The Biology Department offers a balanced curriculum. Students study life at all levels - from molecules to cells, from microorganisms to plants and animals, and from individuals to populations. With the help of faculty advisors, students choose courses that fulfill both the degree requirements and their individual goals. The biology curriculum comprises slightly more than twenty-five percent of the course work required for graduation.
Biology majors begin with a five quarter sequence of required biology courses two of them with laboratories. The first three quarters focus on ecology,evolution physiology & genetics. The last two quarters students have "hands on" opportunity to learn about these subjects in a laboratory environment. After completing the core courses, students choose seven or more upper-division courses from a long list of electives.
Courses include strong writing components, experiments with modern equipment, and the critical analysis of data and scientific literature. Laboratory sections enroll twenty-four or fewer students, promoting close interactions between students and their professors. Assignments often require students to present their findings utilizing styles of professional scientific meetings or journals. Such activities prepare students for their future careers by developing the critical thinking and language skills needed by scientists.
Submissions from 2013
Maternal territoriality achieved through shaking and lunging: an investigation of patterns in associated behaviors and substratevibrations in a colonial embiopteran, Antipaluria urichi, Khaaliq A. Dejan, John M. Fresquez, Annika M. Meyer, and Janice Edgerly-Rooks
Cryptic genetic subdivision in the San Benito evening primrose (Camissonia benitensis), Cynthia A. Dick, Julie A. Herman, Ryan E. O'Dell, Adriana Lopez-Villalobos, Chris Eckert, and Justen B. Whittall
Choreography of silk spinning behavior in webspinners (Embioptera): phylogenetic signal or a microhabitat dance?, Janice Edgerly-Rooks
Parthenogenetic and sexual species within the Haploembia solieri species complex (Embioptera: Oligotomidae) found in California, Alicia M. Hodson, Sarah E. Cook, Janice Edgerly-Rooks, and Kelly B. Miller
Regulation of D-galacturonate metabolism in Caulobacter crescentus by HumR, a LacI-family transcriptional repressor, Craig Stephens, Aaesha I. Sheikh, Deborah Caswell, Cynthia Dick, Spencer Gang, Justin Jarrell, Ankita Kohli, Amanda Lieu, Jared Lumpe, Meghan Garrett, and Jennifer Parker
Submissions from 2012
Spinning behaviour and morphology of the spinning glands in male and female Aposthonia ceylonica Enderlein, 1912 (Embioptera: Oligotomidae), Janice Edgerly-Rooks, Sebastian Büsse, and Thomas Hörnschemeyer
The phylogeny and classification of Embioptera (Insecta), Janice Edgerly-Rooks, Kelly Miller, Cheryl Hayashi, Michael Whiting, and Gavin Svenson
Reproductive Ecology and Severe Pollen Limitation in the Polychromic Tundra Plant, Parrya nudicaulis (Brassicaceae), Justin R. Fulkerson, Justen B. Whittall, and Matthew L. Carlson
Exploration of substrate vibrations as communication signals in a webspinner from Ecuador (Embioptera: Clothodidae), C. B. Proaño, S. Cruz, D. M. McMillan, and Janice Edgerly-Rooks
Submissions from 2011
Origins and Consequences of Serpentine Endemism in the California Flora, Brian L. Anacker, Justen B. Whittall, Emma E. Goldberg, and Susan P. Harrison
Comparison of fibroin cDNAs from webspinning insects: insight into silk formation and function, Matthew A. Collin, Janice Edgerly-Rooks, and Cheryl Y. Hayashi
Arctic Mustard Flower Color Polymorphism Controlled by Petal-Specific Downregulation at the Threshold of the Anthocyanin Biosynthetic Pathway, Cynthia A. Dick, Jason Buenrostro, Timothy Butler, Matthew L. Carlson, Daniel J. Kliebenstein, and Justen B. Whittall
Increased Floral Divergence in Sympatric Monkeyflowers, Dena L. Grossenbacher and Justen B. Whittall
A new species of Eosembia Ross (Embiodea: Oligotomidae) from Northern Thailand, Pisit Poolprasert and Janice Edgerly-Rooks
Submissions from 2010
Genetic Variation at Nuclear Loci Fails to Distinguish Two Morphologically Distinct Species of Aquilegia, Elizabeth A. Cooper, Justen B. Whittall, Scott A. Hodges, and Magnus Nordborg
How Anthocyanin Mutants Respond to Stress: the Need to Distinguish Between Stress Tolerance and Maximal Vigour, Eric J. von Wettberg, Maureen L. Stanton, and Justen B. Whittall
Finding a (Pine) Needle in a Haystack: Chloroplast Genome Sequence Divergence in Rare and Widespread Pines, Justen B. Whittall, John Syring, Matthew Parks, Jason Buenrostro, Cynthia A. Dick, Aaron Liston, and Richard Cronn
Submissions from 2009
Comparison of embiopteran silks reveals tensile and structural similarities across taxa, Matthew A. Collin, Edina Camama, Brook O. Swanson, Janice Edgerly-Rooks, and Cheryl Y. Hayashi
Characterization of silk spun by the embiopteran, Antipaluria urichi, Matthew A. Collin, Jessica E. Garb, Janice Edgerly-Rooks, and Cheryl Y. Hayashi
Plant Defense: a Pre-adaptation for Pollinator Shifts, Justen B. Whittall and Matthew L. Carlson
Submissions from 2008
Systematics and natural history of the Australian genus Metoligotoma Davis (Embioptera: Australembiidae), Kelly B. Miller and Janice Edgerly-Rooks
Phylogeny of embiopterans (Insecta), Claudia Szumik, Janice Edgerly-Rooks, and Cheryl Y. Hayashi
Submissions from 2007
On new characters of the eggs of Embioptera with the description of a new species of Saussurembia (Anisembiidae), Janice Edgerly-Rooks, Claudia Szumik, and Chanel McCreedy
Genetic Analysis of a Novel Pathway for D-Xylose Metabolism in Caulobacter crescentus, Craig Stephens, Beat Christen, Thomas Fuchs, Vidyodhaya Sundaram, Kelly Watanabe, and Urs Jenal
Regulation of D-Xylose Metabolism in Caulobacter crescentus by a LacI-Type Repressor, Craig Stephens, Beat Christen, Kelly Watanabe, Thomas Fuchs, and Urs Jenal
