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Department

Department of Biological and Physical Sciences

Conduct research in fully-equipped laboratories in the state-of-the-art Testa Science Center with esteemed faculty who will mentor, challenge and encourage you to excel.

The Department of Biological and Physical Sciences

The Department of Biological and Physical Sciences offers you the opportunity to work alongside faculty researchers in our state-of-the-art science center. Through living and learning in a community that is dedicated to you and your future, you earn an education that grows and nurtures students into employees and co-workers who are known for their hard work and are known as well-rounded individuals.

From the classroom to the laboratory, you learn from an accomplished faculty with years of specialized experience in such fields as cancer biology, synthetic organic chemistry, and theoretical physics. Students within the department might find themselves working side-by-side with a professor conducting experiments and analyzing data – and, perhaps, publishing their results in scientific journals. Worcester and its surrounding areas offer a diverse and ample landscape with highly regarded industries within the medical field and beyond for students to gain hands-on experience.

Academics

The department offers majors in biology, biology with a concentration in neuroscience and behavior, biotechnology and molecular biology, neuroscience, chemistry, and environmental science. The department also offers minors in biology, environmental science, and chemistry, and it co-sponsors a concentration in physical and occupational therapy with the Department of Health and Human Services. Research opportunities are available at the University and at nearby institutions (e.g., the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Biotechnology Park). Students who are interested in engineering have the opportunity to participate in our partnership agreements with both the University of Notre Dame and Washington University in St. Louis.

The Department of Biological and Physical Sciences continues to change and expand just as science does. We now have programs in Neuroscience and Engineering to complement our Biotechnology and more traditional Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science programs. Our strength continues to be our hands-on approach to helping our students learn and understand science. Students have access to our faculty not only in the classroom but in every laboratory as well. This helps them develop a firm foundation in the sciences that will carry them forward to internships and research experiences both on campus and at many of the region’s scientific institutions and companies. We take pride in our students’ successes, both at Assumption and after graduation, knowing that we are helping to advance our understanding of the world around us and to improve the human condition.

~ Brian Niece, Ph.D., Department Chair, Biological and Physical Sciences

Interested in pursuing a medical, dentistry, or other health profession degree? The major in Pre-Clinical Health Science is designed to prepare students for graduate study in one of the many clinical health professions, including, but not limited to, medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, physician assistant studies, pharmacy, and optometry. Faculty advisors will work with you from the day you arrive on campus to chart a course toward achieving that goal.

Features and Benefits of a Degree in Biological and Physical Sciences

  • Work alongside faculty in Assumption’s 17 teaching/research labs and greenhouse in the state-of-the-art Testa Science Center.
  • Benefit from Assumption’s articulation agreements with highly competitive graduate programs – Assumption students are offered numerous opportunities for guaranteed admission and/or accelerated degrees on intensive scientific study.
  • Apply for funded research grants and choice internships in Worcester, Boston and beyond.
  • Explore our American Chemical Society-accredited Chemistry major – a highly regarded certification that reflects the expertise of our faculty and the strength of our academic program.
  • The Department of Biological and Physical Sciences is dedicated to preparing students to live and work in a changing world by ensuring competency in the natural sciences and scientific inquiry. The department strives to provide a basic understanding of classical and contemporary scientific concepts in these areas. While developing an understanding of the scientific process and its application, the following critical skills are stressed: observation, inquiry, data collection, analysis, communication, and correlation of scientific concepts. The department prepares students for careers and professional opportunities in the sciences as well as for life-long learning in the context of a liberal arts curriculum in the Catholic tradition.


 


Biology

Undergraduate

Chemistry

Undergraduate

Engineering Science

Undergraduate

Environmental Science

Undergraduate

Health Professions

Undergraduate

Neuroscience

Undergraduate

Physics

Undergraduate

Pre-Dental

Undergraduate

Pre-Med

Undergraduate

Pre-Vet

Undergraduate

Department of Biological and Physical Sciences Faculty

Brian K. Niece, Ph.D
Department Chair, Biological and Physical Sciences Department Chair, Biological and Physical Sciences Professor of Chemistry
Vladimir Atryzek
Adjunct Faculty
Soraya V. Betancourt-Calle, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Practice
Elizabeth A. Colby Davie, Ph.D.
Director of the Honors Program Professor of Organic Chemistry
Stuart I. Cromarty, Ph.D
Professor of Biology
David Crowley, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology Director of ASPIRE Associate Director of the Center for Purpose and Vocation
Edward J. Dix, Ph.D
Professor of Chemistry
Georgi Y. Georgiev, Ph.D
Professor of Physics
Maria Teresa Herd
Assistant Professor of Physics Associate Professor of Physics 3-2 engineering program director
Beth Imhoff-Kunsch
Adjunct Faculty
Benjamin Knurr, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Sanga Kuga
Adjunct Faculty
Michele Lemons, Ph.D
Professor of Biology
Nicolas (Nikos) Lessios, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biology
Mina Lim
Adjunct Faculty
Paul Mahon, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor of Biology
Laura L. Marcotte, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Jessica McCready, Ph.D.
Chair, Department of Health and Human Services Professor of Biology
Jean M. Mukherjee
Adjunct Faculty
Jessica Rosewitz
Adjunct Faculty
Anthony Sacino
Assistant Professor of Practice
Kimberly A. Schandel, Ph.D
Dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies Associate Professor of Biology and Chemistry
Steven Theroux, Ph.D
Professor of Biology
Wego Wang
Adjunct Faculty, Physics
Jessica Lucas Whitt, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Practice

About the Department

    • Using carbon nanotubes for electromechanical devices
    • Developing a tool for identifying antibody-producing cells
    • Quantifying contaminants in local bodies of water
    • Studying the biology of aggression
    • Investigating the biology of metastasis in cancer
    • Developing synthetic method for interesting molecules
  • Assumption has forged an articulation agreement with Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) called a Collaborative Accelerated Master’s Program (CAMP) in Neuroscience. This agreement allows Assumption students (not restricted to neuroscience majors) to apply to WPI’s Master’s Neuroscience program while still undergraduates. Accepted students can pursue a master’s degree in neuroscience at WPI in an accelerated time frame after completing their bachelor’s degree at Assumption. Currently enrolled Assumption undergraduates can earn graduate credit (up to 12 credits) towards a Master’s degree in Neuroscience at WPI by successfully completing a selected list of courses. These courses include undergraduate courses at Assumption and at WPI, in addition to a selected list of graduate level courses at WPI, at no additional cost beyond undergraduate Assumption tuition. WPI has agreed to pay tuition for up to 2 WPI graduate courses to currently enrolled Assumption students. Please see Assumption’s Center for Neuroscience Director for more information.

  • Professor Maria-Teresa Herd has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to lead research measuring the ionization energy of Lithium, an alkali metal. Through this grant, six Assumption students will also receive funding for summer research relating to this work. The research will be done at Assumption and at Smith College, in their atomic physics lab, which has specialized equipment needed to conduct the research.