Our department is large enough to have expertise in most areas of specialization, but small enough to be both welcoming and friendly. Our primary mission is teaching, yet all faculty are deeply involved in research and share their expertise with students. Students can pursue either BA or BS degrees in Biology or Urban Ecology, and graduate students can earn M.A. or M.S. degrees in Biology. Undergraduate students can specialize in an area of study (pre-med, cell/molecular, ecology/conservation, etc.) or obtain a more general education in Biology.

Students can participate in a variety of lecture and laboratory courses in cell biology, genetics, molecular biology, physiology, developmental biology, comparative anatomy, parasitology, microbiology, ecology, evolution, conservation biology, field biology, invertebrate biology, tropical marine biology, marine mammals, and ornithology to name a few.

One specialty of our department is the one-on-one research opportunities with faculty, which are available to qualified undergraduate students. Through independent study courses and summer internships, undergraduate students have the opportunity of joining a research lab and conducting research under the mentorship of a faculty member. For more details, see the section on undergraduate research.

Marine and freshwater biology, ecology, conservation biology, and urban ecology studies are carried out on campus, using in-house facility and also at local research sites around Long Island. In addition we study nearby terrestrial, urban, and rural ecosystems. Students have the opportunity to take courses and conduct research at all these locations.

Premedical and other health science studies are important in the Department of Biology. Students may specialize in Pre-medical studies and join APHOS, an intra-departmental organization run by and for students interested in health related professions. The pre-med advisor in the Biology Department will assist you with course selections, volunteer work and application preparation.

Beta Beta Beta raises money for environmental K12 school on the Galápagos

Beta Beta Beta (the Department of Biology's undergraduate student Biological Honor society) held a Balloon Burst on 10 November and raised $350 for the Tomas de Berlanga school on the island of Santa Cruz in the Galapágos, Ecuador. Particpants won gift certificates generously donated by local merchants. The money will be used buy supplies to support the Tomas de Berlanga school's environmental education programs for Ecuadorian children from kindergarten to high school. Anyone else who would like to contribute to funds for the school should contact biorlb@hofstra.edu...| photo |

Run for the Turtles

On Sunday, 9 October, members of the Department of Biology ran in the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Run for the Turtles, a 5K charity event to raise money for turtle conservation. The team included (left to right) Megan Vulpi, Stephanie Gayer, Nailah Khalfan, Mike Chalavoutis, Beverly Clendening, Amy Cobb, Justin Diangelo, Tia Turner, Roger Greenwall, Nathan Bailey, Jeff Castaldo, and Russell Burke. Together they raised over $1000... | photo |

Summer Research for BIO majors
Research Fellowship for Program Founder and Alumnus Dr. Stanley Shanies

As the first medical director of the Physician’s Assistant program, founder of a summer research fellowship, adjunct biology professor and distinguished alumnus, Dr. Stanley Shanies has had a hand in a lot of things at Hofstra. Now, he's getting his name on one of them. In honor of Shanies' work at Hofstra, the research fellowship that he helped found more than a decade ago has been renamed in his honor... | more |