Biology Department

Biology Majors and Minor
The Biology department at Roanoke College offers two Biology majors (B.A. and B.S) as well as a minor in Biology.

Environmental Program Majors
Roanoke offers two interdisciplinary majors focused on environmental challenges: Environmental Policy and Environmental Science. An Environmental Program minor is also an option.

Facilities
The Biology Department has an outstanding physical facility, including newly-remodeled instructional and research laboratories housing a wide range of modern instrumentation.

• Modern microscopy facility, including a scanning electron microscope
• Autoclave and tissue culture facilities
• Large walk-in temperature-controlled chambers
• Modern molecular biology equipment including a computerized gel scanning facility
• Fish collection containing approximately 200,000 specimens
• Six teaching laboratories; 8 research laboratories occupy separate space from the teaching labs
• Greenhouse and herbarium

Extensive Opportunities to Conduct Research
There are many ways students can get experience conducting biology research that will give them an edge in graduate school admissions or preparation for entering the work force.

• Independent Study - Working directly with professors in their research laboratories
• URAP (Undergraduate Research Assistants Program)
• Summer Scholars & Summer research in the biology department

Faculty Expertise
Areas of faculty members' expertise include comparative physiology, invertebrate biology, ecosystems dynamics, microbiology, plant pathology, anatomy and physiology, biodiversity, cell biology, ichthyology, plant biology, molecular biology, genetics and bioinformatics.

Professors in the biology department hold doctorates from such universities as Duke, Virginia Tech, Cornell, Iowa State, University of California - San Diego, the University of Maryland, Indiana University and many others.

Clubs and Honor Societies for Biology and Environment Program Students
Getting involved in campus organizations provides a way to connect with other biology majors and environmental program majors. The honor society rewards academic scholarship.

• The Biology Club
• Tri Beta - honor society
• Mendel and Darwin Societies
• Earthbound