Biology

Professor Karen Kirk and computer science major Sylwia Dakowicz ‘13 use computers to mine and analyze data of gene sequences for a Richter Scholar research project. Professor Kirk received a National Science Foundation grant to identify telomerase RNA in her study of aging, and several biology students will assist with parts of the research, likely leading to their senior theses.

Biology majors don’t just learn facts about living things, they learn how to be scientists. This means they can often be found in the lab, actively engaged in research with faculty. Students have exciting opportunities for internships and research at world-class Chicago institutions like the Field Museum, Chicago Botanic Garden, Shedd Aquarium, and Rosalind Franklin University of Medical Sciences. Biology students are well-trained by hypothesis-driven coursework. While a major or minor in biology is great preparation for postgraduate training in academic research or the health professions, our students also become competitive graduates and professionals in industry and fields like environmental policy, education and museum administration.

Department News

Fine Nine

2016 marks a remarkable ninth straight year that Lake Forest College science majors stood on the podium at the premier pharmacology meeting in the Midwest. For the second straight year, this celebration was double. Emily Ong ’17 and Rosemary Thomas ’18 both earned individual second prizes among undergraduates for their neuroscience research at the 29th Annual Great Lakes Chapter of the American Society of Pharmaceutical and Experimental Therapeutics (GLC-ASPET) meeting held at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, on Thursday, July 7.
Two-for-One: Medical Access, Research Edge

The Lake Forest College-Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (LFC-RFUMS) Summer Scholars Program announces the 2016 class of scholars. This group of undergraduates and newly minted graduates are set for an enviable two-for-one advantage: direct mentoring access with medical school professors and an early and deep scientific research edge.
14-0.

The number of years in a row since 2003 that Lake Forest science majors have received awards for undergraduate research at the annual Chicago Society for Neuroscience (CSfN) meeting, the Midwest’s premier brain conference. The latest success came at the 2016 conference just held at Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Friday (April 8, 2016).