Department of Biological Sciences
- The Department is home to several unique biological collections. The entomology collection contains 24,000 curated arthropod specimens. The John Wesley Powell-Dale Birkenholz Natural History Collection has more than 6,000 birds and mammals, and is accredited by the American Society of Mammalogists. The greenhouse boasts a teaching collection of live plants, numbering more than 650 species in over 150 families. The George S. Vasey (ISU) herbarium has over 50,000 plant specimens in over 4,000 species, some dating back to the early 19th century, and this includes specimens collected by Vasey on the Powell expedition to Colorado of 1868. These collections have immense research and educational value to faculty and students.
- The Department of Biological Sciences has implemented the Senior Thesis program, under which undergraduate majors are given the option to pursue independent research projects with faculty during their junior year. The program has received funding from the National Science Foundation and the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. Thirteen students have completed the program and most have gone on to graduate or professional schools. The program has produced many success stories, including that of graduate Ms. Jennifer Parker. Ms. Parker presented her thesis research at the National Biophysical Society Meeting and at the Beckman Scholar Research Symposium She is currently attending the prestigious MD/PhD program at Stanford University School of Medicine, one of the top medical schools in the nation.
- In 2005-06, Dr. Scott Sakaluk was named an Illinois State Distinguished Professor. Since the appointment of Biological Sciences Professor Herman Brockman, who was the first Distinguished Professor at Illinois State, seven additional Biological Sciences faculty members (Edward Mockford, Anthony Liberta, Roger Anderson, Brian Wilkinson, Steven Juliano, David Borst, and Scott Sakaluk) have been given the highest honor a faculty member can receive at Illinois State. Biological Sciences has four Distinguished Professors in active service at the University exceeding the number in any other academic departments on campus.
- In spring 2004, the Department received a $2 million gift in support of neuroscience research. The gift, funded by four doctors from the Central Illinois Neuroscience Foundation (Drs. Ramsin Benyamin, Keith Kattner, Ann Stroink, and Ricardo Vallejo) is the largest single gift received by the College of Arts and Sciences.
- Since 2000, Biology Department faculty have received nearly $18 million in external grants, which enhances faculty scholarship and significantly improves research and teaching opportunities for Biology undergraduates and graduates alike. In fact, many of these grants are specifically directed to train undergraduates in research including AREA grants and the Bridge program from NIH and the Cross-disciplinary Research at Undergraduate Institutions Programs from the NSF. Nearly 30 undergraduates have published in scientific journals, and an additional 60 have presented their research at international, national, or regional scientific meetings.
- Seventy-five undergraduate students have participated in the Preprofessional Mentorship Program since its inception in 2000. In this intensive program students have the opportunity to work closely with participating physicians, dentists, optometrists, veterinarians, and Physician Assistants.
