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Department of Biological Sciences

cactus with red flowersrainforest frog

Excellence in Teaching!

Our main priority as faculty members in the Department of Biological Sciences is to offer students courses and opportunities that enhance their abilities to succeed as biologists!

Coursework

Whether it is a course on forensic molecular biology, desert ecology, endocrinology, epidemiology, pathophysiology, ethology, mycology, marine biology, outdoor survival, electron microscopy, or tropical ecosystems, our professors are interested in integrating traditional approaches with innovative techniques to offer students exciting and challenging opportunities to learn.  This commitment, in combination with our small class sizes, allows us to offer undergraduates a premier education in the biological sciences.

Undergraduate Research

Participating in research is an important way in which students can immerse themselves in the process of science.  Many of our undergraduates work with faculty mentors on collaborative research projects in areas such as cell biology, molecular genetics, plant pathology, systematics, microbiology, and tropical ecology.  Some of our students have even spent time doing research in the tropical rainforests of Ecuador.   Faculty mentors and their undergraduate collaborators in our Department have gone on to win grants and recognition for their work.

Internship and Independent Study

Working as interns or doing independent studies allow undergraduates to become more familiar with an areas of knowledge that may relate to their career goals while earning college credit.  Internships are student-driven; while advisors may help guide students toward opportunities, the responsibility for gaining the internship is on the shoulders of the student.  Students then work with faculty advisors to complete the appropriate paperwork.  Independent study credit is earned when students work on a semester-long project under the supervision of a faculty mentor.  Students are responsible for approaching faculty in order to begin the process.  

For more information on the Department, please contact Dr. Denise McKenney at 970.248.1015 or at dmckenne@mesastate.edu.

Outstanding Facilities

With an 18 million dollar expansion of the Science Complex due to be completed in the fall of 2010 and state of the art equipment, we can continue to increase our breadth of offerings in terms of teaching facilities and research opportunities for undergraduates.  This translates into classrooms that are more conducive to learning, laboratories that are better designed for hands-on experimentation and observation, and more resources for undergraduate research projects.  In addition, our special collections in botany, entomology, mammalogy, ornithology, and herpetology have increased room and access.
Many of our professors take advantage of the spectacular habitats offered by the Western Slope by taking students out and about on field trips.  The Colorado National Monument, the Bookcliffs, and the San Juan Mountains are some of the areas that serve as sites for fieldwork.  Field courses are also an important part of our offerings.  Tropical Field Biology is held each year in Ecuador during the January term.  Marine Invertebrate Communities is offered every so often in the summers.students in canoe in tropical rainforest lake

Quite a few of our students successfully continue their educations in Medical Schools, Nursing Programs, Dental Schools, Physician Assistant Programs, Pharmacy Schools, and Physical Therapy Programs.  Just as many have been admitted into Graduate Schools where they pursue their Master's degrees or their doctorates.  We take our job in preparing them for success very seriously by working with them on an individual basis--we advise them on the required coursework, help them make the necessary contacts, and follow their progress closely.  Qualified pre-health students may also participate in the Rural Health Scholars Program.