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Department of Biology

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Students in Eastern's biology program become biologists through extensive practice, spending more time in the laboratory and field than in lecture. They learn about life processes while developing analytical skills and technical expertise.

  • State-of-art scientific equipment
  • Small classes
  • Full-time faculty
  • Tropical Biology field course—50 years in the Caribbean and counting
  • Summer internship opportunities
  • Independent research mentored by individual faculty members
  • Present your work at regional, national and international scientific conferences
  • Prepare for graduate/professional school
  • Careers range from genetics to dentistry; from medicine to optometry and veterinary science; from ecology to plant biology, marine biology, biotechnology and teaching
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Eastern Success Scholars Program

Success Scholars seeks to support students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, through scholarships and purposeful faculty and peer relationships formed to foster academic learning and trust, ultimately leading to improved achievement, retention and graduation rates. You must be a US citizen or permanent resident to be eligible.  The comprehensive plan includes a summer orientation program, a STEM-focused first-year seminar, faculty and peer mentoring in biology and mathematical sciences courses, learning communities that continue through a scholar’s tenure, research experiences, and research and career seminars.

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Department Chair
Joshua Idjadi
Science Building Rm. 358
(860) 465-0034
(860) 465-5213
idjadij@easternct.edu
Assistant Chair
W. Brett Mattingly
Science Building Rm. 364
(860) 465-4499
(860) 465-5213
mattinglyw@easternct.edu
Secretary II
Julie McGowan
Science Building Rm. 368
(860) 465-4369
(860) 465-5213
mcgowanju@easternct.edu
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Biology Department (@ecsubiology) • Instagram photos and videos

In the News

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Dean Emerita Carmen Cid honored with ESA service award

June 12, 2025

Carmen Cid, dean emerita at Eastern Connecticut State University, is the recipient of the 2025 Distinguished Service Citation from the Ecological Society of America (ESA), which recognizes long and distinguished volunteer service to ESA, the scientific community, and the larger purpose of ecology in the public welfare. As an active member of ESA for 45 years, Cid has co-created, implemented, or advised every ESA diversity and education initiative, while creating strategic links to national diversity in ecology and higher education networks.

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Research institutes delve into data analytics, DNA sequencing, picture books

June 10, 2025

Eastern Connecticut State University began its summer session with three week-long summer research institutes, culminating in a final presentation on June 6 in the Student Center Theater. Students and faculty from the art, business, and biology departments collaborated on projects and showcased results to their peers.

Student demonstration at Tiny Earth Day

Biology department continues antibiotic crowd-sourcing effort

May 05, 2025

High school students from Norwich Free Academy (NFA) visited Eastern on April 23 for “Tiny Earth Day,” a global project that aims to inspire students in science and address antibiotic resistance through student-sourced antibiotic research.

Programs of Study

  • Biology students at Eastern gain extensive practical experience and spend more time in the laboratory and on field projects than in lecture. Students receive the full attention of their professors, all of whom have Ph.D. degrees from top universities — professors teach both lectures and laboratories. Working in small classes with state-of-art scientific equipment ranging from a qPCR machine to a confocal microscope, students acquire hands-on experiences in the laboratory and in terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments. Just one example of the major's flexibility is its pre-med focus. In addition to the Biology major, a Biology minor is offered to other majors.

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    View Minor Details

  • The Genetic Counseling minor exposes students to this growing field, and provides coursework required for admission to a genetic counseling graduate program. As we enter the age of personalized medicine, there will be an increased demand for genetic counselors who know how to analyze and interpret sequencing results for patients and consumers.

    View Minor Details

  • Students in the Bioinformatics minor use computers to analyze genomic information, which is revolutionizing our understanding of health and disease. Students will learn core concepts in computer programming, genomics and data analysis, and will apply bioinformatics programming and analytic skills to solve biological problems.

    View Minor Details

  • The Cannabis Cultivation and Chemistry minor uses hands-on and theoretical approaches to train students to cultivate and chemically analyze cannabis or hemp. In addition to instruction in cannabis cultivation and chemical analysis, students can also learn about the related fields of sustainability, public health and policy, plant taxonomy, mycology, genetics, integrated pest management, biotechnology, and data analysis.

    View Minor Details

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