The Biology department maintains its own Web site.More ...
Contact Information
(315) 859-4367
PERHAPS NOTHING IS AS BASIC TO HUMAN KNOWLEDGE as the examination of life itself. The study of biology gives us a deeper understanding of ourselves and our world – the structure and function of plants and animals, the evolution and diversity of living organisms and the cellular processes of life. Biological concepts and processes also are central to many of the most crucial issues of our time, from AIDS to genetics, environmental damage and the threat of bioterrorism.
The goal of Hamilton's Biology Department is to introduce a broad range of students to the life sciences, while providing a strong scientific grounding with practical, hands-on training for those who plan to pursue graduate study or a career in the health professions.More ...
Academic Program
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
Biology students at Hamilton have ongoing opportunities to collaborate and perform research with faculty members both on and off campus. The energy and engagement created by these collaborative efforts gives the biology program its distinctive identity and sense of community. Each year, dozens of students work in the lab alongside their professors on special projects. Others pursue paid summer internships at Hamilton and such prestigious institutions as Yale University's School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, the National Institutes of Health and the National Zoological Park.
The biology program extends far beyond the conventional lab. Biology majors have opportunities to do fieldwork in such varied settings as the Adirondack High Peaks, Costa Rica and Antarctica. Student researchers share their findings with others in the scientific community. In recent years, Hamilton students presented research papers at national meetings of the American Malacological Union, the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology, the National Council of Undergraduate Research, the New York Natural History Conference and SUNY-Binghamton's Annual Biological Sciences Research Symposium.
THE SENIOR PROGRAM
At the core of the Senior Program in biology is the senior project, an intensive two-semester field or laboratory research project carried out in association with a faculty member. The project concludes with a written project and an oral presentation given in the second semester of the senior year. The senior project is an opportunity to synthesize and focus previous coursework. It culminates in an original work of scholarship that provides an in-depth examination of a particular empirical or theoretical issue.
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RESOURCES
Hamilton's Biology Department and laboratories are housed in the Science Center. This state-of-the-art facility gives undergraduates access to many of the same instruments that are available only to graduate students at many schools, including both transmission and scanning electron microscopes, imaging workstations, a radioisotope laboratory, scintillation and gamma counters, two environmental chambers, an indoor stream, a greenhouse, and a bioinformatics computing facility. Hamilton is also well situated to take advantage of a variety of habitats for field studies.
Like all the sciences, biology at Hamilton is grounded in the College's innovative liberal arts approach. Students build their writing and speaking skills in most courses. Biology at Hamilton also has a strong interdisciplinary element, contributing to the Neuroscience, Biochemistry/Molecular Biology and Environmental Studies programs. All these dimensions make Hamilton's biology grads uniquely qualified to think creatively and make connections among many disciplines. 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
All senior biology majors engage in extensive research with a faculty member, and the focus on research is apparent even in the department's intro courses. This creates an atmosphere of scientific discovery in the labs and a sense of community among students and professors. The student biology club, BioMatters, helps the department choose speakers and plan events.
Customized Coursework
Biology is the largest of the science departments at Hamilton, with faculty members covering the breadth of the biological sciences in a diverse curriculum. Included are topics such as molecular genetics, environmental microbiology, neurochemistry, comparative endocrinology, plant diversity, marine biology, conservation and much more.
Like all the sciences, biology at Hamilton is grounded in the College's innovative liberal arts approach. Students build their writing and speaking skills in most courses. Biology at Hamilton also has a strong interdisciplinary element, contributing to the Neuroscience, Biochemistry/Molecular Biology and Environmental Studies programs. All these dimensions make Hamilton's biology grads uniquely qualified to think creatively and make connections among many disciplines. 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
All senior biology majors engage in extensive research with a faculty member, and the focus on research is apparent even in the department's intro courses. This creates an atmosphere of scientific discovery in the labs and a sense of community among students and professors. The student biology club, BioMatters, helps the department choose speakers and plan events.
Customized Coursework
Biology is the largest of the science departments at Hamilton, with faculty members covering the breadth of the biological sciences in a diverse curriculum. Included are topics such as molecular genetics, environmental microbiology, neurochemistry, comparative endocrinology, plant diversity, marine biology, conservation and much more.
Like all the sciences, biology at Hamilton is grounded in the College's innovative liberal arts approach. Students build their writing and speaking skills in most courses. Biology at Hamilton also has a strong interdisciplinary element, contributing to the Neuroscience, Biochemistry/Molecular Biology and Environmental Studies programs. All these dimensions make Hamilton's biology grads uniquely qualified to think creatively and make connections among many disciplines. 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
All senior biology majors engage in extensive research with a faculty member, and the focus on research is apparent even in the department's intro courses. This creates an atmosphere of scientific discovery in the labs and a sense of community among students and professors. The student biology club, BioMatters, helps the department choose speakers and plan events.
Customized Coursework
Biology is the largest of the science departments at Hamilton, with faculty members covering the breadth of the biological sciences in a diverse curriculum. Included are topics such as molecular genetics, environmental microbiology, neurochemistry, comparative endocrinology, plant diversity, marine biology, conservation and much more.
After Hamilton
Hamilton graduates who majored in Biology are pursuing careers in a variety of fields, including:
Director, Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Conservation Biologist, Wildlife Conservation Society
Executive Director/CEO, Ohio Historical Society
Executive Editor, Horticulture Magazine
Chemist, Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories
Pilot, Delta Airlines
Science Department Chair, New York City Department of Education
Cinematographer/ Microbiologist, Wilderness Film & Video Productions
Supervisory Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation
