Field Trips and Field Classes
The Department is committed to providing field opportunities where students can acquire experience with many kinds of organisms in a multitude of habitats. Our location in the highlands of the Blue Ridge Mountains provides easy access for class field trips during lab periods and to coastal regions and nearby mountainous areas on weekends. Our on-campus Nature Preserve and other managed land tracts are  available for class projects for groups and individuals, and many of the field classes take advantage of these areas for in-depth field investigations. Organismal courses that offer a field component include Ecology, Systematic Botany, Marine Biology, Nature Study, Ornithology, Entomology, Mycology, Ichthyology, Mammalogy, Herpetology, and Animal Behavior-Ethology.
Several courses are taught off-site in the field, in areas such as Costa Rica, Hawaii, the southwestern United States, Guatemala, and Belize. These courses range in length from 10 days to three weeks and offer tremendous opportunities to explore diverse biota around the world. During spring break, students in the Ornithology and Biogeography classes have the opportunity to travel to the Florida Keys. A Desert Ecology course takes students on a three week excursion to the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts of the southwestern United States. Coral Reef Biology is offered each summer and students spend a week studying coral reefs off the coast of Belize, in Central America. During the Christmas break, the Department co-sponsors an  international trip with the Department of Geography and Planning to Costa Rica, where the students study biogeography and ecology. The Department also offers a course entitled ?The Natural History of Hawaii? which includes an 18-day trip to the Hawaiian Islands to study biogeography, biodiversity, and the impact of humans on the island ecosystems. For more information on these trips, contact the office of the Department of Biology.
Research Opportunities for Undergraduates
The Department of Biology is committed to providing research opportunities for undergraduates. The broad spectrum of faculty expertise in the Department provides many possible research avenues for the motivated student. The Department sponsors an active chapter of the Beta-Beta-Beta honor society and frequently has undergraduate students presenting papers at regional and national scientific meetings. Each year, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School sponsor a research day where undergraduates and graduates present their research findings to the University community. Departmental funds are often available for students to attend meetings and present their research findings.
Undergraduate Advising
The Department of Biology considers undergraduate advising to be a crucial part of its mission. The faculty have an open door policy that encourages students to discuss academic and career issues and works closely with the Academic Advising Center in making sure that students get quality advice on class scheduling, career development, and personal development. The faculty are available to help students develop realistic and successful academic programs and explore career opportunities.
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