Another group of students travelled to Costa Rica to work with conservation organizations near a rainforest reserve. Faculty members can help you work out an interdisciplinary study program, combining your interests in biology with a related field. Biological Chemistry and Environmental Studies recently were established as formal interdisciplinary majors. Neuroscience, which combines courses in biology and psychology, is also one of the most popular interdisciplinary programs. But if your interests lie elsewhere, faculty members will help you construct an individually tailored program.
Internships add another dimension to academic work.
One or two students each year work at the Jackson Laboratory, the internationally known bioresearch facility in Bar Harbor, Maine. On campus, the Biology Council sponsors professional and social get-togethers and also provides a way for you to have a say in the way the department functions, from changes in course requirements to hiring new faculty members. The Council also publishes a newsletter to keep majors informed about department activities. For those interested in any aspect of the health-sciences field, the Health Sciences Society offers additional camaraderie and information. The number of biology majors has doubled in the last five years.