The faculty members of the Biology Department are committed
to providing the best possible education for our students. Toward this end we
strongly encourage students to become full participants in the processes of
science.
Our role as faculty is to provide the intellectual and physical environment
where this participation can take place. Teaching and learning biology at Hendrix
includes rigorous classroom discussions, investigational laboratory exercises,
field work, and research projects designed to maximize the role of the students
as scientist.
We recognize that telling students about science, or even demonstrating scientific
experiments, can never provide the rich, rewarding experience of doing science.
Although our students do take a rigorous series of formal lecture courses to
provide the background necessary for developing an intellectual understanding
of science, it is the participation aspects of our program that leads to true
maturation as scientists.
Our students graduate from Hendrix prepared to enter medical school (Hendrix
graduates enjoy a medical school acceptance rate twice the national average),
veterinary school, graduate school, the research world, and a variety of other
fields.
Department Goals for Biology Majors
Biology majors will:
- Appreciate what biological science is and how the scientific method
is used to increase our understanding of the natural world.
- Use observations and experimental protocols to make and test hypotheses.
- Apply appropriate analytical and statistical tools for the analysis of
data used in the
testing of hypotheses and for scientific writing and presentations.
- Appreciate the breadth of biological science and understand the key principles
of
the major sub-disciplines.
- Study one or more biological sub-disciplines in depth.
- Be conversant with the major paradigms of biology and understand current
debates
over poorly understood biological principles.
- Be able to read, understand and summarize articles from the current biological
literature.
- Appreciate the place of biological science in the liberal arts curriculum
and the roles
of scientist within society.
- Develop intellectual curiosity and a life-long love of learning.
- Have developed the intellectual and practical skills to be successful
in graduate
school, professional school or their chosen field of employment.
Department Employment Opportunities:
There are no openings at the present time.