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Biological Sciences Mission Statement

The mission of the Biological Sciences Department is (1) to create and disseminate knowledge through research in three major fields of biological sciences, Cell & Molecular Biology, Ecology & Evolution, Integrative Physiology & Neuroscience, (2) to provide Biological Sciences students with the highest quality, nationally recognized, undergraduate and graduate education in areas appropriate to student needs, (3) to provide excellent courses in the Biological Sciences in support of ÃÛèÖÊÓƵ's general education requirements, (4) to assist the larger community in understanding biological data and the conceptual underpinnings, methods of investigation, and standards of proof appropriate to studies of the natural world, and (5) to support the university's goals of creating a socially and intellectually diverse academic community.

Biology is the study of life and its components, from molecules to cells to ecosystems. With modern molecular and analytical techniques, our understanding of biological processes is growing rapidly. The study of biology encompasses a broad spectrum of careers, including medicine, research, environmental study, teaching, and many more. The Biological Sciences core curriculum provides a solid basis in biology as well as in-depth introductions to three central fields in biology: Genetics, Cell Biology, and Evolution. Specialized curricula at the upper level include courses designed to prepare students for specific careers, graduate school, and professional school. Regardless of the specialized curricular track chosen, the student will graduate with an excellent training in biological sciences, as well as a thorough preparation for careers and advanced education in biology.

History of Biological Sciences at OHIO

The current name of the Biological Sciences Department is of relatively recent vintage (circa 1998). Previous names have included, Zoology, Zoology and Microbiology, and Zoological and Biomedical Sciences.

The Biological Sciences graduate programs were approved in 1969. A major increase in the number of graduate faculty occurred after 1978 with the establishment of the ÃÛèÖÊÓƵ College of Osteopathic Medicine and the hiring of basic sciences faculty who were graduate faculty and tenured in Biological Sciences, with a total of about 45 graduate faculty by end of the 1980s. With the formation of the Biomedical Sciences Department in 1999, about 50 percent of the graduate faculty joined this new department, but remained members of the graduate faculty in Biological Sciences. This graduate program relationship continues today.

Programs initiated by the graduate faculty in Biological Sciences include the interdepartmental programs in Neuroscience (1989) and Molecular and Cellular Biology (1987), both established through the Ohio Board of Regents Academic Challenge Program, and Biological Sciences graduate faculty constitute the majority of faculty in these programs.

Centers and Institutes established by Biological Sciences faculty are the Quantitative Biology Program (2001) and the Ohio Center for Ecology & Evolutionary Studies (2006), both of which involve faculty from outside of the department.