Kristine Specht ’09
Biology (Area of Concentration Cell Biology and Biochemistry); Pre-Med
F08-S09 D-plan: L(on-campus)-R-R

Favorite and least favorite thing about department: The format of the major is my favorite, and least favorite, thing about the Biology department. On one hand, it offers majors a great amount of flexibility in what classes they choose to take, while also giving them the opportunity to concentrate in a really specific area of biology. The downside to this is that it’s daunting to map out pre-recs and D-plans. The freedom of choice can be overwhelming, and since the ORC only looks 2 years ahead, it’s hard to make a plan. That said, the Bio Profs are all really nice and are willing to help you navigate the major. This major advisor relationship is also a great opportunity to get to know a faculty member!

Important info for potential majors: First, don’t pick classes based on your concentration… choose your concentration based on your classes. Second, don’t forget: it’s not only about choosing a major… you need to choose an advisor too. Get to know your Professors; they can be your advisor, or refer you to another Prof. in your area of concentration.

Talk to me if: you’re most interested in Cell Bio/Biochem/Human Bio/Genetics, if you want info on the Women In Science Project, or if you have pre-med questions.

Most valuable academic information learned: Get to know your Professors! It’s such a cliché thing to say, but to really get involved in a department you have to get to know the faculty. Go to their office hours when you’re in their classes, get involved with research in one of their labs… Profs want to give you these opportunities to excel, so take them!

Favorite class and professor: BIO 37 with Professor Witters

Major classes taken: BIOL 16(old), 15(old), 14, 37, 40, 44, 45; CHEM 52

Major journey: I’ve always known I wanted to be a Bio major, but I wasn’t sure what area I wanted to concentrate in when I arrived at Dartmouth. To solve this problem, I choose classes first, then saw what concentrations were open to me. Deciding which of the 3 concentrations my classes fell into would have been difficult to do alone, but my advisor and I decided together to include both Cell Biology and Biochemistry as concentrations.

Major specific activities: Research in Professor Bickel’s lab, TA for Bio 2, Honors Thesis in the lab of Professor Sharon Bickel

Thesis Status: I will be writing a thesis on a research project I started freshman winter as a WISP. I work in Professor Sharon Bickel’s lab studying proteins involved in chromosome cohesion in D. melanogaster meiosis. Specifically, I’m characterizing how two proteins - ORD, which everyone in our lab studies and Pellino, which is my particular protein of interest - collaborate to prevent non-disjunction errors from occurring. I will be on campus doing full time thesis research this summer and fall, and plan to take Bio 97 and 99 senior spring.

Off Campus Program: Either clinical research or a pharmaceutical internship Winter ’08.

Other activities: TA for ENGS 13 & 5, BIOL 2, and CHEM 51; UGA; Fusion Dance Ensemble; WISP - PMP Coordinator; Tutor and Study Group Leader through ASC

Internship experience: On Campus Research: WISP First Year Intern Barbara Crute Memorial Intern Presidential Scholar
Summer and Leave Term Experiences: Intern at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, CT (worked on marketing materials for their Occupational Health Department) Radiology Tech Aid at Fairfield County Imaging in Bridgeport/Trumbull, CT SMDEP Program at Yale Medical School.

Max Lindeman ’10
Biology (Physiology and Organismal Biology); Pre-Med
F08-S09 D-plan: R-R-R

Favorite and least favorite thing about department: My favorite thing about the biology department is how diverse the course selection is. There is so much to learn in a field as dynamic as biology, and with such a variety of classes available, it is possible to keep abreast of each advancement. Also, I really like how helpful and excited professors are to recruit new students to the major and serve as advisors. My least favorite thing about the department is that several of the upper level courses are only offered in alternate years, which makes it difficult or impossible to take some of the classes you want.

Important info for potential majors: The concentrations in the biology department are not as strict or rigid as they appear; you can develop a concentration based on classes that best suit your interests and/or needs. What’s most important is selecting and developing a good relationship with your advisor so that you can succeed on whichever path you choose.

Talk to me if: Talk to me if you’re interested in several areas of biology that do not necessarily fall within one concentration, or if interested in the summer organic chemistry program at Harvard.

Most valuable academic information learned:It is important to set goals for yourself and have some kind of plan for how you will deal with each class each term so that classes don’t become overwhelming as the workload becomes more intense.

Favorite class and professor:In the biology department, I really liked Professor Dolph and his Gene Expression and Inheritance (Biol 13) class, though the labs for Microevolution (Biol 15) were probably my favorite. Outside the department, my favorite class overall has been Primate Societies (Anth 42), which is taught by Professor Dobson.

Major classes taken: Biol 11, 12, 13, 15; Chem 5, 6, 51, 52; Math 11

Major journey: I found that when I was looking for classes each term, several classes in the biology department would always catch my eye. The more biology classes I took, the more interested I became, so I decided to major in it.

Other activities: Students Fighting Hunger

Off Campus Program: Transfer term at Harvard, 07X

Yiran Gu ’09
Biology/Ecology
F08-S09 D-plan: R-R-R

Favorite and least favorite thing about department: The major is structured such that you can take whatever upper-level classes you want, which gives you more flexibility and control over your course selection. The ecology professors are not only inspiring, engaging and at the forefront of their fields, but also heavily invested in the progress of their students. There are a lot of field research opportunities available to even first year students, such as the Women In Science Project, summer field assistant positions, the FSP, and the Presidential Scholarship program. These research opportunities allowed me to experience first hand what it’s like to be an ecologist. Unfortunately, at the department level, the ecology and evolutionary sub-major often don’t get as much attention as the molecular and genetic sub-major.

Important info for potential majors: Don’t let the intro classes discourage you from pursuing your interests. Upper-level courses are almost always smaller and have more fun labs. Also, you don’t have to take all the core requirements before starting on your concentration classes.

Talk to me if: You want to compare Biology and Environmental Studies departments & FSPs. I’m a double major and I’ve been on both FSPs.

Most valuable academic information learned:The more you engage in a class, the better you’ll do in it. Talking to the professor is a great way to do so.

Favorite class and professor: Bio 57, Field Research in Tropical Ecology, was my favorite biology course. We designed, executed, and completed our own short-term research projects in the different regions and ecosystems of the tropical nation Costa Rica. It allowed me to experience the excitements and challenges of being an ecologist.

Major classes taken: BIO 14, 21, 22, 29, 55, 56, 57

Major journey: While listening to the professors introduce BIO 14 topics my first day of classes my freshman fall, I realized that ecology is exactly what I am interested in learning about, and have continued studying ecology ever since.

Major specific activities:Women In Sciences Project Field research assistant Presidential scholar

Other activities: Epsilon Kappa Theta – Secretary/Membership Selection, Dartmouth Chinese Culture Society—Treasurer, Dartmouth Chamber Singers, Badminton Club, Dartmouth Organic Farm

Off Campus Program: French LSA in Lyon, 07S; Environmental Studies FSP in South Africa, Namibian & Swaziland, 07F; Biology FSP in Costa Rica & Little Cayman Island, 08W

Samantha Haw’10
Biology (AOC: Animal Biology); Pre-vet
F08-S09 D-plan: R-R-L

Favorite and least favorite thing about department: The biology professors are amazing – they’re fun,wacky, easy to talk to, and are a great group of chill profs to get to know. Sure they can be a bit strange at times, but that’s part of what adds character to the bio department. For me, a downside of the department is its lack of animal science or more macro-animal-related classes. Being a pre-vet oriented student, it’s a bit of a challenge to find internships or interesting animal-oriented classes. For obvious reasons, Dartmouth is significantly pre-med oriented, and thus there are a significant number of opportunities and resources for human medicine as opposed to animal. However, the professors are still great in trying to help you find things related to your interests.

Important info for potential majors: Go with your gut, and major in something you love. If you’re interested in being pre-med or something, don’t just become a bio major because “everyone else is.” Take classes in a wide variety of departments, and if the biology ones are those you enjoy the most and get a kick out of, then bio’s for you.

Talk to me if: you’re considering pursuing veterinary medicine, interested in animal science, or are torn between choosing a “well this is what most people pursuing my career major in”- major and one you really like just ‘cause.

Most valuable academic information learned: Make sure you take the time to take those different, random, potentially-useless classes that you want to take just because they sound like they could be cool or interesting. A lot of times it seems like students get so caught up with focusing only on classes they “need to” that they don’t always recognize the fact that college only happens once, and you should take advantage of all the different educational opportunities you have.

Favorite class and professor: I haven’t had a chance to take many of the bio classes yet, but I had a lot of fun in Ecology (Bio 16) with Becky Irwin. We had a good group, did a bunch of fun labs, and I learned a lot. For example, I can now tell you the difference between red maples and sugar maples, know the Latin names of many New England trees, and collected a crayfish out of White River.

Major classes taken: BIO 11, 16. (CHEM 5,6, 51; MATH 8)

Major journey: I kind of always knew I wanted to be a biology major, because biology is what I love. I’ve always found it enjoyable and interesting. Being pre-vet and a bio student is hard. I’m not a superstar bio student and don’t always perform the best academically in the bio classes, but when it comes down to it, I love bio and like learning about it.

Major specific activities: WISP, NSS & the Pre-Vet Society, Howard Hughes Medical Institute research intern (Physiology dept. at DHMC)

Thesis status: Nope, no thesis for me.

Other activities: DAO Pals; SAPA (Sexual Abuse Peer Advisor); MAV (Mentors Against Violence); Cabin & Trail; Organic Farm; and Link-Up.

Off Campus Program:Spanish LSA in Puebla, Mexico, 08W

Internship experience: I worked with Ryan Calsbeek in the Biology department as a WISP intern researching sexual conflict in the Cuban Anole during 07W, 07S, and 07F. Right now I am a HHMI fellow working in the Physiology department at DHMC as part of the SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) lab looking at physiological changes in rat pups while suckling.