Lower-Division Courses

Biology Courses for Non-majors

• BIO 100 - Perspectives in Biology
• BIO 115 - Explorations in Regional Biology (Australia, East Africa, Ecuador)

Core Biology Curriculum for Majors

• BIO 110: Biological Investigations
  • Introduction to scientific investigation through project-based studies of biological phenomena in the lab or field. Topics in this hands-on course introduce students to experimental design, data collection, data analysis, hypothesis testing, and scientific communication. The specific focus of individual Bio 110 sections will vary with faculty expertise. Sections offered in Spring of 2026 are described below.
    • BIO 110-01: The forest and its inhabitants (heidil@lclark.edu).
      This section will explore the structure and function of plants and animals and their ecological interactions in the forested areas around our campus. Students will learn about seed dispersal, species interactions (predation, competition, mutualism), and the effect of invasive species on local biological communities. Working in groups, students will learn about and apply the scientific method to carry out their own experimental and field-based studies of these phenomena, and learn to analyze data in R and report their results (both orally and in written form). This section will also introduce students to how field biologists ask and answer questions and how they design studies in a field setting with all the complexities that entails.
    • BIO 110-02: Animal personality and the ecology of fear (tburkhard@lclark.edu)
      Why do some animals take risks while others play it safe? Why do some explore new habitats while others stay close to home? This section explores how evolution and ecology shape animal behavior and decision-making in the wild. Students will investigate how individual differences in behavior, or “animal personality,” influence survival, reproduction, and responses to predators. This course will also examine the “ecology of fear,” which refers to how prey species alter their behavior in response to perceived predation risk, and whether differences in personality predict how animals perceive threats. This course emphasizes hands-on fieldwork, independent data collection, and rigorous statistical analysis. Research will take place both during scheduled class periods and outside of class, often outdoors in all weather conditions. Expect to spend time walking and working in Tryon Creek each week, including 1-2 early morning (7am) field trips during the semester. Participants will design and carry out behavioral ecology studies, analyze data in R, and communicate their findings through an oral presentation and two written assignments.
    • BIO 110-03 Antibiotic Hunters (lindygewin@lclark.edu)
      This section will explore the scientific method in a search for new antibiotics produced by soil bacteria. Antibiotic-resistant infections are a growing issue throughout the world. Students will grow bacteria from soil samples, screen them for antibiotic activity, and work to identify any candidate microbes using current techniques of microbiology, biochemistry and DNA sequencing. The results of these experiments will be shared with the class and interesting candidate antibiotic microbes will be added to an international student-sourced antibiotic discovery database called Tiny Earth.

BIO 201: Biological Core Concepts - Systems  

• • • • This 4-credit, lecture- and discussion-based course serves as an introduction to core principles that underlie all of biology, illustrated through evidence-driven examples centered on integrative organismal biology and organisms’ interactions with the biotic and physical environment.
• BIO 202: Biological Core Concepts - Mechanisms
  • This 4-credit, lecture- and discussion-based course serves as an introduction to core principles that underlie all of biology, illustrated through evidence-driven examples centered on interactions among molecules and cells within organisms.

Second-year Biology Courses for Majors

• BIO 244 - Practicum
• BIO 252 - Introduction to Neuroscience