Penn State Schuylkill has announced that it has been approved to offer a bachelor of science degree in biology, general biology option beginning in summer 2015. The program is available to current students, as well as to those pursuing acceptance beginning summer and fall 2015.
Students who enroll in the program are able to tailor their program for careers requiring broad backgrounds and diverse skills in the biological sciences, or for graduate study in many fields of biology. Students can select courses from a variety of areas of contemporary biology.
Career opportunities for graduates of the program can include environmental consultants, water quality specialists, teachers and professors, pharmaceutical administrators and chemical technicians. There is also the opportunity for students to secure advanced degrees through graduate study, and prepare for careers in medicine or other health-related professions.
The program coordinator, Rod M. Heisey, professor of biology, is a plant ecologist and microbial ecologist. He teaches courses in microbiology and general biology and strives to instill in students an appreciation of the natural world.
Heisey was the principal investigator on a grant program from the National Science Foundation to renovate and modernize the biology research laboratory at Penn State Schuylkill. In addition, he helped with the design of the new teaching lab, the Cotler Life Sciences Lab, which was dedicated in January 2013.
His research focuses on chemical interactions of plants and microorganisms. He is currently investigating the ecological role of a toxic chemical produced by tree-of-heaven, a common, alien, invasive tree in Pennsylvania.