THE STUDY OF BIOLOGY GIVES US AN UNDERSTANDING of the structure, the evolution and the diversity of living organisms. The study of chemistry reveals the composition and behavior of matter itself. These two fundamental forms of scientific inquiry meet in biochemistry — the study of living organisms at the molecular level. At Hamilton, the biochemistry/molecular biology program combines the strengths and resources of the two disciplines to create a third distinct research-based major.
The goal of Hamilton's Biochemistry/Molecular Biology Program is to encourage students to explore biochemical concepts through extensive research opportunities and close collaboration between students and instructors.More ...
Academic Program
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
Hamilton's emphasis on discovery-based laboratory work and research means that courses provide practical, hands-on training, with many opportunities to learn outside the classroom:
The Merck/American Association for the Advancement of Science program at Hamilton offers summer research stipends each year for projects in biology, chemistry and biochemistry.
Additional funds for summer research are offered by the College's Summer Research Program as well as by grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the Dreyfus Foundation.
Exceptional biochemistry students may also arrange to spend a semester at the National Institutes of Health.
Independent study projects and the senior project offer further opportunities to do research during the academic year.
Biochemistry students are encouraged to pursue independent research, and they regularly collaborate with faculty members on projects that lead to publication in top research journals and presentations at scholarly conferences.
THE SENIOR PROGRAM
The centerpiece of the Senior Program in biochemistry/molecular biology is the senior project. Under the guidance of a professor, students conduct independent laboratory research and experimentation. For most students, the project involves one semester of lab work, followed by part of a second semester dedicated to writing a thesis and preparing for an oral presentation to departmental faculty and student peers. The senior thesis is a culmination of each student’s undergraduate experience; it synthesizes coursework, research and discussion into a focused statement of intellectual growth and insight.
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RESOURCES
State-of-the-art facilities, advanced technology and small classes at the Science Center mean that Hamilton undergraduates have the opportunity to work closely with instruments available only to graduate students at many schools. The Science Center is fully wireless and houses more than 100 teaching and research laboratories as well as offices and classrooms, student areas and a coffee shop. Science Center instrumentation includes a 500 MHz variable-temperature multinuclear nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, several Fourier-transform infrared spectrophotometers, a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer, and a dual pump, high-pressure mixing high-performance liquid chromatograph. Also available are versatile ultraviolet/visible spectrometers, a high-performance glove box, a refrigerated centrifuge and several vacuum lines.
Hamilton's biochemistry program, like all the sciences, is strongly grounded in the College’s innovative liberal arts approach. Students build their writing and speaking skills along with their laboratory skills. Biochemistry is also an interdisciplinary major. All these dimensions make Hamilton's biochemistry grads uniquely qualified to think creatively and make connections among many fields. Graduates have a strong record of admission to graduate and professional schools, and to employment in fields such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, secondary school teaching and science writing.
Research Partners
Students and teachers research and publish together. Students co-authored and published 17 papers in peer-reviewed journals with professors from the Department of Chemistry over a recent five-year period.
National Leader
Hamilton has regularly hosted the Molecular Education and Research Consortium in Undergraduate Computational Chemistry (MERCURY). The Chemistry Department houses supercomputers and linux clusters for this National Science Foundation-funded consortium, a group of eight liberal arts colleges from across the nation.
Continuing Education
Education doesn't conclude at graduation for most Hamilton biochemistry students. The College graduates 15 to 20 biochemistry, chemistry and chemical physics majors each year. Half of those graduates successfully pursue graduate study; another 25 percent pursue other forms of postgraduate professional training.
Hamilton's biochemistry program, like all the sciences, is strongly grounded in the College’s innovative liberal arts approach. Students build their writing and speaking skills along with their laboratory skills. Biochemistry is also an interdisciplinary major. All these dimensions make Hamilton's biochemistry grads uniquely qualified to think creatively and make connections among many fields. Graduates have a strong record of admission to graduate and professional schools, and to employment in fields such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, secondary school teaching and science writing.
Research Partners
Students and teachers research and publish together. Students co-authored and published 17 papers in peer-reviewed journals with professors from the Department of Chemistry over a recent five-year period.
National Leader
Hamilton has regularly hosted the Molecular Education and Research Consortium in Undergraduate Computational Chemistry (MERCURY). The Chemistry Department houses supercomputers and linux clusters for this National Science Foundation-funded consortium, a group of eight liberal arts colleges from across the nation.
Continuing Education
Education doesn't conclude at graduation for most Hamilton biochemistry students. The College graduates 15 to 20 biochemistry, chemistry and chemical physics majors each year. Half of those graduates successfully pursue graduate study; another 25 percent pursue other forms of postgraduate professional training.
Hamilton's biochemistry program, like all the sciences, is strongly grounded in the College’s innovative liberal arts approach. Students build their writing and speaking skills along with their laboratory skills. Biochemistry is also an interdisciplinary major. All these dimensions make Hamilton's biochemistry grads uniquely qualified to think creatively and make connections among many fields. Graduates have a strong record of admission to graduate and professional schools, and to employment in fields such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, secondary school teaching and science writing.
Research Partners
Students and teachers research and publish together. Students co-authored and published 17 papers in peer-reviewed journals with professors from the Department of Chemistry over a recent five-year period.
National Leader
Hamilton has regularly hosted the Molecular Education and Research Consortium in Undergraduate Computational Chemistry (MERCURY). The Chemistry Department houses supercomputers and linux clusters for this National Science Foundation-funded consortium, a group of eight liberal arts colleges from across the nation.
Continuing Education
Education doesn't conclude at graduation for most Hamilton biochemistry students. The College graduates 15 to 20 biochemistry, chemistry and chemical physics majors each year. Half of those graduates successfully pursue graduate study; another 25 percent pursue other forms of postgraduate professional training.
Hamilton's biochemistry program, like all the sciences, is strongly grounded in the College’s innovative liberal arts approach. Students build their writing and speaking skills along with their laboratory skills. Biochemistry is also an interdisciplinary major. All these dimensions make Hamilton's biochemistry grads uniquely qualified to think creatively and make connections among many fields. Graduates have a strong record of admission to graduate and professional schools, and to employment in fields such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, secondary school teaching and science writing.
Research Partners
Students and teachers research and publish together. Students co-authored and published 17 papers in peer-reviewed journals with professors from the Department of Chemistry over a recent five-year period.
National Leader
Hamilton has regularly hosted the Molecular Education and Research Consortium in Undergraduate Computational Chemistry (MERCURY). The Chemistry Department houses supercomputers and linux clusters for this National Science Foundation-funded consortium, a group of eight liberal arts colleges from across the nation.
Continuing Education
Education doesn't conclude at graduation for most Hamilton biochemistry students. The College graduates 15 to 20 biochemistry, chemistry and chemical physics majors each year. Half of those graduates successfully pursue graduate study; another 25 percent pursue other forms of postgraduate professional training.
AFTER HAMILTON
Hamilton graduates who concentrated in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology are pursuing careers in a variety of fields, including:
Director, U.S. Regulatory Affairs, Pfizer Foundation
Clinical Fellow, National Cancer Institute
Plastic Surgeon, New York University Medical Center
