Biology

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Honors students and biology Professor Dale McCurdy traveled to Suriname in May 2010.

Honors students traveled to Suriname in May 2010.

 

Biology Professor Dean McCurdy offers guidance during the May 2010 Suriname trip.

Biology Professor Dean McCurdy offers guidance during the May 2010 Suriname trip.

Welcome to the Web pages of the Albion College Biology Department!

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In biology we exemplify Albion's credo, "AlwaysThinking." Our students are challenged to think by experiencing biology in the classroom, lab and field, both on campus in the recently opened LEED-Certified Science Complex and the 135-acre Whitehouse Nature Center, and at more distant locations, such as the forests and coral reefs of Belize and southern Florida, where our tropical and subtropical biology courses take major field trips. 

The Biology Department's mission is to provide students with an understanding of, and an appreciation for, the living world, including the fundamental mechanisms that underlie all life. 

We believe that students should understand the ways in which they are affected by living organisms and how their lives in turn have an impact on other living organisms and the biosphere. We consider it vital to present the methods of science and to illustrate the processes that lead to discoveries in science. We emphasize the development of observational, analytical, and communication skills, regardless of the career path the individual student selects. Finally, we believe that biology is best understood by active involvement with organisms and the systems of life in laboratory and field settings, and in collaborative student-faculty research. 

Our alums include many noted research scientists, physicians and educators. Because of our long tradition of preparing Michigan students for medical school, if you live in our state, you probably know a great physician who is an Albion grad. 

Albion's biology faculty have diverse research interests that include molecular genetics of sharks and fruit flies, invertebrate parasitology, cavity-nesting bird behavior and ecology, plant-animal ecological interactions, algal ultrastructure, microbial community structure in lake-river-stream biofilms, shark reproductive biology, gene flow and genetic variation in isolated, endangered plant populations, and tropical plant systematics. 

Central to an Albion College biology education is developing a greater ability to formulate and test hypotheses, both in course projects and in independent research supervised by a faculty member. 

The biology internship program and the resources of Albion College's Center for Sustainability and the Environment (CSE) and Foundation for Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity (FURSCA) provide additional opportunities for our students. 

As you view these pages, I hope that you find information that will excite you about the possibilities of a biology major at Albion College. 

Sincerely,

E. Dale Kennedy
Chair