Welcome to the Department of Biology

The 21 st century will be the age of biology, extending a century-long revolution in the biological sciences, with the future quality of human existence being strongly dependent on future advances in the life sciences. Key historic developments in agriculture, medicine, and technology have reduced human mortality rates, causing a human population explosion. This, in turn, has driven accelerating demands for basic and applied biological knowledge, particularly in cellular-molecular-and-developmental-biology with implications for medicine, agriculture, genetic engineering, and forensic science; and in evolution-and-ecology with implications for the conservation of natural resources and restoration of ecosystems severely disturbed by human activities.

Demand for undergraduate programs in biology has been increasing and will continue to do so because of a vital need for graduates with focus and training in the biological sciences, particularly in the core areas related to medicine, cellular-molecular-and-developmental-biology, and evolution-and-ecology.

FACILITIES

The Department of Biology is housed in Starcher Hall, completed in 1981. In addition to classrooms and specialized teaching laboratories, the building houses an herbarium, three greenhouses, environmental chambers, animal rooms for terrestrial and aquatic organisms, observation rooms, vertebrate and invertebrate museums, a darkroom, and isotope and tissue culture facilities. The Department also maintains two natural areas (virgin prairie and wooded stream valley) for teaching and research.

FACULTY
J. Carmichael, R. Crawford, D. Crossley, D. Darland , A. Fivizzani (Emeritus), B. Goodwin, S. Kelsch, J. La Duke (Associate Dean, Arts and Sciences), P. Meberg, K. Mehl, R. Newman, M. Potvin (Dean of Arts and Sciences), S. Pyle (Director of Honors), S. Ralph, T. Rhen, I. Schlosser (Chair), R. Simmons, W. Sheridan, R. Sweitzer, V. Tkach, and J. Vaughan.

Department Office: 701-777-2621

Northern Plains Biology Symposium

Announcing a call for abstracts for the 2007 Northern Plains Biological Symposium.  This annual conference provides a great venue for regional biologists to get together and showcase their research.  This year's symposium will be held on the University of North Dakota campus and is hosted by the UND Biology Graduate Student Association.  Graduate and undergraduate students are especially encouraged to submit abstracts. Both oral and poster presentaions will be accepted.  Registration is free!  For further information, visit the web site above.