Biology

Examine life at the cellular level. Research new ways to cure disease. Survey marine organisms in their Puget Sound and Pacific Ocean habitats. Delve into the complex relationship between mathematical models and experimental results. Share your passion for science. 

Biology and life sciences will prepare you for a career in medicine or the health professions, for a teaching career in secondary schools, or as a prerequisite for graduate study in science. As part of your liberal arts education, Evergreen’s mixture of interdisciplinary study and hands-on lab and field research will teach you how to apply scientific principles to solving real-world problems.

Studying science at Evergreen is a different experience than what science majors get at most universities. Here biology, chemistry, physics, and other disciplines are woven together, providing a unique interdisciplinary education. From high-tech labs to field studies, you’ll develop an appreciation of the levels of organization of life, their diversity, and how physical, chemical, and geological processes have shaped life on earth.

At Evergreen, you’ll immediately begin learning to use sophisticated scientific equipment to answer complex biological questions. Many yearlong science programs begin with foundational work and quickly transition to student research projects so that all students gain scientific skills.

You’ll also have opportunities to do scientific research as part of faculty research programs. Numerous students present their work at scientific meetings and have been authors on technical papers.

Join us in an education that doesn’t just change your life — it gives you the tools to change the world.

Sample Program

Integrated Natural Science

Offered Fall 2018–Spring 2019

This yearlong interdisciplinary program focuses on transformations of matter and energy in and between living and nonliving systems. You will end the program with a working knowledge of scientific, mathematical, and computational concepts, ability to reason critically and to solve problems, and with hands-on experience in natural science. You'll also gain a strong appreciation of the interconnectedness of biological and physical systems, and an ability to apply this knowledge to complex problems.

View this program in the catalog.

After Graduation

Evergreen biology graduates have an excellent record of success in graduate and professional schools, as well as working in a variety of scientific and technical fields. An Evergreen biology degree prepares you for jobs in laboratories, universities, or industry, and is excellent preparation for earning a graduate degree.

It can be your springboard into professional school, where you’ll train to become a physician, dentist, veterinarian, or attorney. Or you can earn a teaching certificate so you can teach in high-demand science in K-12 schools. You’ll also be well prepared for a career in sales and marketing in science-related industries. The possibilities are limited only by your energy and ambition.

Facilities & Resources

Science Laboratories

Students of all levels have access to science labs with a full range of equipment and high-tech tools. Our students have unique opportunities to conduct scientific research using high-quality instruments, such as a scanning electron microscope and a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. In addition, they use some of the best modern software available.

Computer Applications Lab (CAL)

The CAL supports the campus community with computing technologies for scientific inquiry.

Phage Biology Lab

The phage lab has been a center for undergraduate research at Evergreen since 1972. Today, there are generally 10 to 15 students involved in work in the lab, analyzing these natural disease-fighting bacteriophages. Students have presented at various recent regional, national, and international meetings, including the biennial Evergreen International Phage Biology meetings.

Lab Stores

Goggles, lab coats, and a whole lot more, including teaching technicians who will help you determine what you need for your experiments.

Evergreen Ecological Observation Network (EEON)

EEON is a long-term research effort involving students and faculty conducting research in Evergreen’s 1,000-acre Puget Sound lowland second-growth rainforest. Their work is centered on 44 intensively studied long-term monitoring plots where they’re measuring biological diversity, development, carbon dynamics, and other characteristics.

Science Carnival and Research Exposition

The largest event of its kind in Washington, the Science Carnival offers hundreds of presentations from Evergreen science students with an emphasis on demonstration, hands-on participation and fun, plus a volcano! More than 1,000 elementary, high school and college students and community members crowd Red Square and the science labs to learn and get excited about science. Topics include chemistry, computer science, biology, food science, health, physics, optics, geology, marine science, and a wide range of other disciplines.

Recent Student Projects

• Isolation of bacteriophages for use as a biocontrol agent of Yersinia ruckeri, the salmonid pathogen
• Insights into HIV: Innate immunity of lemuriformes
• Illuminating oxygen deprivation in heart attacks: A novel method based on phosphorescence quenching
• Monitoring effects of atrazine and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane on the proliferation of MCF-7 cells in vitro
• Optimization of a bacterially-mediated gene-based vaccine delivery system
• Semisynthesis of berberine derivative and its anti-cancer effects