Biomedical Science Program
The Biomedical Science program will provide curriculum related to pre-professional health majors (pre-medical, pre-pharmacy, pre-dental, pre-veterinary), and research areas/experiences in cancer biology, immunology, infectious disease and molecular/cellular biology. A regional cancer research consortium with NIU BIOS, NIU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the UIC-Rockford Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy is one of the initiatives taking shape in this area. This spring, the Center for Biochemical and Biophysical Studies (CBBS) research seminar series organized by CBBS Director Joel Stafstrom on “Advances in Cancer Detection and Therapeutics” helped to nucleate and formalize some of this interaction. Students focusing on the biomedical science curriculum will be well prepared to take pre-professional health entrance exams, such as the MCAT; those not going on to professional school will be well prepared to enter graduate school in biomedical research or go on to positions in the healthcare and biotechnology industries.
Biotechnology Program
The Biotechnology program will expose students to molecular biology techniques, data analysis and bioinformatics. Research opportunities in this program are diverse, as research in existing faculty labs across the department involves many aspects of bioinformatics and molecular analysis – from genome annotation to molecular signaling pathways within a single cell. Moreover, microbes, plants and animals all operate on the same principle – a four letter nucleic acid code, and a 20 letter amino acid set of building blocks, so the principles of molecular analysis transcend kingdoms and broadly apply to any organism. As stated on the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) website, “Bioinformatics is the field of science in which biology, computer science, and information technology merge to form a single discipline. Biology in the 21st century is being transformed from a purely lab-based science to an information science as well.” In the post-genomic era, biologists are faced with an enormous amount of data and information that they must process and apply to solve problems in biology – like: “How do cells function, and what causes their cancerous transformation?”, “How are organisms related evolutionarily?”, “Why does one patient respond to a drug, when another does not?” or “What genes are required to make a pathogen cause disease or become antibiotic-resistant?” Students from the Biotechnology program will be able to pursue careers in academia or industry armed with the fundamental skills to address such questions, and demand for students trained in this area is high.
Conservation & Ecology Program
Conservation and Ecology is a critical area of biology gaining importance in a rapidly changing world that is increasingly stressed by human influence. Stewardship of our planet by future biologists trained in this area will be key to its sustainability in the face of habitat loss, climate change and man-made pollutants. The Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability, and Engergy was created as an interdisciplinary unit by NIU strategic planning, and Drs. Carl von Ende and Rich King have been instrumental in developing its curriculum and mission from Biological Sciences. Given Carl’s recognition as an aquatic ecologist, Rich’s herpetology conservation notoriety, along with Mel Duvall’s work on grassland ecology, Bethia King’s work on insect ecology, Neil Blackstone’s work on evolution and ecology of corals, and Peter Meserve’s research on vertebrate ecology and ecosystems, this area is strong and will interface well with the Center for Environmental Studies. This relationship has already taken shape, as the office for the Center for Environmental Studies is housed in Montgomery Hall, and is currently directed by Dr. Melissa Lenczewski in Geology, and staffed by Office Manager Ruthann Yeaton. This year, a new scholarship was established for students pursuing careers in ecological biology – The Dennis Larsen Memorial Scholarship. See the story in the newsletter for details on this generous gift to BIOS ecology and conservation students. Jobs and opportunities in ecology and sustainability will continue to grow for students as environmental awareness develops and solidifies nation-wide.
Microbiology Program
The Microbiology program was cited as a major research strength in the 2009 external review. Our goal in the coming years is to restore the microbiology program to its former ASM (American Society for Microbiology) certified status through recruitment of new faculty and enhancement of existing research areas. Research is strong in microbiology with virology (Bujarski), fungi (Calvo-Byrd) and bacteria (Hill, Zhou) externally funded. Of note, emeritus faculty member Pat Vary along with Rick Johns, 3 NIU Ph.D. students and Scott Grayburn contributed to the final annotation of the Bacillus megaterium genome last year in an externally-funded international collaboration, bringing meritorious notoriety to the department. The story from Pat Vary appeared on page 4 in last year’s newsletter. Clearly, Microbiology will also contribute heavily to the Biomedical Sciences program in addition to serving as a defined focus area. Students with microbiology training are extremely marketable for employment post-graduation, and also are well prepared to enter health-related careers, the biotechnology industry or graduate school.