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 2012
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
Bone Morphogenetic Protein Signaling in Vascular Disease: ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTION THROUGH MYOCARDIN-RELATED TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR A, Dahai Wang, Jamunabai Prakash, Peter H. Nguyen, and Brandi N. Davis-Dusenbery
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
The Amiloride Derivative Phenamil Attenuates Pulmonary Vascular Remodeling by Activating NFAT and the Bone Morphogenetic Protein Signaling Pathway, Mun Chun Chan, Alexandra S. Weisman, Hara Kang, and Peter H. Nguyen
Comparison of fibroin cDNAs from webspinning insects: insight into silk formation and function, Matthew A. Collin, Janice Edgerly-Rooks, and Cheryl Y. Hayashi
Down-regulation of Krüppel-like Factor-4 (KLF4) by MicroRNA-143/145 Is Critical for Modulation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotype by Transforming Growth Factor-β and Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4, Brandi N. Davis-Dusenbery, Mun Chun Chan, Kelsey E. Reno, and Alexandra S. Weisman
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
Hypoxia Potentiates MicroRNA-Mediated Gene Silencing through Posttranslational Modification of Argonaute2, Connie Wu, Jessica So, Brandi N. Davis-Dusenbery, and Hank H. Qi
Submissions from 2010
Molecular basis for antagonism between PDGF and the TGFβ family of signalling pathways by control of miR‐24 expression, Mun Chun Chan, Aaron C. Hilyard, Connie Wu, and Brandi N. Davis
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
Smad Proteins Bind a Conserved RNA Sequence to Promote MicroRNA Maturation by Drosha, Brandi N. Davis, Aaron C. Hilyard, Peter H. Nguyen, and Giorgio Lagna
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
Induction of MicroRNA-221 by Platelet-derived Growth Factor Signaling Is Critical for Modulation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Phenotype, Brandi N. Davis, Aaron C. Hilyard, Peter H. Nguyen, and Giorgio Lagna
The Four-and-a-half LIM Domain Protein 2 Regulates Vascular Smooth Muscle Phenotype and Vascular Tone, Nicole A. Neuman, Susan Ma, Gavin R. Schnitzler, and Yan Zhu
Plant Defense: a Pre-adaptation for Pollinator Shifts, Justen B. Whittall and Matthew L. Carlson
Submissions from 2008
SMAD proteins control DROSHA-mediated microRNA maturation, Brandi N. Davis, Aaron C. Hilyard, Giorgio Lagna, and Akiko Hata
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
A Novel Regulatory Mechanism of the Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) Signaling Pathway Involving the Carboxyl-Terminal Tail Domain of BMP Type II Receptor, Mun Chun Chan, Peter H. Nguyen, Brandi N. Davis, and Nobumichi Ohoka
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
