Integrated Biosciences Graduate Program

Integrated Biosciences program. . .

The primary educational objective for the M.S. and Ph.D. degree in the Integrated Biosciences (IBS) graduate program is to prepare research scientists, technicians, primary, secondary and post-secondary educators, and future college faculty for careers in the biological sciences. To succeed in this objective we will train graduate students broadly in this rapidly changing field, yet deeply in a more specialized aspect of the biological sciences. Training received in the IBS graduate program will give students experience with cutting edge technology so that they will be competitive in academic, industrial and governmental settings.

From molecules to ecosystems. . .

In the last decade, integration of the biological sciences has changed the research paradigm for the study of life. Advances reveal striking interrelationships in the structure and function of biomolecules, genomes, and cells, and suggest new, more comprehensive ways of thinking about biological problems. Molecular markers are providing new tools for detailed tracking of population dynamics. New mathematical techniques allow ecologists to investigate how ecosystem processes affect evolution of species. The vast amount of information generated in all sectors of biology, coupled with innovations in computer technology, have created a growing demand for scientists who can generate, manage and analyze biological information. By emphasizing the greater picture of how various biological subdivisions interact with each other, scientists can employ multi-pronged approaches to study living organisms spanning from molecules to ecosystems.

A dynamic new approach. . .

Integration of the vast field of biology presents a dynamic new approach for researching and teaching the life sciences, bridging two synergistic areas. The Integrated Biosciences program provides training in these two areas; the Cell, Molecular and Physiological Biology (CMP) track applies the study of gene expression, cell function and systemic interactions to contemporary biological questions. This includes the genomic, cellular, and physiological consequences of an organism’s interaction with its environment. Students in the Ecology, Organismal and Population Biology (EOP) track investigate the evolutionary and ecological consequences of an organism’s interaction with its environment, including problems ranging from the genetic basis of adaptation to the flow of energy and materials through the ecosystem and the globe.