Biology
Stephen W. Arch
Regulatory biology, neurochemistry.
Steven D. Black
Developmental biology.
David A. Dalton
Plant physiology and ecophysiology, biological nitrogen fixation.
Robert H. Kaplan
Ecology, animal evolution, population biology.
Keith Karoly
Plant evolution, evolution of plant mating systems. On sabbatical spring 2008.
Maryanne C. McClellan
Cellular biology, reproductive biology, hormone action.
Jay Mellies
Bacterial pathogenesis, gene regulation.
Suzy C. P. Renn
Comparative functional genomics of behavior.
Peter J. Russell
Molecular genetics, RNA virus gene expression in yeast.
Janis Shampay
Molecular biology, chromosome structure and function.
The biology major emphasizes the development of the student’s capacity to use and contribute scientific knowledge. The curriculum offers both conceptual and experimental approaches to studying the molecular, cellular, organismic, and population levels of biological structure. The department also encourages students to challenge their own abilities by providing them with multiple opportunities to create an intellectual framework and learn the techniques necessary for answering the questions that interest them. The faculty members, through active professional research programs of their own, offer opportunities for student involvement in biological research. An active guest scientist program adds to the unique research-oriented experience of the Reed biology undergraduate. Reed students may broaden their research experience by arrangement with the faculties of the Oregon Health and Science University, the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Engineering, and the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center. This atmosphere provides students with an unusual opportunity to develop an understanding of themselves as well as a firm background in the field, regardless of what their goals might be. Information on the subsequent history of biology graduates shows that about 60 percent enter teaching, research, or practice in biology and the medical sciences. This is a remarkable record, largely due to a synergism between the interests and motivation of Reed students and the nature of the program offered. The Lewis Kleinholz Biological Laboratories are equipped with modern instruments and materials, permitting a variety of teaching and research approaches. The faculty is intensively engaged in research and in teaching research methodology to students. Upper-division courses typically include independent research components to foster the development of hypothesis generation, experimental design, and results analysis and interpretation skills. Some support is available for student independent research during the summer. Some courses have field components, and the department supports independent fieldwork. In addition, Reed has formal relationships with the Malheur Field Station in Oregon’s Great Basin, the Organization for Tropical Studies, the University of Costa Rica, and the Sea Education Association. Students may take courses for credit through these programs or at other field or marine stations. Through the alternate biology program (described below) the biology department provides students with the flexibility of combining biology with other areas of inquiry, including economics, psychology, political science, and anthropology. Faculty advisers can help fashion programs suited to the individual student’s motivations and interests. Alternate and ad hoc joint degree programs can be arranged between the biology department and most other Reed departments. Requirements for the Major Physics is recommended. Working with their advisers, students can tailor their educational program to prepare them for careers or for graduate and professional programs in environmental studies and conservation, public health, urban planning, environmental law, government, social work, pre-college teaching, medical illustration, science journalism, and other fields. The primary academic adviser will be a member of the biology staff, and the student will choose a consulting adviser from the appropriate field. Departmental approval is required for alternate majors, who must declare a program and submit a rationale for their course of study by the end of the sophomore year. Requirements for the Alternate Biology Major Physics and organic chemistry are recommended.
The Alternate Program in Biology
The alternate program in biology is offered to the student whose future interests lie in interfacing biology with diverse areas other than science. For example, problems of over-population, pollution, and poverty are intrinsically biological problems because they involve the relationships of organisms to their environments. Developing solutions to these problems requires that professionals—lawyers, economists, political scientists, teachers—as well as socially committed citizens have more than a superficial awareness of the fundamental biological properties that are affected by these problems or indeed generate them. Within the alternate program, students can achieve both a comprehensive grounding in biological science and a broad understanding of one or more social sciences. Alternate majors may also develop programs that include literature, language, and the arts as their secondary focus.
