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About the Department

About the Department

The objectives of the Department of Biology are to help students better understand themselves and the living things around them, to develop a scholarly approach to the study and evaluation of scientific information, and to prepare for careers in biology, medicine and environmental sciences. The Department is committed to providing students with research opportunities intended to result in poster presentations at scientific meetings and/or publications in peer-reviewed journals. The faculty offers mentoring and collaboration to qualified, highly motivated students who seek research opportunities in faculty laboratories. Interested students are encouraged to discuss research opportunities with individual faculty members.

Message from the Chair
Lloyd Trueblood Chair, Associate Professor of Biology lloyd.trueblood@lasierra.edu

Message from the Chair

The Department of Biology offers students a wide range of courses including Microbiology, Genetics and Bioinformatics, Gross Anatomy, Herpetology, Immunology, Marine Biology, Plant Ecology, Virology, and Parasitology to name a few. Undergraduate students are also given a unique opportunity in the Department to find a field of research that interests them starting from their freshman year, get to know their professors, and learn skills which can carry them through their professional careers. Some students are able to work on research projects that allow them to have publications in peer-reviewed journals even while being undergraduate students. The Department is committed to helping students better understand themselves and the living things around them, to develop a scholarly approach to the study and evaluation of scientific information, and to prepare for careers in biology.

Mission Statement

The Biology Department prepares our students "to Seek, to Know, and to Serve." We offer breadth and depth in the biological, biomedical and environmental sciences, with opportunities for learning and research in the classroom, field and laboratory. We are committed to providing a safe and open environment for our students to expand and integrate their faith with their educational journey.

The department of biology is committed to providing undergraduate students with the opportunity to do research. The biology faculty are actively engaged in research and welcome qualified and highly motivated students to participate with them in their laboratories. Interested students are encouraged to discuss research opportunities with individual faculty. Limited support in the form of grants and assistantships may be available.
Students preparing to teach at the secondary level should plan to qualify for state of California teaching credentials by completing the bachelor’s degree and passing the PRAXIS (or SSAT) subject area assessment. During the freshman year prospective teachers of both secondary and elementary levels should see the School of Education section of the La Sierra University Bulletin and consult the credential analyst and the department of curriculum and instruction in the School of Education for detailed information concerning requirements.
To provide first-hand experience in field biology rather than only accumulating book knowledge, the department of biology at La Sierra University offers fieldwork-based opportunities through its field school. Currently, we coordinate an annual three-week course in tropical environments, typically in late June and July. Our most recent trips involved study of insular amphibians and reptiles of the Bay Islands in Honduras and of Pulau Tioman in Peninsular Malaysia. New localities will be the islands in Ha Long Bay and the Con Dao Islands in Vietnam. During this course, students collect, preserve, take tissue samples of, and photograph specimens of amphibians and reptiles as well as keep a field journal. The research conducted during this course has consistently led to publication of articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals with student authorship. Any student taking approved field courses (Field School, Rosario Beach) for eight or more units may apply these units to substitute for BIOL 201 or 202.

Degree Programs

Biological Science
Biomedical Science

Contact and Location

biology@lasierra.edu
951-785-2105
Price Science Complex, Room 201

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