To strengthen its undergraduate curriculum, the Department of Biology has recently instituted a series of undergraduate research courses required for the Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. The course series (1) begins with a course in scientific methods and research proposal development, (2) continues with a semester of directed undergraduate research, and (3) concludes with a symposium presentation and a written thesis or journal publication. Additionally, two new interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science degree programs with concentrations in hazardous waste management or natural and cultural resources management have been developed. This project provides new equipment to support interdisciplinary undergraduate research activities to detect heavy metals and chlorinated organic compounds in environmental samples; examine the transport of these substances through water, soils, and sediments; and investigate the applied use of plants and microorganisms in bioremediation. Additionally, the equipment undoubtedly enhances the educational experience in the courses physical geology, physical geography, soils, environmental chemistry, and toxicological chemistry within the management degree programs. The major equipment items include an automated gas chromatograph, an atomic absorption spectrophotometer with computer station for equipment control and data analysis, lab-top centrifuge with rotors, two bench-top incubator shakers, a portable hand-operated sieve shaker, and a Spectronic 20, single-beam spectrophotometer. The undergraduate research program, the envirolmental programs, and this new equipment are essential components of the university's mission to seek a high level of excellence in undergraduate education including the natural and physical sciences.
