Biology
Member of the Division of Science
Chair:
Joshua Sandquist
Faculty:
Our biology curriculum is among the nation’s most innovative. From their very first biology class, Grinnell students learn how to think and act like biologists, actively investigating and interpreting the unity and diversity of life. Acknowledging that biology intersects with diverse disciplines and with societal issues, we encourage students to gain knowledge of other sciences and mathematics, to explore interdisciplinary issues, to participate in off-campus study, and to carry out independent research (in faculty research labs, at Grinnell’s Conard Environmental Research Area, or off-campus). In this way Grinnell biology students prepare for advanced study or careers in education, health professions, research, environmental science, biotechnology, conservation, and other fields. Our Department’s mission and its associated learning goals are accomplished through a curriculum that integrates teaching and research at all levels.
Mission Statement: Students studying biology at Grinnell College practice the methods of biological inquiry to uncover the wonder of life, from molecules to ecosystems, and from the foundations to the frontiers of the life sciences. Students are well-placed to use this knowledge to understand the relevance of biology to other disciplines, society, and emerging challenges.
Learning Outcomes. To accomplish our mission, we articualte the following learning outcomes for students who progress through our curriculum:
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Students conduct biological inquiry proficiently, as exhibited by:
a. designing and conducting investigations to ask questions about living systems.
b. evaluating data and other forms of evidence pursuant to raising a novel question or hypothesis.
c. effectively and responsibly communicating biological information and ideas.
d. identifying, evaluating, and properly integrating knowledge from the scientific literature.
2. Students apply key biological concepts to all levels of biological organization:
a. relating physical and chemical characteristics of living things to biological function.
b. analyzing how sub-organismal components independently and collectively support organismal function.
c. explaining how organisms survive in, reproduce in, interact with, and evolve in their environment.
d. applying evolutionary theory to understand the phylogenetic relationships of organisms.
e. applying elements of organismal structure to organismal function in populations, communities, and ecosystems.
3. Students connect biology to other academic disciplines and society, as exhibited by:
a. applying biological principles to problems that affect human society.
b. evaluating how societal and cultural practices and beliefs influence the practice of biological research.
Curriculum. Biology investigates the processes of life at the molecular, cellular, organismal, population, and ecosystem levels. The study of biology can help students of all majors and interests become scientifically literate, and our curriculum centers on the practice of biological science. Students in our introductory course engage in authentic research by making original observations, designing and executing investigations that address important biological questions, analyzing and interpreting scientific data, and communicating their findings. Intermediate-level courses expose students to the central concepts and diverse approaches that underpin the full range of biological organization, from molecules to ecosystems. Advanced courses provide in-depth opportunities to explore a broad spectrum of biology sub-disciplines, enriching students’ ability to read and write scientific literature, to think independently while working collaboratively, and to prepare for future work.
We recommend that students considering a biology (or biological chemistry) major take both BIO 150 - Introduction to Biological Inquiry and CHM 129 - General Chemistry in their first year, in either order. We also recommend that first-year students take calculus ( MAT 123 - Functions and Differential Calculus – MAT 124 - Functions and Integral Calculus or MAT 131 - Calculus I) or applied statistics (STA 209). In the first semester of their second year, students should take both BIO 251 - Molecules, Cells, and Organisms and its co-requisite, CHM 221 - Organic Chemistry I. In the second semester, students continuing as biology majors should enroll in BIO 252 - Organisms, Evolution, and Ecology. In the third and fourth years, careful planning with faculty advisers will help students schedule a set of appropriate advanced electives, also considering options for independent research in biology and off-campus study.
Excellent laboratory and field facilities support the biology program. Biology Department space in the Noyce Science Center includes classrooms, teaching labs, faculty research labs, a greenhouse, a herbarium, and numerous support rooms designed explicitly to facilitate the research-intensive curriculum. Instrumentation available for courses and research includes confocal and wide-field fluorescence microscopes, high-speed and ultra centrifuges, a liquid scintillation spectrometer, scanning UV-visible spectrophotometers and plate readers, luminometer, electrophysiological suites and tissue bath systems, C/N, TOC and FIA autoanalyzers, mammalian cell-culture equipment, an Odyssey CLx infrared imaging system, and a quantitative, real-time PCR system, as well as standard equipment for molecular biology. The department also manages the Conard Environmental Research Area (CERA), a 148-hectare (365-acre) biological field station 11 miles from campus, which includes oak woodland, savanna, tallgrass prairie, diverse aquatic habitats, and several long-term experimental areas. The Environmental Education Center at CERA supports teaching and research in biology, the arts, and other subjects with excellent classroom, collection, and greenhouse facilities.
