On behalf of the faculty,
staff and students of the Department of Biology, I'd like to welcome
you to our web site. There is a great deal of helpful information
on the site about our courses, tracks and programs, the faculty
who teach them, and opportunities for careers across the spectrum
of biology.
The
Biology Department has a proud tradition of excellence in undergraduate
education. At the heart of this tradition is a group of dedicated
faculty who share a strong interest in and commitment to student
learning. At the undergraduate level we offer a wide range of
courses and programs including degrees in Biology Education, Environmental
Health Sciences and Biochemistry, curriculum tracks in Cell and
Molecular, Pre-Medical, Pre-Veterinary and Honors Biology and
we will soon offer an Environmental Biology track as well. Thanks
to our success at obtaining external funding, our laboratory facilities
are outstanding for an institution of our size and mission.
The
other pages of this web site will describe our programs and introduce
you to the people of the IUP Biology Department, but to help prospective
students, their parents and other readers to understand us at
a more fundamental level, I want to use this page to outline briefly
for you our basic philosophy and our most important characteristics.
First,
the Biology Department is a learning community that is centered
on students. This means that student learning is the main reason
for the Department's existence and the major focus of its activities.
Next,
we believe that learning science is best achieved by doing science.
To provide opportunities for learning by doing in a variety of
settings we offer a number of educational experiences that involve
hands-on science, including internships, independent studies,
honors thesis research and others.
Third,
we have high expectations for our students and ourselves. Our
current students often complain that our courses and our programs
are difficult but our graduates report that they have been well-prepared
for professional school, graduate school or the workplace.
Fourth,
we understand that biology is a very diverse science, with many
interdisciplinary connections. We want our department to reflect
and our students to understand the breadth of biology and its
relevance to other disciplines.
Finally,
we recognize that we are a part of a larger community of learning
that includes, for example, our K-12 partners and non-traditional
learners throughout the Commonwealth.
Although
the Department has grown significantly over my years here, these
characteristics have endured without change. These are the principles
that define us and guide what we do. In my opinion, they represent
the ingredients for a great undergraduate education.
Thanks
again for your interest in IUP's Department of Biology. To learn
more about specific programs or people, select a topic from the
list of links on the main page.
