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Why study biology?
No one can predict the future, but this much is known: the next
century is the time of the biologist, who will be in the forefront
of the most challenging, intellectual problems, such as understanding
the most elemental building blocks of the mechanisms of life, the
mechanisms of memory and of learning, the molecular basis of embryonic
development, and the rules that help predict the behavior of the
environment. Biology also lies at the heart of major social problems
that face the human race in the coming decade, such as sensible
management of the environment and the effective control of human
populations. It is vital that educated people understand the contributions
that biological sciences have made and will continue to make for
the future welfare of human beings.
Why study biology at UCI?
The School of Biological Sciences reflects new concepts of biology
in both its curriculum and its research programs. The faculty is
dedicated to providing students with the opportunity to learn the
principles and facts in this ever-expanding field of biology. The
curriculum is designed to meet present and future educational needs
of majors and nonmajors. In keeping with the responsibilities of
the University, the School encourages vigorous faculty and student
research programs. It strongly believes that excellence in research
is essential for effective, enthusiastic, and up-to-date teaching.
To this end, the faculty have made a strong commitment to providing
excellent research opportunities for undergraduates through the
Biological Sciences 199 program. Each quarter hundreds of undergraduate
students work closely with graduate and postdoctoral students as
well as faculty members both in the School as well as in the College
of Medicine .
Because of the opportunity to actively participate in faculty
research, students have the exciting prospect of being on the ground
floor of some of the research that is making headlines today. Examples
include working in the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic,
a world center for laser studies in medicine. Besides research
laboratories devoted to laser studies, the Institute offers educational
and outreach programs. Students working in the Center for
the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory (Bonney Center) work with UCI
researchers in exploring the question of how we learn, store, and
retrieve information. This is the biology of memory. The Center
has gained an international reputation for its work in neuroscience,
and has helped UCI rank sixth in neuroscience research in the nation.
In 1985 a gene bank was set up at the UCI Arboretum to preserve
the seeds of endangered African plants. It is the first of its
kind in the Western Hemisphere and provides further opportunities
to participate in ground breaking research that may prove vital
to the world's future.
Other facilities in which students may engage in research include
the Developmental Biology Center, devoted to analyzing the cellular
and genetic mechanisms underlying growth, development, and regeneration;
the Irvine Research Unit in Animal Virology, which includes the
Viral Vector Design research group; the Conservation Biology Project;
the Cancer Research Institute; the San Joaquin Marsh Reserve, which
supports controlled marsh biota; the Burns Piñon Ridge Reserve,
a high-desert habitat in San Bernardino County; the School of Biological
Sciences Biohazard (P-3) Facility, which provides laboratory facilities
for working with biological agents or biological molecules such
as recombinant DNA which would be hazardous when used in open laboratories;
and the UCI Ecological Preserve, which includes coastal hills on
the campus, once under heavy grazing, but now returning to a more
natural state. It is important to note that the School has access
to the College of Medicine , thereby providing an opportunity for
the sharing of both teaching and research activities.
To assist students and faculty in their research and studies,
UCI's Science Library, located adjacent to the major Biological
Sciences buildings, is the largest public medical library in the
state and the largest west of the Mississippi .
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