The George Washington University
Biological Sciences
Washington DC
Overview
The George Washington University, chartered by Congress in 1821, is private and nonsectarian. The campus includes the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Services, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Elliot School of International Affairs, School of Business and Public Management, GWU Law School, and Graduate School of Education and Human Development. The campus is a mixture of new buildings, traditional town houses, and older classroom buildings.
The George Washington University has approximately 17,000 students from all parts of the United States and 120 other countries. The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences includes 1,500 M.S. and Ph.D. candidates; various other schools of the University enroll more than 7,500 additional full- and part-time graduate students.
M.S. graduates are employed in the fields of biotechnology industry, basic research, law, teaching, information management, and medicine. Ph.D. recipients go on to postdoctoral research, university faculty positions, government and industry laboratories, and museum curatorships.
The Location and Community
The George Washington University is located in downtown Washington, D.C., near the White House, the World Bank, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Department of State, the National Academy of Sciences, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, and numerous professional organizations.
Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
The Department of Biological Sciences offers programs leading to the Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy. Both full-time and part-time students are accepted.
Each master’s degree program is designed by the student in consultation with a departmental adviser. The master’s degree with thesis requires 24 course credits, plus a thesis (6 credits) based on original research; the nonthesis master’s degree requires completion of 36 course credits. Both require satisfactory completion of a final comprehensive examination.
Each doctoral program is formulated by the student in consultation with an advisory committee. A total of 72 credits beyond the bachelor’s degree (including a dissertation) is required for the Ph.D. Course work is designed to prepare the student for general examinations in three or more fields relevant to his or her major area of interest. Upon completion of these examinations, the student undertakes dissertation research under the guidance of a dissertation director. The final examination is an oral defense of the dissertation.
Graduate research in the Department generally focuses on one of three areas: cell/molecular/developmental biology, systematics and evolution, or ecology (http://www.gwu.edu/~biology/faculty). Graduate research opportunities in cell/molecular/developmental biology cover a wide variety of topics, but most are linked through common interests in protein-protein and receptor-ligand interactors. Graduate research in systematics and evolution includes comparative studies of many different kinds of organisms and is enhanced by a formal agreement with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Graduate research in ecology involves the use of field sampling, experimentation, and laboratory analyses to develop an understanding of the ecological factors shaping natural populations and communities of plants and animals. Students and faculty members interact regularly with scientists in the GW Institute for Biomedical Sciences, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and National Zoo, the National Institutes of Health, the National Park Service, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Facilities & Resources
The University has excellent facilities for research in the biological sciences, including electron and confocal microscopy, DNA sequencing, fossil preparation, digital imaging, and microcomputing. Animal-care facilities are available in the Department, and vehicles are available for field research. In addition, some students may use facilities at the local institutions listed above. Accessible library facilities include the Library of Congress, National Library of Medicine, National Agricultural Library, and the several libraries of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area.
Expenses and Aid
Tuition is $994 per semester hour. There are additional fees for certain laboratory courses, the University Center, computer use, graduation, and thesis binding.
Financial Aid:
Ten graduate teaching fellowships and ten graduate research fellowships, all with tuition waivers, are available in the Department. Funding for graduate students working in specific research areas is often available from grants..
Housing/Living Expenses:
The cost of living in Washington is comparable to that of other metropolitan areas. Most graduate students live off-campus, and the Metro system provides safe, clean transportation throughout the area. Complete information is available from the director of housing (http://www.och.gwu.edu).
How to Apply / Application
Students who complete applications for admission in the fall semester by January 2 are notified of the results in April; students who complete applications after January 2 are notified in July. For admission in the spring semester, applications must be completed by October 1. Completed applications must include transcripts, letters of recommendation, and GRE scores. Students are strongly encouraged to communicate with a potential adviser before submitting an application.
For application information, students should contact the graduate admissions office (telephone: 202-994-6210, e-mail: csasgrad@gwu.edu) .
Who to Contact
Dr. John R. Burns
The George Washington University
Department of Biological Sciences
Washington, D.C. 20052
202-994-7149
E-mail: jrburns@gwu.edu
The Faculty, Research and Publications
• Marc W. Allard, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Harvard. Molecular systematics; evolution and phylogenetics of the Mammalia.
• Ken M. Brown, Professor; Ph.D., Michigan State. Developmental biology; neurohormones in early embryogenesis; developmental toxicology.
• John R. Burns, Professor; Ph.D., Massachusetts. Histology; reproductive biology and comparative morphology of fishes.
• Sheri A. Church, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Virginia. Molecular evolution and bioinformatics; genetics of speciation and diversification.
• James M. Clark, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Chicago. Paleontology and systematics of tetrapods; field collection of dinosaur-age fossils.
• Robert P. Donaldson, Professor; Ph.D., Michigan State. Cell and molecular biology; plant peroxisomal membranes; electron transport; peroxisomal targeting sequence receptor; antioxidant metabolism.
• Patrick S. Herendeen, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Indiana. Plant systematics and paleontology: systematics and history of the family Leguminosae; systematics and paleontology of early flowering plants; anatomy and evolution of angiosperm wood.
• L. Patricia Hernández, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Harvard. Evolutionary developmental biology of vertebrates; pattern formation in fishes.
• Gustavo Hormiga, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Maryland. Systematics and evolutionary biology of spiders (orb weavers and their relatives).
• Diana E. Johnson, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Chicago. Population genetics; speciation; evolution of gene families.
• Robert E. Knowlton, Professor; Ph.D., North Carolina. Invertebrate zoology; marine biology; physiological ecology and morphogenesis of decapod crustacean larvae under natural and experimental conditions.
• John T. Lill, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Missouri-St. Louis. Plant-herbivore interactions; insect community ecology; life history evolution.
• Diana L. Lipscomb, Professor; Ph.D., Maryland. Evolution; evolution of protozoa; origin of multicellular organisms; systematic theory.
• Henry Merchant, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Rutgers. Population, community, and ecosystem ecology; energetics; biology of urban areas.
• David W. Morris, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Leeds (England). Molecular genetics; genetic manipulation of microorganisms for methanol and ethanol fuel production from organic waste; molecular biology of medicinal plants.
• Randall K. Packer, Professor; Ph.D., Penn State. Kidney function; hypertension.
• L. Courtney Smith, Associate Professor; Ph.D., UCLA. Molecular evolution of the deuterostome immune system.
• Frank J. Turano, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Miami (Ohio). Plant signaling networks; plant biochemistry and molecular biology.
• Elizabeth F. Wells, Associate Professor; Ph.D., North Carolina. Plant ecology of disturbed sites; conservation biology; floristics of the mid-Atlantic states; alien plant species.
Adjunct Faculty
• Matthew Carrano, Adjunct Assistant Professor and Curator of Dinosauria, Smithsonian Institution; Ph.D. Chicago. Dinosaur phylogeny, functional morphology, and paleoecology.
• Jonathan Coddington, Adjunct Professor and Curator of Arachnids and Myriapods, Smithsonian Institution; Ph.D., Harvard. Systematics and evolutionary biology of spiders.
• Kevin De Queiroz, Adjunct Associate Professor, Smithsonian Institution; Ph.D., Berkeley. Vertebrate systematics and evolution.
• Kristian Fauchald, Adjunct Professor; Ph.D., USC. Morphology, systematics, and biology of polychaete annelids; marine benthic ecology.
• Benjamin R. Fisher, Adjunct Associate Professor, Covance Laboratories; Ph.D., George Washington. Developmental toxicology.
• Vicki Funk, Adjunct Professor, Smithsonian Institution; Ph.D., Ohio State. Systematics of flowering plants, especially Asteraceae; conservation biology.
• Peter L. Goering, Adjunct Associate Professor and Research Toxicologist, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Ph.D., Kansas. Toxic responses of liver and kidney; toxicology of metals.
• W. John Kress, Adjunct Professor, Smithsonian Institution; Ph.D., Duke. Systematics of flowering plants, especially tropical monocotyledons; conservation biology.
• Patrick Nolan, Adjunct Associate Professor and Primary Examiner, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; Ph.D., George Washington. Allergy and autoimmunity.
• Lynne R. Parenti, Adjunct Professor and Curator of Fishes, Smithsonian Institution; Ph.D., CUNY Graduate Center. Systematics; comparative anatomy and biogeography of atherinomorph and gobioid fishes.
• Hans-Dieter Sues, Adjunct Professor and Associate Vice President for Research and Collections, National Museum of Natural History; Ph.D., Harvard. Systematics and evolution of fossil reptiles.
• F. Chris Thompson, Adjunct Professor and Research Entomologist, U.S.D.A.; Ph.D., Massachusetts. Dipteran systematics.
• Stanley H. Weitzman, Adjunct Professor and Curator of Fishes, Smithsonian Institution; Ph.D., Stanford. Systematics and evolution of South American freshwater fishes.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS OF THE FACULTY
• A more complete list of publications is available at the individual faculty Web pages.
• Allard, M. W., et al. Characterization of human control region sequences of the African American SWGDAM forensic mtDNA data set. Forensic Sci. Int. 148(2-3):169-79, 2005.
• Papaconstantinou, A. D., et al. (K. M. Brown). Regulation of uterine hsp90a, hsp72, and HSF-1 transcription in B6C3F1 mice by ß-estradiol and bisphenol A: Involvement of the estrogen receptor and protein kinase. C. Toxicol. Lett. 144:257-270, 2003.
• Burns, J. R., and S. H. Weitzman. Insemination in ostariophysan fishes. In Viviparous Fishes, pp. 107-34, eds. H. J. Grier and M. C. Uribe. New Life Publications, 2005.
• Church, S. A. Molecular phylogenetics of Houstonia (Rubiaceae): Descending aneuploidy and breeding system evolution in the radiation of the lineage across North America. Mol. Phylog. Evol. 27:223-38, 2003.
• Clark, J. M., M. Norell, and P. Makovicky. Cladistic approaches to the relationships of birds to other theropods. In Mesozoic Birds: Above the Heads of Dinosaurs, chap. 2, eds. L. Chiappe and L. Witmer. University of California Press, 2002.
• Donaldson, R. P. Peroxisomal membrane enzymes. In Plant Peroxisomes, chap. 8, pp. 259-78, eds. A. Baker and I. A. Graham. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2002.
• Herendeen, P. S., A. Bruneau, and G. P. Lewis. Phylogenetic relationships in caesalpinioid legumes: A preliminary analysis based on morphological and molecular data. In Advances in Legume Systematics, part 10, pp. 37-62, eds. B. B. Klitgaard and A. Bruneau. Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, 2003.
• Hernández, L. P., S. E. Patterson, and S. H. Devoto. The development of muscle fiber type identity in zebrafish cranial muscles. Anat. Embryol. 209:323-34, 2005.
• Hormiga, G., M. A. Arnedo, and R. Gillespie. Speciation on a conveyor belt: Sequential colonization of the Hawaiian Islands by Orsonwelles spiders (Araneae, Linyphiidae). Systematic Biol. 52(1):70-88, 2003.
• Knowlton, R. E., and C. J. Vargo. The larval morphology of Palaemon floridanus Chace, 1942 (Decapoda, Palaemonidae) compared with other species of Palaemon and Palaemonetes. Crustaceana 77:683-715, 2004.
• Lill, J. T., and R. J. Marquis. Leaf ties as colonization sites for forest arthropods: An experimental study. Ecol. Entomol. 29:300-8, 2004.
• Lipscomb, D. L., N. Platnick, and Q. Wheeler. The intellectual content of taxonomy. Trends Ecol. Evol. 18:65-6, 2003.
• Merchant, H. C., R. N. Khan, and R. E. Knowlton. The effect of macrophytic cover on survival of Palaemonetes pugio and P. vulgaris (grass shrimp) in the presence of predatory Fundulus heteroclitus (killfish). Contrib. Zool. 70:61-71, 2001.
• Lin, B., D. W. Morris, and J. Y. Chou. Hepatocyte nuclear factor 1a is an accessory factor required for activation of G-6-P gene transcription by glucocorticoids. DNA Cell Biol. 17:967-74, 1998.
• Beutler, K. T., et al. (R. K. Packer). Long-term regulation of EnaC expression in kidney by angiotensin II. Hypertension 41:1143-50, 2003.
• Nair, S. V., et al. L. C. Smith. Macroarray analysis of coelomocyte gene expression in response to LPS in the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus: Identification of unexpected immune diversity in an invertebrate. Physiol. Genomics 22:33-47, 2005.
• Kang, J., and F. J. Turano. The putative glutamate receptor 1.1 (AtGLR1.1) functions as a regulator of carbon and nitrogen metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 100:6872-7, 2003.
• Shetler, S. G., S. S. Orli, E. F. Wells, and M. Beyersdorfer. Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Plummers Island, Maryland, 165 pp. Bull. Biol. Soc. Washington, in press.