Idaho State University
College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Biological Sciences
Overview
Idaho State University is fully accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges as a comprehensive, public university. The university consists of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering, Health Professions, and Pharmacy. The University enrolls over 12,000 students, some 2,000 of which are graduate students in 51 Master's programs and 10 doctoral programs. Idaho State University is dedicated to excellence in teaching and engages in sustained, substantive research and graduate education as an essential component of its academic and public service programs.
The Community
The University is in Pocatello, a community of about 50,000 located near the mouth of the Portneuf River on the edge of the upper Snake River Plain in southeastern Idaho. The city lies at an elevation of 4500 feet and is surrounded on three sides by mountains. The semiarid climate is moderate, with occasional snow storms during winter and temperatures seldom exceeding 95oF during summer. The area abounds in outdoor recreation opportunities, including skiing, fishing, hunting, kayaking, bicycling, hiking, and camping. Pocatello is within a three-hour drive of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and the resort communities of Jackson Hole (Wyoming) and Sun Valley.
Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
The Department of Biological Sciences offers Master of Science Degrees in Biology and Microbiology, the Doctor of Philosophy in Biology, and the Doctor of Arts in Biology. The Department is nationally recognized for its research in ecology, on fungal pathogens of humans, and on floral development. Other areas of specialization with active research programs include physiology, molecular biology, developmental biology, microbiology, virology, evolutionary ecology and genetics, plant physiology, plant systematics, and cell biology. Details concerning faculty research interests can be found at http://www.isu.edu/departments/bios/.
The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is granted for proven ability, independent investigation, and scholarly attainment in a special field. It is primarily a research degree. There is no total credit requirement for this degree, but credits for the dissertation and the research upon which it is based will constitute a substantial portion of the program and involve original work. Research tool requirements include proficiency with statistics and research design. A foreign language is not required but may be used as the second research tool.The Doctor of Arts program, initiated in 1971 with support from the Carnegie Foundation, stresses preparation for undergraduate teaching at colleges and universities. The program develops the candidate as a biologist, professional educator, and scholar. A teaching internship and a dissertation are required. The program requires completion of at least 48 semester credits beyond the Master's degree.The Master of Science in Biology or Microbiology programs require a substantial, original research project that culminates in a thesis, a minimum of 30 credits (including research and thesis) earned in graduate courses and seminars, expertise in core conceptual areas of the biological sciences, and completion of a research tool.
Facilities and Resources
The Department houses the Center for Ecological Research and Education (CERE), the Stream Ecology Center, the Molecular Research Core Facility, extensive animal care facilities, and the new Botanical Sciences Research Facility, which includes four greenhouse bays, two walk-in and four large reach-in controlled environment chambers, and a research laboratory. The CERE Laboratory includes two autoanalyzers and two HCN analyzers. Modern laboratories house numerous other analytical instruments, including ultracentrifuges, electron microscopes, a high-pressure liquid chromatograph, a gas chromatograph, scintillation and gamma counters, plant gas exchange systems, and various specialized chromatographs. Radioimmunoassays, and ELISA assays, and recombinant DNA, molecular and microdissection techniques are used in research labs. Extensive computer facilities are available, including image analysis and GIS platforms. A campus-wide GIS center that offers training in ArcView, ArcInfo, and IDRISI opened in 1997. The library contains over 350,000 books, 100,000 periodicals, and 400,000 state and federal documents and currently receives 3,000 periodicals. The Idaho Museum of Natural History houses the Ray J. Davis Herbarium, mammal, bird, reptile, and amphibian collections, and one of the most extensive collections of vertebrate fossils in North America. Diverse habitats available for ecological research include mountain lakes, streams, forests, and sagebrush steppe. Ecological research is conducted in cooperation with various agencies including Idaho Fish and Game, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of Energy, and the National Park Service.
Expenses and Aid
Fees and tuition are $4,660 per year for Idaho residents and $10,836 per year for non-residents. These fees are waived for graduate students who receive teaching or research assistantships. The Department has 21 teaching assistantships and eight Doctor of Arts fellowships. Assistantships currently range from $7,151 for Master's students to $10,000 for doctoral students. Opportunities also exist for graduate students to teach part time. Research assistantships are awarded by individual members of the faculty who have extramural funding. Students holding over half-time teaching or research appointments are eligible for out-of-state tuition waivers.
How to Apply
Admission to the Ph.D. program is open to applicants with or without Master's degrees and requires 1) an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or above, 2) GRE scores of the 50th percentile or higher on the verbal and quantitative sections, and 3) acceptance by a member of the faculty who will serve as advisor. Applicants holding Master's degrees may be admitted on conditional status if they do not meet the GPA or GRE requirement. Entrance requirements for the Doctor of Arts program are the same as for the Ph. D., except that a Master's degree is required.
Applicants for the Master of Science program must have at least a 3.0 GPA for all upper division credits taken at the undergraduate level. Scores in the verbal, quantitative, and analytical portions of the GRE must be submitted; an average score of the 50th percentile or above on the verbal and quantitative portions of the GRE is required. If either the GPA or GRE requirement is not met, the Department may choose to admit the candidate on conditional status. In all cases, acceptance by a member of the faculty is required for admission.
Application forms may be obtained from the Office of Graduate Studies or from the Department of Biological Sciences. Forms for applying to Graduate Studies can be downloaded from ISU's Web Site. Access to those forms and instructions for submitting applications can be found on the Department's Home Page.
Applications may be submitted at any time, but the deadline for application for teaching assistantships is March 1. Awards are made in early April.
Who to Contact
Coordinator of Graduate Programs
Department of Biological Sciences
Idaho State University
Pocatello, ID 83209-8007
208-236-3145
The Faculty
Program Directors:
William Akersten, Associate Professor of Paleontology and Biological Sciences; Ph.D., Michigan, 1976. Vertebrate paleontology. (Idaho Museum of Natural History)
Curtis Anderson, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Northern Arizona, 1996. Physiology.
Jay E. Anderson, Professor; Ph.D., Syracuse, 1971. Physiological plant ecology; vegetation dynamics.
Robert C. Anderson, Professor; Ph.D., Purdue, 1968. Entomology; applied ecology; invertebrate zoology; parasitology.
Sharolyn J. Belzer, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Michigan, 1994. Biological education.
Maureen Brandon, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., George Washington, 1986. Developmental biology.
Donahue, Ray, Research Assistant Professor, Ph.D., University of Wyoming, 1991. Plant ecophysiology, plant responses to environment, photobiology.
Larry D. Farrell, Professor; Ph.D., UCLA, 1970. Microbial genetics; bacterial virology.
Jack S. Griffith, Professor; Ph.D., Idaho, 1971. Fish behavior and ecology.
Jeffrey P. Hill, Associate Professor; Ph.D., California, Riverside, 1989. Vascular plant morphology and flower development.
Edwin W. House, Professor; Ph.D., North Dakota, 1965. Cardiovascular and renal physiology.
Nancy J. Huntly, Professor; Ph.D., Arizona, 1985. Community and evolutionary ecology; plant-animal interactions; biodiversity.
Richard Inouye, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Arizona, 1982. Plant and community ecology; plant-animal interactions.
Edward W. Johnson, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Colorado State, 1988. Chemosensory neurobiology: olfactory, vomeronasal, and taste systems; spinal cord regeneration.
Barry L. Keller, Professor; Ph.D., Indiana, 1968. Wildlife and population ecology; mammalogy; biometry.
Delane Kritsky, Professor; Ph.D., Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1971. Parasitology; invertebrate zoology.
John LaundrŽ, Research Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Idaho State, 1979. Wildlife ecology and behavior.
Joan H. McCune, Professor; Ph.D., Purdue, 1965. Microbial Physiology; regulation of metabolism.
Ronald W. McCune, Professor; Ph.D., Purdue, 1966. Biochemistry; hormone biochemistry; metabolic regulation.
D. Jeffrey Meldrum, Associate Professor; Ph.D., SUNY at Stony Brook, 1989. Anatomy; platyrrhine paleontology; evolutionary biology; molecular systematics.
G. Wayne Minshall, Professor; Ph.D., Louisville, 1965. Stream ecology, limnology, water pollution.
James D. Moodie, Adjunct Instructor/Lab Coordinator; Ph.D., Oklahoma, 1998. Animal behavior; mammalogy; biological education.
Charles Peterson, Professor; Ph.D., Washington State, 1982. Physiological and behavioral ecology; herpetology.
Mary E. Poulson, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1995. Plant physiology, photosynthesis, plants and environmental stress.
Margaret B. Ptacek, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Missouri-Columbia, 1991. Evolutionary ecology; population genetics; speciation; phylogenetics.
Kenneth J. Rodnick, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Stanford, 1989. Muscle physiology; adaptational biology.
Fred L. Rose, Professor; Ph.D., Oregon State, 1968. Ecology, phycology
Jack Rose, Professor; Ph.D., Oregon State, 1985. Endocrinology/fur growth and reproduction in mink.
Gene M. Scalarone, Professor; Ph.D., Berkeley, 1970. Immunology; mycology; diagnostic methods.
Rod R. Seeley, Professor; Ph.D., Utah State, 1973. Reproductive physiology; endocrinology.
Laurens H. Smith, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Maryland, 1985. Invertebrate physiology; molecular endocrinology.
Stefan Sommer, Research Assistant Professor; Ph.D., New Mexico, 1993. Community ecology of plants and insects.
Richard D. Spall, Professor; Ph.D., Oklahoma State, 1972. Experimental pathology; parasitology; fisheries biology.
Kathleen M Spiegel, Assistant Professor and Director, Medical Technology Program; Ph.D., Utah State, 1983. Medical technology; experimental pathology.
Trent D. Stephens, Professor; Ph.D., Pennsylvania, 1977. Anatomy; experimental embryology; teratology.
Donald P. Streubel, Professor; D.A., Northern Colorado, 1975. Undergraduate education in biology; mammalogy.
Charles Trost, Professor; Ph.D., UCLA, 1968. Ornithology; physiological ecology; behavior.
Alexander Urfer, Professor of Physical Therapy; Ph.D., Ohio State, 1977. Human performance; environmental physiology.
Mary E. Watwood, Associate Professor and Director, ISU-INEEL Hazardous Waste Program; Ph.D., Georgia, 1987. Microbial ecology; environmental microbiology.
Karen S. Weiler, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Princeton, 1992. Molecular genetics.
Vern D. Winston, Professor; Ph.D., Nebraska, 1976. Bacterial and viral diseases of fish; recombinant vaccines.
Jenny Qiu-Yun Xiang, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Washington State, 1995. Plant systematics, evolution, and biogeography.