Biology

Excellence in undergraduate education is the first priority of the SOU Department of Biology. We emphasize hands-on, exploratory learning in laboratory and field settings in a wide variety of specialty areas including ecology, molecular biology, microbiology, physiology, evolution, developmental biology, cell biology, and systematics.

Starting their first year, our students work closely with faculty members in small laboratory sections. Students find faculty to be readily accessible and approachable. All of our research facilities are available to undergraduates, including the SOU Biotechnology Center, the second-largest insect collection in Oregon, a four-room greenhouse, a herbarium, a Vertebrate Natural History Museum, and a cadaver lab. Many of our faculty also involve undergraduates in field research in ecology and environmental science.