Biology

Fort Lewis offers an alternative to the big universities. But the options for biology majors are just as big as those offered by bigger schools. You can earn a degree here in the following:

You won't find large lecture halls of 200 students. Instead, you'll discover small classes, and doctorate professors giving personal attention. In our lab classes, you'll have your hands on instruments that larger universities reserve for graduate students only.

You may be culturing cancer cells or examining bacterial cultures from the local wastewater treatment plant. Or you could amplify DNA to determine if you have a particular genetic trait in your family. We do it with the latest equipment.

Biology students also spend time outdoors. Our location makes it ideal for field studies. Our nearness to both alpine and desert ecosystems, our crystal clear lakes and streams, and our abundant wildlife and vegetation are used in our field courses. We also use local resources such as the Mountain Studies Institute in Silverton, and we take advantage of special situations such as the Missionary Ridge fire zone. We can easily study human disturbances in our ecosystems, such as fire and mining.

Graduate schools look for research and presentation experience, so Fort Lewis students have an edge. You'll do lots of research outside and inside the classroom -- both in teams and individually. Students have presented research on many issues such as the behavior of wild horse populations in the Paradox Valley of Colorado and the examination of genes that silence RNA during fetal development.

There are also opportunities to do summer research with faculty. When you've finished your projects, you'll present your findings to your biology peers and faculty. You can also present at national conferences. It fits the college's mission to train you to excel in every step of learning -- from designing a project all the way through communicating the results.

What are our results? We're ranked in the top five nationally for graduate placement among liberal arts colleges of similar size. Students also graduate and go right into jobs with the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the Colorado Division of Wildlife. Others start work with pharmaceutical companies, or independent biotechnology firms.

Would you like to learn more? Contact our faculty.

 
 

FORT LEWIS COLLEGE     1000 RIM DRIVE     DURANGO, COLORADO 81301     (877)FLC-COLO (toll free)     (970)247-7179 (fax)     ADMISSION@FORTLEWIS.EDU