Resources
A number of special resources enrich students’ experiences studying biology at Richmond.
Gottwald Science Center
Dedicated in 2006 after a $37 million expansion and renovation, the Gottwald Center for the Sciences is the home of the biology, chemistry and physics departments and houses 22 teaching labs along with 50 student-faculty research laboratories.
The Herbarium
An herbarium is a museum collection of dried plant specimens. The first herbarium collection at the University of Richmond was assembled by Paul R. Merriman in the early 20th century and is managed today by professor W. John Hayden.
The Greenhouse
The Department of Biology maintains two greenhouses where plants are grown to support biological teaching and research. Botanists in the department completed an inventory of the greenhouse collection in 1993 and since then, have updated it with some regularity.
Catalogue of Invasive Exotic Plants
Invasive exotic plants are plants artificially introduced from their natural geographic range into a new area where they expand both their population and distribution range, significantly changing the structure and function of the new system. Botanists believe that 80 of Virginia's 200 species of invasive exotic plants surivive on campus.
Research vessel (20' Boston Whaler)
Animal Care Facility (aquatic and marine)
Catalogue of Trees and Shrubs at Richmond
In 2001, the Department of Biology began a project to fully document the woody species that grow on the University of Richmond campus. The project was led by Tihomir Kostadinov '02 and professor W. John Hayden.
Lab Safety
Safety in the science labs is a critical component of conducting research and coursework and the university follows established safety protocol for chemicals, equipment and radioactive materials.
Biological Imaging Lab
This state-of-the-art microscopy facility is located on the ground floor of the Gottwald Center for the Sciences and allows students to work with microscopy techniques that are not often available at the undergraduate level.
Integrated Quantitative Science Course
Incoming biology students can choose to take advantage of the University’s integrated quantitative (IQ) science program, a year-long course developed as part of a $1.4 million grant the University received from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The IQ science course is team taught by 10 professors and combines material from the introductory courses in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and computer science.
Students earn four units of credit and finish the course prepared to enter the second course in the biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics or computer science majors. Students who are interested in the program should apply to participate before they arrive on campus. All students who are accepted into the program also receive financial support to participate in an undergraduate summer research project.
The course is perfect for highly motivated students with aptitude and interest in the sciences. IQ science is perfect preparation for students interested in attending graduate school or medical school.
Discipline-Specific Library Research Guide
Subject librarians at the University of Richmond Libraries maintain discipline-specific research guides for every academic course of study offered through the School of Arts & Sciences. Students in the Department of Biology can contact the subject librarian directly, view top recommended resources and conduct discipline-specific searches of databases and Web sites. In addition, subject librarians frequently highlight new titles related to the academic field.
