ratrie III

Lecturer

William Hilgartner

Senior Laboratory Instructors

Jacqueline Andrews, Theresa Hodge

Dual-Degree Programs in Biomedical, Chemical and Bio-Molecular, Environmental, and Materials Science Engineering

Students earn both a bachelor of arts degree from Goucher and a bachelor of science degree from the G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering of The Johns Hopkins University. The purpose of the dual-degree program is to enable students to explore the liberal arts and sciences, while developing professional knowledge and experience in chemical and bio-molecular engineering, environmental engineering, or materials science engineering. A more comprehensive description of the science and engineering dual-degree programs can be found in the Science and Engineering section of this catalogue. Consult program director Ali Bakhshai for additional information.

Premedical, Preveterinary, and Predental Studies

The course work needed to apply to medical, dental, and veterinary schools includes one year of biology, one year of general chemistry, one year of organic chemistry, one year of physics, and one or two semesters of calculus (varies). Competitive medical school applicants usually have taken additional science courses. Thus, most students interested in applying to medical school will major in biology, chemistry, or biochemistry and molecular biology, as the overlap between the premed requirements and the science major requirements is substantial. A more comprehensive explanation can be found under the Premedical Studies section of this catalogue.

Majors planning to apply to medical, dental, or veterinary schools should consult George Delahunty, director of premedical studies, for assistance in program planning.

Costa Rican Experience

This is a 15-week interdisciplinary program consisting of four 4-credit courses, including three core courses: Spanish Language and Culture, Environmental Sustainability, and Development and Social Change in Costa Rica. Students can choose between Field Methods in Tropical Ecology and Topics in Social Sciences for the fourth course. Courses are taught by Monteverde Institute faculty and are conducted in English except for Spanish Language and Culture.

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