Biology
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Ever looked at a dragonfly? Looked close enough to study the detail in the delicate wings, the shades and patterns of color?
Ever listened to coyotes? Listened in the dark of night as they howled across great distances, declaring the lengths of their lands?
Ever smelled soil? Smelled deep enough to love its richness and to wonder at the microorganisms at work within?
Ever studied albinism? Studied everything to be found on who has it and why, how it gets passed down, how the genetics of albinism work?
Ever thought about becoming a biologist?
Biology, the broad study of organisms, attempts to understand, organize, and classify the living world from the sub-cellular mechanisms of individual cells to plant and animal diversity and behavior.
The Defiance College biology program prepares students for a wide variety of career opportunities. After completing a set of core courses, students work closely with professors to tailor their learning experience through coursework and internships to individual long-term career goals, from graduate work in microbiology to careers in zoology or restoration ecology.
Ever needed a place to become a biologist?
Majoring in Biology
Biology is the broad study of organisms. It examines every aspect of life from single-celled organisms to complex ecological interactions. Areas of biology include genetics, evolution, ecology, and other more focused fields such as botany, entomology, ornithology, and herpetology, just to name a few. Current advances in genetics, cellular and molecular biology, and ecology have greatly influenced areas of medicine, agriculture, and environmental science.
Whichever path you set your sights on, you can be assured that a biology degree from Defiance College will prepare you for whatever challenges you may face in your professional career. For example, if you have aspirations for graduate work in the field of molecular or microbiology, you may want to focus your undergraduate studies in courses such as histology, microbiology, immunology, or biochemistry. If, however, you enjoy the outdoors and wildlife, you may choose courses such as field botany or zoology, ecology, or restoration ecology.
Internship Experiences
All science majors are encouraged to complete 200 hours of internship experience. Biology majors often intern in hospitals, veterinary clinics, zoos, or private laboratories.
Through internships, Defiance College's science students receive actual work experiences at hospitals, and biological, chemical, and agricultural laboratories. Scientific information is expanding rapidly, but up-to-date information is sometimes slow to appear in classroom and laboratory materials. Therefore, students are encouraged to develop the skills needed to seek out and assimilate new developments in areas of their greatest interest. Faculty encourage and help students to develop the initiative and ability to understand and use new knowledge and theory in their field and related fields.
After College — What's Next?
The biology program permits the most flexibility of the natural science majors. The program prepares students for teaching careers, graduate school, and a variety of other professional programs. Students in the past few years have gone on to graduate school in the fields of herpetology, molecular biology, conservation, and ecology. This program shares Defiance College's stellar success rate in placing its graduates in top-notch professional and graduate schools.
Related Programs
Life Science Education
Students interested in obtaining a teaching license will complete education courses
totaling at least 30 hours. These courses consist of an introductory education course
taken the second semester of the freshman year, several field experience components
in a school system, educational psychology, methods in the teaching field, and student
teaching. This licensure allows one to teach any of the Life Sciences in grades 7-12.
Pre-Professional Programs
The science division at Defiance College offers pre-professional programs in the areas
of Medicine, Veterinary, Dentistry, Optometry, and Chiropractic. Upon completion of
the program you would be prepared to take entrance exams and apply to any Graduate
Professional schools in these areas. The pre-professional program offers all the classes
required for acceptance into professional and graduate schools. Our students have
had great success getting into these programs because of the depth of their knowledge
gained here. This is made possible due to small class sizes, tailored individual instruction
and undergraduate research opportunities. Course selection is individualized from
a broad range of science courses and internships.
The Faculty
Nathan Griggs, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology
419-783-2592 | ngriggs@defiance.edu
Douglas D. Kane, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology
419-783-2593 | dkane@defiance.edu
Alyson Laframboise, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology
419-783-2593 | alaframboise@defiance.edu
Kenneth Adair, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Chemistry
419-783-2598 | kadair@defiance.edu
Somnath Dutta, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Chemistry
419-783-2428 | sdutta@defiance.edu