Walk into the glass-fronted building on the edge of campus and you’ll see it buzzing with students in lab coats and goggles…well, maybe not all the time. But Iadarola does house the biology department, a major for anyone willing to dedicate time and effort for the love of science.
Dr. Kimberly Boyd, head of the department, confirms that being a biology major requires being passionate, committed and extra hardworking.
“It’s a very hands-on major,” Boyd said. “It requires much more time than other majors because you are in the lab at least three hours a week.”
Rick Tumminello, senior biology major, says he doesn’t mind the work.
“I fell in love with science here in Bio 101,” Tumminello said, even though he had no interest in high school. Now participating in his year-long senior capstone project with Dr. Espie, he feels more than prepared to continue his education in medical school.
Tumminello’s previous research was presented at Cabrini’s symposium last spring.
“The independent research has been one of my favorite things,” Tumminello said.
It gives students a chance to focus on one topic and work in intensive detail on it. Each student has a faculty adviser but mainly works on their own.
“They get to apply what they learn in lecture and see a project go from start to finish,” Boyd said, which she says is the ultimate preparation for the professional world.
Many biology majors continue on to medical school or the pharmacy field.
So do all the long hours and intense research pay off?
“Oh yeah!,” Boyd said. “If it’s the right thing for you, then it doesn’t matter. It’s what we love doing.”
