The teaching that we do in laboratories and the research that students share in are abundantly supported by the latest in biological instrumentation. Many of these instruments and techniques are used by students in our introductory courses. The 500-acre Ecological Preserve is located about a kilometer to the south of the campus, near enough to make it easy to incorporate field studies into courses at all levels of the biology curriculum. At the center of the preserve is a new field station equipped with library, laboratory, microscopes, computers, and other instrumentation. Research Laboratories All of the biology faculty are actively engaged in research as well as teaching.
Faculty members work directly with students in courses and in independent research.
Often these investigations take place in research laboratories. It is quite common for these investigations to culminate in presentations at professional meetings and in publications co-authored with students. Much of the research that happens in these laboratories and in the field is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, and a number of projects also receive funding from Vassar's Committee on Research. The Chemistry department, located in the Seeley G. Mudd Chemistry Building is a state of the art building that uses strikingly open architecture to foster collaborative work and invite interaction between scholars. Design features such as wall-less laboratories, lounges used by both students and faculty, and faculty offices clustered in a central area, promote an atmosphere of shared learning.