Contact the Director of Graduate Studies to help you plan your visit. Any of these areas may also be linked with advanced preparation for teachers. The department emphasizes ecological principles and ecosystem processes and includes both basic and applied research. In addition, the department adds practical courses in biostatistics and experimental design. Many research projects are done in conjunction with the Lake Superior Ecosystem Research Center, developed jointly by the Department of Biological Sciences and the School of Forestry and Wood Products to work on large-scale projects.
Students have the opportunity for laboratory, aquatic, and terrestrial projects.
Students work in basic and applied research with a variety of experimental systems involving microorganisms, plants, and animals. Research in these areas provides students with exposure to current techniques in biochemistry and in recombinant and molecular biology. Some research projects entail collaborative work with faculty in chemistry, engineering, and forestry. The clinical laboratory sciences program, preparing students for either research or clinical laboratory management, may include a thesis option with original research in clinical microbiology, chemistry, or immunology. For management skills, the student may need course work in operations management and in clinical laboratory science, as well as a business research project done in association with either a hospital or a clinical employer.