Every Fall and Spring semester, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Council recognizes graduating seniors who have gone above and beyond while attending Iowa State. 

This Fall, one of our students, Augusta Hamaker, has received the award for Distinguished Service.  This award recognizes a senior who has dedicated their time to better their community through community service activities and organizations. 

Augusta has been very involved with SHOP (Students Helping Our Peers), a student organization that serves as a food pantry for Iowa State students, faculty, and staff experiencing food insecurity.

After serving as the Biology Program Director for 15 years, Dr. Jim Colbert (EEOB) is stepping down and passing the torch to Dr. Don Sakaguchi (GDCB). 

Students returning to campus for the Fall 2020 semester will get to enjoy some newly-renovated spaces in Bessey Hall.  

New Study Spaces

Construction of these two new student use spaces began earlier in the Spring 2020 term and is now completed.  Located on the first floor of Bessey Hall, these will be great for studying!

Renovated Lecture Space

Recognize 210 Bessey Hall?  This room has hosted seminar speakers from around the world and been home to many mid-sized Biology Program classes.  With students off campus for the Spring, this renovation project was able to move forward early and will be finished for Fall 2020.  

The Biology Program is offering a new advanced biology course for students to take as part of their program of study this Fall 2020:

Biology of Aging (BIOL 421X) - 3 credits

Meeting Times for Fall 2020: this course is delivered through web instruction

Instructors: Anne Bronikowski (abroniko@iastate.edu)  

Prerequisites: BIOL 211 and BIOL 212

Course Description: Basic biological principles of aging. Course modules include an introduction to the aging process, body systems and normal aging, and environment and the biology of aging. In addition, disorders and diseases of aging, prevention and treatment and exercise and aging topics will be covered. 

The Biology Program is offering a new advanced biology course for students to take as part of their program of study this Fall 2020:

Bee Biology, Management, and Beekeeping (BIOL 358X) - 3 credits

Meeting Times for Fall 2020: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:40 pm to 2:00 pm

Instructors: Amy Toth (amytoth@iastate.edu) and Randall Cass (randall@iastate.edu) 

Prerequisites: previous coursework at the 200-level in biology, entomology, and/or agriculture; or by instructor permission

The Biology Program is offering a special, online only substitute for ecology (BIOL 312) for students who were planning to take the course Summer 2020.  This course - BIOL 495 section T1 (Special Topics in Ecology) -  will be taught by Professor Tom Jurik.  Students who have additional questions about the course should contact Dr. Jurik at jurik@iastate.edu.  

In order to register for this course, follow these special instructions as the course will not be searchable in the AccessPlus registration system:

Attention current students!  Are you interested in learning why genomes vary so much in size (from less than 50 to over 100,000 megabases)?  What lurks in genomes besides genes?  How do these different genomic components evolve?

In Fall 2020, a new special topics seminar (BIOL 495) will be taught on Genome Evolution that addresses these and many other questions.  The course is worth 2 credits that will satisfy advanced biology degree requirements and meet on Tuesdays, from 2:10 to 4:00 pm.  Students should have completed BIOL 313 (genetics) and BIOL 315 (evolution).  You can add the course to your Fall 2020 schedule with the reference number 2075265.  

Professor Tom Jurik is offering a new seminar in the Spring 2020 semester for students interested in exploring how climate change impacts biology.  The seminar will count as an advanced biology course for Biology majors and is graded on a satisfactory-fail basis.  Students should have a good grasp of ecology before enrolling in the course and course activities will include reading the primary literature on the subject, guiding discussions, and giving presentations.  There is a lot to study when it comes to the impacts of climate change on living organisms ranging from ocean acidification to changes in community structure. More information