(for 2012–2013 academic year)
Director B. Hoopes
This program is intended for students who are interested in biology at the molecular level and who wish to take several courses in both biology and chemistry. Interested students should see biology professors Belanger, Hagos, Holm, Hoopes, Meyers, Pruitt, or Van Wynsberghe; or chemistry professor Rowlett.
Major program course requirements are described below.
1. Biology
BIOL 211, Ecology, Evolution, and Diversity
BIOL 212, Molecules, Cells, and Genes
BIOL 321, Molecular Biology
Students must complete BIOL 211 and BIOL 212 and their credit-bearing laboratory components with a minimum grade of C–.
2. Chemistry
CHEM 101 and 102, General Chemistry (I, II) or CHEM 111, Chemical Principles
CHEM 263, Organic Chemistry I
CHEM 264, Organic Chemistry II
CHEM 353, Proteins and Nucleic Acids
3. Three elective courses and a one-credit research course numbered 470 or higher. Only one of the three electives can be at the 100 or 200 level, and at least one of the three must have a laboratory; only one research-based course numbered 470 or higher can count toward the major. The possible electives include
Any biology course (excluding BIOL 291, BIOL 391, and BIOL 491)
CHEM 333, Physical Chemistry I
CHEM 334, Physical Chemistry II
CHEM 336, Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences
NEUR/PSYC 379, Fundamentals of Neurochemistry/Neuropharmacology
BIOL/PHYS 350, Biophysics
4. Required cognate courses include PHYS 111-112 or 232-233, and one course in mathematics or computer science (except COSC 100 or 150). The math course requirement may be met by taking BIOL 220, Biostatistics.
Following consultation with his or her instructor in a course numbered BIOL 470 or higher, a student may be allowed to stand for honors or high honors in the department. Honors requires an overall GPA of 3.30 in courses counted toward the major, an oral presentation to the department, a review paper, and a research paper submitted to the research adviser based on at least one term of research in a course numbered BIOL 470 or higher. High honors requires an overall 3.60 GPA in courses counted toward the major, an oral presentation to the department on the student’s research work, and a two-chapter thesis submitted to the biology department based on at least two terms of research in biology courses numbered BIOL 470 or higher or their equivalent. The awarding of high honors will be decided by the faculty in consultation with the adviser and will be based on the quality of the research project and the oral presentation. Research projects submitted for Honors or High Honors must have been carried out on campus or through the NIH Study Group (see below).
This semester for juniors and seniors at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, involves research in the laboratory of an established investigator as well as two undergraduate courses. For more information, see “Off-Campus Study Group Programs: United States” in Chapter VI.