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Show THE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL• SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY • FRIDAY, DEC. 2, 1994 iljJmti~-:7"'Y77-- -7-:;•F.n;~~-----;~ 1 f ennifer Packwood, a sophomore biology ma jor, is one of the many biology students who take care of the plants in SUU's greenhouse, located between the Science Center and the Life Science Buildings. SUU's biology majors can choose an emphasis in botany or horticulture if they enjoy working with plants, learning about fruit and vegetable production or studying fungi and native grasses. Botany is 'basis, quality of life' By HEATHER GREEN OF THE JOURNAL STAFF The botany and horticulture emphasis at SUU is an asset to the university and to the few students who choose to major in biology with an emphasis in botany. It is, though, a subject most students hear about only because classes in field botany and the flowering plants of southern Utah are among the courses listed for general education. Courses required for a botany major include cell, molecular and plant biology. Majors are also required to take courses in plant anatomy, plant physiology, taxonomy of vascular plants, morphology of vascular plants and a 499-level seminar. Because 55 credit hours arc required for a botany major, there is room for upper division elective credit. One such course is mycology-the study of fungi. Another is a course in agrostology-the study of native and imported grasses. This class, according to Brent Palmer, SUU biology professor, is more well known. "It is quite a demanding class ... but it is very valuable," he said. Horticulture is another section of the biology department in which courses in fundamentals of horticulture, greenhouse practicum, fruit production and vegetable production are offered. Employment opportunities for students with only a bachelor degree in botany are minimal, so most go on to graduate school.Many go on to work for the federal government in the National Parks and Forestry departments. Palmer said that in spite of this, if a student is passionate about the subject, he or she has an advantage in the job market over someone who is trying to get a job in a profession they don't necessarily care about. Students who only take a course in botany or horticulture to fulfill an elective or general education requirement are generally glad they did. "Botany is the basis of the quality of life," Palmer said. "I think that some knowledge of botany is important." Physiology crucial to biology By MICHELLE CLEGG OF THE JOURNAL STAFF If the thought of dissecting a living organism makes you feel queasyforget about studying physiology. Many people may not like dissecting, but they do it anyway because their majors require it. According to associate professor of biology, David Braegger, all allied health areas require knowledge in physiology. Physiology classes are crucial to these medical fields because they deal with the body. Braegger said physiology is the study of the function of the body and how each part inter-relates with each other. In general physiology, students learn about these inter-relationships on a broad level. This class is a general education requirement for many majors, including nursing, sports medicine, psychology, pre-med an d biology. Once students have passed the basic course, they can move up to the human anatomy course. In human anatomy, students learn about tbe muscular, skeletal, circulatory and nervous systems of the human body. To assist in this study, human cadavers are used. The beginning students only observe, while advanced ones actually dissect the body. Braegger feels this allows the students to see first-hand how the body works. The physiology program is currently used as a support system for these other majors. It is not a major of its own and Braegger feels this will remain true in the future. "We would not have enough students to have a physiology major," he said. Change is not necessarily something needed according to Braegger-except adding more equipment. "We have some good equipment, " he said, but, "We can always have more equipment." He said computer programs would be helpful in instructing students about the human body and its functions. FOCUS: BIOLOGY Zoology a diverse, fascinating field By CHRIS TAYLOR JOURNAL STAFF WRITER The United States Government, and many U.S. citizens, believe that the U.S. has the most powerful military in the world. With the powerful technologies of infra-red, ultraviolet, and heat sensitive viewers, the sonar and radar breakthroughs of the past century, and other sensory instruments that allow men to detect, identify, and destroy the enemy, they may be correct. Mankind's technological abilities still fail, however, where mother nature has already succeeded. Bats that can not only detect insects, but chase and catch them with only their built-in sonar, far out perform man-made sonar. Insects could see in infrared and ultraviolet long before man had discovered the light spectrum. Some animals can change sex when needed, or freeze and come back to life-things humans arc still incapable of. According to Jeffrey Hill, assistant professor of biology, it is the fascinating facts, like these, that motivate students into biology fields, especially zoology. "The more you learn about {animals), the more fascinating they become," said Hill. While admitting that other fields of biology are interesting as well, Hill said that the animal kingdom was the most diverse. "When students decide they want to study biology, most of the time their first choice is to study animals," said Hill. "Plants as a whole are perhaps not as diverse in adaptations as animals," said Hill. A simple definition of animals, offered by Hill, was that "animals are multicellular organisms that are not photosynthetic." Many students study zoology and then go on to do graduate work in veterinary science, or other medical fields. "There's a lot you can learn (in zoology) for medical purposes," said Hill. Many medical breakthroughs have come as a result of understanding animal systems which are often closely related. "If muscles worked differently for insects than for humans, we never would have figured out how muscles work. " Zoology related courses include entomology, parasitology, ichthyology, herbology, and, according to Hill, "almost all the 'ologies' in biology." SU scores above average S UU's biology majors score high on science tests By BECKl LESSER SENIOR STAFF WRITER SUU is known nationwide for its biology department and has an excellent acceptance rate into virtually all graduate schools. Every student from SUU that has applied to the University of Utah Medical School has been accepted, and all of SUU's biology students have finished in the top 15 percent of their graduating class. In addition, despite the reputation that veterinary schools are the most difficult schools to gain acceptance to because of the low number of veterinary schools in the country, SUU students have an excellent acceptance rate for those schools as well. "SUU students score well above the national average for science tests," according to Paul Burgoyne, biology department head. "We also prepare a lot of students for teaching," he added. Burgoyne feels that students should take biology classes at SUU because " the study of biology is life and being able to maintain life. "Organ transplants, AIDS, mapping the human genome- they are all pursuits that concern everyone. " In order to major in biology, students must take five classes that Burgoyne feels "give an overview of the biology program and every area in it." The required credits are in cell and molecular biology {BIOL 108), botany {BIOL l 09), animal biology {BIOL 11 OJ, genetics {BIOL 3 121, and ecology {BIOL 310). To major in biology, a student must take 55 credits in the science department, and a composite major is 75 credits. To minor, students should plan on 25 credits in that area. |