Biology

You are in the official 2008-2009 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.

Department of Biology

Photo of a biology student working in a lab with an instructor.

College of Science and Mathematics
RICK ZECHMAN, Chair
KATHLEEN D. SIMMS, Administrative Support Coordinator
Science Building, Room 106
559.278.2001
FAX: 559.278.3963

http://www.csufresno.edu/biology

B.S. in Biology
Ecology, Evolutionary, and Organismal Biology Option
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Option
Physiology and Anatomy Option

B.A. in Natural Sciences Teaching Credential
Biology Option

M.S. in Biology

M.S. in Marine Science

Minor in Biology

Single Subject Teaching Credential in Science

Preprofessional Advising in
Clinical Lab Science, Dentistry,
Medicine, Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine

Faculty

Rick Zechman, Chair

Paul Crosbie, Graduate Coordinator
Rick Zechman, Marine Science Coordinator
Gregor M. Cailliet, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories Coordinator
David M. Andrews, Credential Adviser
Fred Schreiber, Undergraduate Coordinator

Steven C. Blumenshine

Jason Bush
Alejandro Calderon-Urrea
John Constable
Ryan Earley
Ethelynda E. Harding
Madhusudan Katti
Ruth A. Kern
Shirley Kovacs
Ulrike Müller
James P. Prince
Mamta Rawat
Larry Riley
Brian Tsukimura
Alice D. Wright
Lenore Yousef

Faculty expertise spans the range of biology from molecular to ecological, with a broad representation of taxonomic specialties. Laboratories in upper-division major courses are taught by faculty, and individualized student/faculty research participation through independent study is encouraged.

The Department

The Department of Biology offers a diversified undergraduate program that matches the breadth and excitement of modern biology and prepares students for the hundreds of career opportunities that use biology as a foundation. The Bachelor of Science degree is awarded to those students who successfully complete the biology core and one of the following three options:

Ecology, Evolutionary, and Organismal Biology allows students to study organisms, their evolutionary change, and their relationships with their environments.
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology allows students to study biology on the cellular and molecular levels.
Physiology and Anatomy seeks to understand the structures and mechanisms that operate within the individual organism.
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology focuses on the interrelationships between living organisms and their environments.

The biology major we offer has three programmatic goals:

To provide students with a solid foundation in all aspects of modern biology and also the intellectual skills that will serve as the basis for a lifetime of future achievement.
To provide students with the specialized educational opportunities that will allow them to compete successfully for careers in the biological sciences or for advanced studies in major doctoral programs.
To provide preprofessional students with the knowledge needed for advanced study in the many fields that build upon a biological foundation.

Our undergraduate biology major is excellent preparation for graduate programs in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, optometry, doctoral programs, and many others.

The department offers a Master of Science in biology for qualified students who wish to explore some part of biology in greater depth. It can be integrated with a postbaccalaureate certificate in biotechnology.

Faculty and Facilities

Faculty expertise spans the range of biology from the molecular to the ecological, with a broad representation of taxonomic specialties. Laboratories in upper-division majors' courses are taught by faculty, and individualized student/faculty research participation through independent study is strongly encouraged.

Faculty members have garnered independent research funding from various agencies including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, and National Sea Grant. Faculty and students also participate in collaborative studies on, for example, medical and clinical topics with local physicians and hospitals; agricultural topics with Kearney Field Station and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service in Fresno/Parlier; ecological and environmental topics with California Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Forest Service and Endangered Species Recovery Project; and science educational topics with regional school districts and state and national credentialing agencies.

The department is housed in a well-equipped, modern science building. Among the specialized equipment and technologies available for students are DNA sequencers; Polmerase Chain Reaction (PCR) thermocyclers; apparati for conducting molecular and immunological analysis of nucleic acids and proteins; genetic recombination, including use of electroporation and gene guns; a bioinformatics computing laboratory; a proteomics work station; cell and tissue culture facilities; fermenters and bioreactors; fluorescence and Scanning Probe microscopes; ultracentrifugation; radioactive materials methodologies; and metabolic studies on all types of life forms. Excellent greenhouse and animal care facilities, as well as media/reagent production complexes, support the instructional and research programs.

Fresno's proximity to both the Sierra Nevada and the Pacific coast provides a natural laboratory with numerous field trip opportunities that are rarely equaled at other institutions. High Sierra, Mediterranean, desert, foothill, coastal, and forest environments are all within a three-hour drive of the campus. The department maintains a fleet of vehicles and boats, as well as a wealth of field equipment, to observe and collect wild organisms. A self-contained pond ecosystem offers a unique, on-campus study resource. The department also maintains extensive collections of museum specimens of insects, vertebrates and a herbarium. The department is a member of a consortium that manages and operates the Moss Landing Marine Laboratory (MLML). Students can study and conduct research at MLML, located on the Monterey Bay.

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