2013-2014 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Biological Sciences
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 Return to: Academic Programs
Faculty
Chair
Philip J. Farabaugh
B.A., University of California,
Interests: Molecular genetics of translational accuracy, ribosome structure-function analysis
Professors
Charles J. Bieberich
B.S., University of Tampa, 1982; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, 1987
Thomas Cronin
SciB., Dickinson College, 1967; M.S., Duke University, 1969; Ph.D., Duke University, 1979
Lasse Lindahl
M.S., University of Copenhagen (Denmark), 1969; Ph.D., 1973
Kevin Omland
B.A., Dartmouth College, 1985; Ph.D., The University at Albany, 1995
Phyllis R. Robinson
B.A., Wellesley College, 1973; Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1981
Suzanne O. Rosenberg
A.B., Barnard College, 1970; Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, 1975
Phillip S. Sokolove
B.A., University of California, Berkeley, 1964; Ph.D., Harvard University, 1969
Richard E. Wolf, Jr.
B.A., University of Cincinnati, 1963; M.S., 1968; Ph.D., University of Cincinnati, 1970
Associate Professors
Rachel Brewster
S.F.B., University of Geneva (Switzerland), 1989; Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1996
Mauricio M. Bustos
B.A., Universidad Nacional de Cordoba (Argentina), 1982; Ph.D., University of California, Irvine, 1986
David M. Eisenmann
B.S., University of Pennsylvania, 1985; Ph.D., Harvard University, 1992
Jeffery W. Leips
B.S., Florida State University, 1983; Ph.D., 1997
Weihong Lin
B.S., Zhongsham University (China), 1982; M.S., 1988; Ph.D., Colorado State University, 1998
Hua Lu
B.S., Nanjing University (China), 1990; M.S., 1993; Ph.D., Texas A&M University, 1999
Tamra Mendelson
B.S., University of Wisconsin, 1991; P.h.D., Duke University, 2001.
Stephen M. Miller
B.S., Case Western Reserve University, 1984; Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1991
Harold J. Schreier
B.S., California Polytechnic State University, 1978; Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, 1983
Assistant Professors
Ivan Erill
B.S., Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 1996; M.Eng., 2000, Eng. D., 2002
Jeffrey Gardner
B.S., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2002; Ph.D., 2008
Maricel Kann
B.S., Universidad de la República (Uruguay), 1991; M.S., 1994; Ph.D., University of Michigan, 2001
Weihong Lin
B.S., Zhongsham University (China), 1982; M.S., 1988; Ph.D., Colorado State University, 1998
Bernard Lohr
A.B., Cornell University, 1984; M.S., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 1989; Ph.D., Duke University, 1995
Michelle Starz-Gaiano
B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1994; Ph.D., New York University, 2002
Senior Research Scientist
Janice Zengel
B.A., McDaniel College, 1970; Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1977.
Senior Lecturers
Steven Caruso
B.S., University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1994; Ph.D., 2002
Esther Fleischmann
B.A., New York University, 1974; Ph.D., University of Georgia 1988
Julia B. Wolf
B.S., Brenau College, 1979; M.S., University of Maryland Baltimore Country, 1983
Lecturers/Instructors
Lark Claassen
B.S., University of Puget Sound, 1982; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, 1991
Susan Gdovin
B.S. Shippensburg University, 1980; Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University, 1991
Reagan Lake
B.A., University of Arizona, 1993; M.S., University of Maryland, College Park, 2001
Sarah Leupen
B.A., Oberlin College, 1993; Ph.D., Northwestern University, 1998
Cynthia Wagner
B.A., Concordia College, 1981; Ph.D., Washington University, 1998
Karen Whitworth
B.S., University of Georgia, 2006
Professor Emeritus
Daphne Blumberg
B.S., Iowa State University of Science and Technology, 1970; Ph.D., Tufts University School of Medicine, 1976
Brian Bradley
B.S., University of Edinburg, 1962; Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 1966
Robert Burchard
B.A., Brown University, 1960; M.Sc., 1962; Ph.D., University of Minnesota, 1965
Nessly C. Craig
B.A., Reed College, 1963; Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1967
Frank Hanson
A.B., The University of Iowa, 1960; Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1965
Paul Lovett
B.S., Delaware Valley College, 1964; Ph.D., Temple University, 1968
Thomas F. Roth
B.S., Tufts University, 1954; M.A., Harvard University, 1959; Ph.D., 1964
Associate Professor Emeritus
Richard Gethmann
B.S., Washington State University, 1964; M.S., Oregon State University, 1966; Ph.D., The University of Chicago, 1970
John Kloetzel
B.A., University of Southern California, 1962; Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University, 1967
Michael C. O’Neill
B.S., University of Santa Clara, 1962; Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 1969
Austin Platt
B.A., Williams College, 1959; M.A., University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1963; Ph.D., 1965
Sr. Lecturer Emeritus
Bryan MacKay
B.A., University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1973; M.S., 1979
James W. Sandoz
B.A., University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1976; M.S., 1983
Courses in this program are listed under BIOL.
The Department of Biological Sciences at UMBC offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees that provide an innovative, comprehensive overview of current knowledge, thought and research in the fast-moving, exciting fields of 21st century biological science. Students pursuing the Biological Sciences B.A. and B.S. degrees take a required core of courses that is complemented by a series of laboratories and supplemented with a variety of electives in areas representing the scholarly interests of our diverse faculty. In addition to learning in the classroom, students also have the opportunity to engage in independent research in the lab, the field, the library or off-campus, working one-on-one with a faculty mentor. Students in both programs encounter talented and dedicated faculty and staff, an emphasis on the individual needs of students, up-to-date research facilities and the nurturing environment that are the hallmarks of UMBC’s Department of Biological Sciences.
The Department of Biological Sciences Web site is biology.umbc.edu. Students should always visit this site to check for the most current course information, major requirements, forms, seminars, research opportunities and other important announcements. In addition, students can follow events and announcements from the department at our UMBC group - my.umbc.edu/groups/biol.
Students’ career objectives help guide them in choosing their course of study in Biological Sciences. Our Bachelor of Arts curriculum is designed for students who want to pursue a career in a health-related profession (dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, or veterinary medicine) or those interested in training in an allied health field (dental hygiene, medical and research technology, nursing, pharmacy or physical therapy). The B.A. is also appropriate for students wanting to combine another area of study-such as education, environmental studies, law, art, or science writing -with a solid background in biology. Our Bachelor of Science curriculum is most appropriate for students planning to pursue graduate study in biological, biomedical or health-related sciences, or who wish to gain employment in a technical or laboratory research setting.
In addition to the Biological Sciences B.A. and B.S. major programs (BIOL), the Department offers a degree in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (BINF), and participates in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major (BIOC), which are both described elsewhere in the catalog.
The Department also offers a Biological Sciences minor that provides a thorough understanding of the essential features of modern biological science, and which is appropriate to combine with an in depth major program in some other academic discipline. Students seeking to combine studies in other disciplines with a specialized focus on certain areas of biological science can pursue UMBC’s Interdisciplinary Studies Program as an alternative route.
Finally, the Department offers a number of courses designed for students pursuing a career in allied health fields (nursing, physical therapy, etc), and also offers courses of cultural value as part of a liberal education intended for non-science majors.
Academic Advising
First-time students with first-year standing and some upper-class students will be advised by the department’s full-time academic advisors. After this, students will be assigned to one of the full-time faculty for advising. Students must see their advisors during the pre-registration period before they can register for classes in each subsequent semester. Academic progress is monitored through graduation. Additional advising is available for pre-allied health students in the UMBC Office for Academic & Pre-Professional Advising, and for pre-professional students in the Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental Advising Office located in the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS). These career-specific advising offices supplement, but do not replace the academic major advisors.
Honors Program
After satisfying certain requirements, students may become eligible for Departmental Honors in Research. This program, in addition to the regular B.S. or B.A. requirements, includes the following nine credits of coursework:
BIOL 499 - Undergraduate Laboratory/Field Research (two semesters for a minimum total of 4 credits)
BIOL 497H - Honors Capstone course (3 credits, one semester)
Biological sciences majors who have completed the following requirements will be eligible to apply for Departmental Honors in Research. The following courses, or acceptable equivalents thereof, will have been completed with a cumulative GPA of 3.25: BIOL 141 , BIOL 142 , BIOL 302 , BIOL 303 , BIOL 300L , BIOL 497H , CHEM 101 , CHEM 102 , CHEM 102L , CHEM 351 , MATH 151 /MATH 155 , STAT 350 (or MATH 152 ), PHYS 111 (or PHYS 121 ) and PHYS 112 (or PHYS 122 ). Additionally, the student must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the major and 3.25 overall.
Eligible students should apply to the Departmental Honors Committee. Forms are available on the Department web site.
M.S. in Applied Molecular Biology
Students interested in the one year master’s degree program in Applied Molecular Biology (AMB) will be considered for admission to the program on a competitive basis. Students can use up to two courses from their undergraduate degree and, in so doing, save money and reduce their graduate course work. Students should consult with the director of the Applied Molecular Biology Program for advisement as to which courses will be appropriate for both degrees. Application for admission should be submitted in the final semester of the senior year. For more information, see http://biology.umbc.edu/grad/graduate-programs/apmb/.
Research Opportunities
Talented undergraduates committed to performing quality independent research are encouraged to apply for a variety of biological research opportunities offered by UMBC’s outstanding faculty. Under the guidance of faculty mentors, student research assistants may work on their own projects or help their mentors with important research. These unique, intensive experiences allow students to sharpen their critical thinking skills, learn how to write and read scientific papers, and expand their scientific understanding of biological concepts. Undergraduate lab experience increasingly is becoming a prerequisite for science-based employment or acceptance to graduate, professional or medical school. Students should consult the Department web site or contact individual faculty members for information on possible independent research opportunities.
Biological Sciences Tutorial Center
Biological Sciences students are invited to use the facilities in the Biology Tutorial Center, located in room 011 of the Biological Sciences building. The tutorial center has fourteen computer workstations to access online information and two open tables for students to study in groups. Tutors are available for all Biology core courses, free of charge. A list of courses and available tutors can be found on the whiteboard in the center. For more information, see Dr. Gdovin in BS011. Center hours are from 9 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.
Student Organizations: Biology Council of Majors (BioCOM)
All biological sciences, bioinformatics and computational biology, and biochemistry and molecular biology majors are welcome to join the Biology Council of Majors (BioCOM). This very active student organization strives to “promote the achievement of the professional ambitions of its members and to serve as a means of social contact among them.” Please visit the website for up to date information about meeting times, locations, and events: http://umbcbiocom.webs.com/. Other student-run clubs for those pursuing a variety of health-related professions also exist on campus.
ProgramsBachelor of ArtsBachelor of ScienceNon-DegreeCoursesBiology
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