The Department of Biology Staff
The Department of Biology staff includes ten full-time members, one post doctoral researcher, and two research support staff. Faculty and staff in Biology are committed to excellence in teaching and research and to helping students become the best biologists they can possibly be.
The Biology Curriculum
Students who major in biology are preparing themselves for careers in such areas as teaching, environmental biology, research, industry, medicine, dentistry, medical technology, and physical therapy. Completing a biology major requires that students take a concentration of courses in biology and a number of supporting courses in chemistry and mathematics. In addition, to complete general college requirements, students need to take courses in the social sciences and humanities.
Special Opportunities
Each year over 30 student teaching assistantships are awarded to biology majors. While there is a modest stipend associated with the position, the opportunity to work intimately with faculty and to learn valuable teaching skills is especially important.
Students in biology at Augustana College have the opportunity to conduct biological research under the supervision of a staff member. This experience is especially valuable for students who want to go on to graduate school. Such independent study projects earn college credit just as regular courses do.
The January interim offers a variety of special opportunities for biology majors. The choice is yours - take a course, take a trip, or complete an internship to gain some practical experience.
Augustana's location in Sioux Falls offers a range of shadowing, internship and work experiences. Our students have gained valuable work experience at such places as: Avera McKennan Hospital, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Children's Care Hospital , EROS Data Center , Hemetech, Sanford Medical Center , Sioux Falls Waste Water Treatment Plant, Veterans Affairs Hospital and many others.
Facilities
High-quality, state-of-the-art equipment is vital to the pursuit of excellence in biology. Items of equipment in the Biology Department include the following: Cepheid Smart Cycler for real time PCR, other PCR instruments, Olympus confocal scanning laser microsope, scanning densitometer, isotope ratio mass spectrometer, ultra-low background gamma counter for 210-Pb radioisotope dating, digital imaging station with 16-bit camera for DNA and protein gels, digital video editing workstation, liquid scintillation counter, gamma counter for immunoassays, dissecting fluorescent microscope, fluorescence microscope, multifunction spectrofluorimeter plate reader with florescent and luminescent capability, microplate reader for enzyme immunoassays, several types of spectrophotometers, centrifuges, respirometers, research quality light microscopes, and other standard lab equipment.
Faculty members have dedicated research labs for student faculty research. In addition, facilities in the Gilbert Science Center include a triple environment greenhouse, a growth chamber room with four environmental growth chambers, a field vehicle, a boat, and gear for terrestrial and aquatic field studies. Computers, including a wide variety of Macintosh and Windows-based microcomputers, are available for student use.
Internship Opportunities
Biology majors have the opportunity to gain practical, vocation-related experience by completing internships. Internships are individually designed experiences, taken for credit, that enable students to experience what a particular career is like. They do this by spending time with professionals in off-campus work settings. This often is very helpful in making career choices. Also, many programs recommend or require such experiences for admission. Internships are available in most areas of biology, including environmental science, veterinary medicine, and all the major health professions.
Departmental Graduates
Graduates of the Department of Biology have been very successfull in gaining admission into prestigious graduate and professional schools. They later have gone on to distinguish themselves in a variety of fields related to biology. In doing so, they have contributed to the fine regional and national reputation the Department of Biology enjoys.
Comments? Questions? Please contact steven.matzner@augie.edu
Last modified Thursday, August 2, 2007.