Program

At Siena Heights, you are part of an extended family that meets regularly inside and outside of the classroom. In addition to hands-on collaborative learning, students also gather regularly for field trips, special lectures, community projects, or simply to study. 

Working with faculty mentors, students conduct meaningful field and/or lab research with data analysis. Siena Heights University biology students have won numerous national research awards over the past few years.

The Biology department offers its students unique and distinguishing opportunities:

• SHU biology majors are eligible for the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine’s early acceptance program, which grants qualified students provisional early acceptance to LECOM’s School of Pharmacy, School of Dental Medicine, School of Podiatric Medicine or College of Osteopathic Medicine.
• Siena Heights University was awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to support qualifying low-income STEM students with scholarships and academic assistance.
• First-year students can join faculty-led research teams, such as our Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) group research project.
• Siena Heights University received a $1 million grant for Improving STEM Education in the Community.

Where your educational journey leads you depends in part on where you start. In the Biology department, our approach to education, which combines a supportive community learning environment with a broad spectrum of challenging courses, in-depth lab and field experiences, and intensive research projects, has successfully prepared our graduates for their future careers.

Successful high school graduates entering SHU who satisfy Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine’s admission criteria will be offered a provisional acceptance to LECOM’s Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, or School of Pharmacy program. After graduation from SHU, the student will then matriculate to LECOM.

• Siena Heights University STEM students present research in Washington, D.C.
• Siena Heights University’s Dr. Wassmer featured on National Public Radio.
• Siena Heights University (SHU) biology major Anna Crites recently earned a second-place award from the Beta Beta Beta Biological Honors Society, earning the Frank G. Brooks Award for excellence in undergraduate research. Read the full story here.
• The biology curriculum includes innovative and engaging coursework, including ecological kayaking trips on Cedar Lake and hikes through 400-year-old Gall Woods Old Growth Forest, and are led by outstanding professors.
• The biology program offers its majors select opportunities through its affiliated partners, including early acceptance into Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine’s medical, dental, podiatric or pharmacy schools. Finally, majors can study sustainable agricultural practices at the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ permaculture site.
• Working with faculty mentors, students can conduct scientific research and data analysis. SHU biology students include 29 TriBeta regional award winners and two national research champions.
• Siena Heights University has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Oak Foundation to study Ramsdell Nature Park.

Siena Heights University biology students are eligible for hundreds of paid research internships supported by the National Science Foundation. These summer research opportunities allow small groups of students to work in research programs at various host institutions.

Siena Heights University biology majors have interned at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Colorado State University, and Indiana University, for instance. Students are granted stipends and, in many cases, assistance with housing and travel. Local internships and co-ops are also possible.

Former SHU biology students Maria Butler and Joseph Lemanski were awarded summer research internships. Butler conducted her research in Turkey studying the responses of the European honeybees to different odors, including alcohol. Lemanski spent his summer in Texas examining the effects of the 2010 British Petroleum oil spill on the deep-water organisms in the Gulf of Mexico.

SHU biology student interns with sharks in South Africa.

Careers related to biology include:

The Xi Omega chapter of Beta Beta Beta (TriBeta) National Biological Society is a campus club dedicated to improving the understanding and appreciation of biological study through the stimulation of scholarships, the dissemination of scientific knowledge, and the promotion of biological research.

Members of the Xi Omega chapter of TriBeta attend professional conferences, host speakers, and participate in community projects.