Integrated Biology and Chemistry

What are the elemental building blocks of the universe and all organisms? How do organisms learn to survive their changing environments and how to do they adapt? Where are the frontiers of chemistry and biology taking us next?

Programs on the Integrated Biology and Chemistry Path show how life and matter are connected on many levels. Through lab experiments, field work, hands-on research, and science writing, you’ll gain the full range of skills needed to launch your career as a scientist.

Biology and chemistry, together

Biology and chemistry are integrally connected. In programs on this Path, you’ll dive into both subjects together, giving you a more complete scientific perspective on how life functions on many levels.

Learn by doing through unprecedented access to our forests, shorelines, high-tech scientific instruments, and exceptional lab facilities.

• Investigate organisms in their environments
• Study chemical reactions critical to living systems
• Analyze samples to understand biochemical processes
• Solve problems using both biological and chemical knowledge
• Become an ambassador for science

With knowledge of both biology and chemistry, you’ll be ready to tackle challenges in graduate school, your career, and the world at large.

Highlights of this Path

State-of-the-art labs

Get hands-on experience in chemistry and biology labs where you’ll learn the collaborative and analytical skills professional scientists use every day. 

On this Path, you’ll have access to labs for:

• Analytical chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Bioinformatics 
• Computer applications 
• General chemistry
• Microbiology
• Molecular biology 
• Organic chemistry 
• Physiology
• Tissue culture 
• Virology

You’ll also get to use the local forest and shorelines as living laboratories to explore questions of biological diversity, organismal behavior, water quality, nitrogen cycling, and more.

Get hands-on with scientific instruments

The independence and support you get as an undergrad scientist at Evergreen is a one-of-a-kind experience. In programs on this Path, you’ll learn to prepare and run your own samples and get to know advanced scientific instruments well enough to put them on your resume.

Graduating with skills in using these instruments will give you an edge over competition when applying for graduate schools, research opportunities, and jobs in the field.

Learn more about the instruments.

Undergraduate research experiences

Faculty on this Path are passionate about their fields and often invite their students to participate in ongoing research. You’ll have opportunities to get to know your faculty, learn about their projects, and join them in doing professional research.

You’ll enjoy more access to the whole scientific process as an undergrad, making you stand out to graduate schools and employers after you graduate.

Internships and independent learning contracts

Faculty on this Path are passionate about helping you study what you’re most interested in. Sometimes that means letting you step out of the classroom for an independent experience such as internship or a learning contract of your own design.

Every year, Evergreen students take on life-changing internships with local organizations or government institutions. An opportunity like this could launch you into a career in the field where you can make a lasting impact on scientific work in Washington state and beyond.

Showcase your knowledge

You’ll have opportunities to share your passion for science and gain skills as an educator. You can get paid lab positions, become a tutor in the QuaSR (Qualitative and Symbolic Reasoning) Center, and get involved with outreach experiences such as the annual science carnival that attracts kids from K–12 schools around the region.

Campus forest and beach

Evergreen’s campus is a living laboratory you can learn from every day. The campus forest is the perfect place to learn how to measure the forest ecosystem and how to manage and conserve vital natural areas.

Evergreen’s beach gives you amazing opportunities to get hands-on with marine biology and aquatic sciences. You’ll learn to identify and analyze marine life and gain an understanding of human impacts on the shorelines and oceans.

Science Support Center

The Science Support Center is the hub for all science operations at Evergreen. It’s home to a vast array of equipment and supplies. If you’re conducting independent research, this is where you’ll go to secure lab space, connect with technicians, check out equipment, and more.