Welcome to the Biology @ Berkeley website created to help current and prospective undergraduate students navigate the wealth of opportunities in the field of Biology at the University of California Berkeley. Listed below are the various Biology related majors found on campus. Simply click on the mini-logo to read a brief decription or click on the name to take you directly to the major web site. Bioengineering Chemical Biology Earth and Planetary Science Environmental Sciences Genetics and Plant Biology Integrative Biology Microbial Biology Molecular and Cell Biology Molecular Environmental Biology Molecular Toxicology Nutritional Science Public Health

Download handouts from the Biology Majors Fair, 9/12/08

Labs & Research Informational Session

• UCB Library Conditions of Use and Licensing Regulations for Electronic Resources, click here.
• List of on-line databases, click here.

Following is some information from the info sessions that were offered at the bio major fair in 2007.

• Presenters:
• Caroline Kane, Adjunct Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Molecular & Cell Biology
• Terry Strathman, Director, Office of Undergraduate Research
• Debbie Jan, Head Librarian, Public Health Library
• Juan Magaña, Cal student, Public Health major
• Why do research?
  • Science is a way to figure things out, so doing research will aid you in other aspects of your life. You ask and answer open ended questions. You link seemingly disconnected pieces of information. You find results that were not predicted.
  • You explore things at the cutting edge and that no one has explored before
  • Learn tenacity, problem solving, and learn to be critical about the details because things have to be reproducible.
  • Solving mysteries
  • Excitement of discovery
• Web sites for information and exploration
• Research - for research opportunities and workshops on getting started in undergraduate research and also writing research proposals.
• URAP - Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program - 6-700 students work with faculty, across all disciplines, on their research projects. These are offered semester by semester and require that students apply for positions in which they are interested.
• Tips for finding research positions
  • Apply through structured research programs, such as those found on research.berkeley.edu
  • Apply directly to faculty in labs
    • Do your homework. Develop a reason for why you are approaching a faculty member. Read about faculty on their web sites and possibly read their papers or abstracts of their papers.
    • Remember that space might be the reason why you don't get into a particular lab. Don't take it personally and be persistent in pursuing other options.
  • What are you interested in? Cancer? Frogs? Cells?
  • What kind of environment do you want to work in? Clinical settings? Lab settings? In the field? Lively? Quiet? Each lab has its own character.
  • Can you handle waking up at 4 a.m. to do your experiments? Some labs require this.
• Libraries
  • Use the library to keep track of what is being done elsewhere. Conference proceedings that might not be published yet are available.
  • Obtain materials through interlibrary loans (free service, but you do need lead time).
  • The Library provides various trainings and tutorials and workshops.
  • Library pays for access to various resources for you. You can gain access from off campus locations through library proxy server or VPN. (See the library web site for more information.)
  • WARNING: Information found through google searches may not be accurate. Information found through the licensed databases, more easily searched and more reliable.

• Link to Career Center - see career counselors, find jobs, use their resources
• http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm --the Occupational Outlook Handbook - detailed information on hundreds of careers, including training, salaries and future employment outlook
• http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/jobs/careeroe.html, a guide to outdoor/environmental careers
• http://www.itools.com/research-it/research-it.html, an online dictionary (what is a palynologist, anyway?)
• http://instructional1.calstatela.edu/msue/Presentations/index.htm, some good presentations on various careers
• http://www.faseb.org/genetics/gsa/careers/bro-menu.htm, careers in genetics
• http://www-marine.stanford.edu/HMSweb/careers.html, careers in marine biology and oceanography
• http://www.centerwatch.com/careers/careers.html, a clinical research job and information service

• Link to Career Center - see career counselors, pre-health counselors, set up letter service, find answers to frequently asked questions.

By its very nature, Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary enterprise that deals with a wide variety of issues arising from the impact of human activities on natural systems. To effectively document and address these problems, students must be trained to apply tools and techniques from a variety of disciplines. The Environmental Sciences major at Berkeley is distinct in its rigorous curriculum designed to provide a strong background in basic science drawn from a variety of departments including biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, economics and environmental science.

The major exposes students to the interaction of organisms with the environment at the molecular, cellular and organismal levels. Students consider how modern biotechnological approaches, coupled with more conventional approaches, can be used to recognize and solve problems in the areas of conservation, biodiversity, habitat and endangered species preservation, agriculture, and environmental pollution. Students concentrate in Animal Health & Behavior; Ecology; Insect Biology; Microbiology; Environmental & Human Health; or Biodiversity.

Focuses on the hazardous and beneficial effects of natural and man-made toxic agents. From industrially produced environmental contaminants and designer drugs to naturally occurring herbs and food products, this field of study applies molecular and computational methods to better understand how these agents interact with living organisms and what should be done to ensure human health and safety.

This field applies the physical sciences and mathematics in an engineering approach to biological systems, focusing on the advancement of biomedical knowledge and technology. Students receive a strong foundation in engineering and the biological sciences, with opportunities to explore a variety of topics and specialize in advanced areas of research. Some of the research areas include biomechanics; tissue engineering and stem cells; bionanotechnology, micromachines and robotics; biomedical imaging; computational biology, bioinformatics and genomics; synthetic biology and systems biology.

A diverse interdisciplinary field that has 6 separate foci, some of which emphasize Biology. This major is new as of September 2003. Public health seeks to improve human health through the development and application of knowledge that prevents disease, protects the public from harm, and promotes health throughout the state, the nation, and the world. The biology heavy areas include biostatistics, infectious diseases, and epidemiology.

The Department of Earth and Planetary Science provides both the Environmental Earth Science major (a broad approach to the natural sciences with a focus on inter-relationships of the Earth's physical, biological and chemical processes) and the Marine Science major, which focuses on the role of water--from the ocean's central role in physical, chemical, biological and geological processes on earth (including climatic and oceanographic events) to the dynamics, morphology and restoration of rivers and waterways. See our web site for all six science specializations.

This field applies the physical sciences and mathematics in an engineering approach to biological systems, focusing on the advancement of biomedical knowledge and technology. Students receive a strong foundation in engineering and the biological sciences, with opportunities to explore a variety of topics and specialize in advanced areas of research. Some of the research areas include biomechanics; tissue engineering and stem cells; bionanotechnology, micromachines and robotics; biomedical imaging; computational biology, bioinformatics and genomics; synthetic biology and systems biology.

Integrative Biology explores the diversity and complexity of organisms, their life processes, interrelationships, and evolution. The major picks up where MCB stops, looking at the systems level and above for the most part. Faculty study such areas as evolution, paleobiology, ecology, and physiology.

The major focuses on microbes (viruses, bacteria, algae, and fungi primarily). Faculty look at their role in the biosphere, understanding how they degrade environmental pollutants, supply essential nutrients to other organisms, work in symbioses with higher organisms, and regulate populations through infectious diseases.

The new major in Chemical Biology is intended to provide a solid background in chemistry as it impacts areas such as biochemistry, molecular biology, bioengineering, structural biology, drug design, pharmacology, and medicine.

This major focuses on plants from the molecular to organismal levels, with a special expertise in genetics. Faculty are involved with biotechnology, designing technologies that allow plants to resist pests and disease, grow in less than ideal conditions, and clean up the environment. They are also concerned with the impact of human activity on the health of plants in the environment.

The Molecular and Cell Biology major focuses on the study of molecular structures and processes of cellular life and their roles in the function, reproduction, and development of living organisms. The major considers all organisms. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Cell and Developmental Biology; Genetics, Genomics and Development; Immunology; and Neurobiology are the emphases. It is by far the largest biology major on campus.