Biology
The goal of the Biology Department is to inspire and prepare our students for lifelong learning as professionals in the biological sciences and as scientifically informed citizens, as well as to advance understanding of the natural world through original research.
Research Opportunities
Biology students at Hamilton have ongoing opportunities to collaborate and perform research with faculty members both on and off campus. The energy and engagement created by these collaborative efforts gives the biology program its distinctive identity and sense of community. Each year, dozens of students work in the lab alongside their professors on special projects. Others pursue paid summer internships at Hamilton and such prestigious institutions as Yale University's School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, the National Institutes of Health and the National Zoological Park.
The biology program extends far beyond the conventional lab. Biology majors have opportunities to do fieldwork in such varied settings as the Adirondack High Peaks, Costa Rica and Antarctica. Student researchers share their findings with others in the scientific community. In recent years, Hamilton students presented research papers at national meetings of the American Malacological Union, the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology, the National Council of Undergraduate Research, the New York Natural History Conference and SUNY-Binghamton's Annual Biological Sciences Research Symposium.
-
Roughly 30 years ago, microbiologists discovered a new group of bacteria that “breathe” iron in the same way we breathe oxygen: by the transfer of electrons.
Topic -
Not far from campus, in a state park outside of Syracuse, lie two lakes — Round Lake and Green Lake — both known for their stunning green-blue tint. As meromictic lakes, they provide rich research opportunities for Hamilton students.
Topic -
Bioethics students try their hand at podcasting to address topics such as stem cell therapy, predicting criminality, and data privacy.
Topic -
Participating in the Digestive Disease Summer Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital this summer has solidified Ishan Bhatia’s ’20 desire to conduct cancer research and attend medical school.
Topic -
As a premed student Maya Amy ’20 has spent hours immersed in science research, including a summer of teamwork with Assistant Professor of Biology Cynthia Downs and other students. That resulted in Amy being listed among the co-authors on a scholarly paper. This summer, she’s working on research that requires a new set of skills.
Topic -
Amelia Boyd ’20 began every morning at 5 a.m., searching for bird nests in Butte Valley, California. Once the nesting season got started, Boyd and her research team had a limited window, so they had to work hard to take advantage of it. After the early wake-up call, Boyd spent up to 11 hours each day combing the grasslands and juniper forests of Butte Valley.
Topic -
Although most students have gone home for the summer, Enogie Omoregbee ’21 and Christopher Hart ’19 are sticking around to make the campus a greener, more environmentally friendly place.
Topic -
Nothing could have prepared Vince Sorrentino ’20 for what it was like to work in a hospital: grumpy patients, serious wound care, and lots of bodily fluids. It was an up close and personal look at hospital work for a student on the job—one of seven Hamilton students participating in a summer program with SUNY Upstate Medical University.
-
Sarah Kane ‘19 spent the spring semester in Bristol, England, in a behavioral biology program studying animal welfare and the laws that surround wild animals, and clinical animal behavior focusing on cats and dogs. Kane also wrote a dissertation with Dr. Nicola Rooney on the accuracy, or specificity and sensitivity of diabetic alert dogs.
Topic
Contact
Department Name
Biology Department
Clinton, NY 13323
