The Department of Biological Sciences is among the nation's leaders in understanding the molecular mechanisms of survival by radiation-resistant bacteria. The department has a strong research base centered on exceptional programs in structural biology, biological signaling mechanisms, and biodiversity. Faculty research spans a broad range of interests, from studies on whole ecosystems to the examination of the molecular event of cellular regulation. Over the past three years, more than 50 of the program's undergraduate students have published papers or presented their research at national and international scientific meetings.
Community service is also a hallmark of the department.
The nationally recognized Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Biological Sciences Education Program and other outreach programs touch thousands of secondary and elementary school students and teachers each year. The research of biologist Jacqueline Stephens is focused on fat cells. Stephens grows the cells in her lab, exposes them to insulin, and then studies their responses. Her goal is to identify the proteins that cause fat cells to stop responding to insulin. Once these proteins are identified, the next step is to develop treatments that will restore insulin sensitivity.