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BYU Home Route Y Admissions Services College & Student Profiles Dr. David Busath

College & Student Profiles

Meet Dr. David Busath

Biology and Agriculture

Dr. David Busath

HOMETOWN: Orem, Utah
NICKNAME: Dave
NEXT ADVENTURE: Sail the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River

For Dr. Busath, it's a perfect fit to share his lifelong passion for research with students who are hungry to learn. "I love doing research with the students. I like the one on one. They come in, they've got these new results, and they say, 'What do you think this means?' We brainstorm about it; it's just a wonderful thing. That's why I'm in research."

Dr. Busath's deep passion for research goes way back—to the sixth grade, in fact. He still remembers the joy and excitement he felt when his teacher began discussing the structure of the atom. "I just went off the wall. I couldn't imagine how you could figure out things that were smaller than you could see, what their structures are, and how they work. That's when I made up my mind that I really wanted to be a scientist."

Now teaching and researching in the College of Biology and Agriculture in physiology and biophysics, Dr. Busath has "high hopes that some of [his] students will pick up that passion."

Without a doubt, his hopes are being realized. Since coming to BYU in 1995, he has encouraged undergraduate research, personally mentoring dozens of student research projects. Of about 300 pre-med students graduating annually from the college, over 50 percent now get some solid research experience. "Our Center for Neuroscience has been especially productive," says Professor Busath. "We applied for an REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) grant from the National Science Foundation and received a three-year award. In our second year, the federally funded program had more than 100 applicants."

Similar external funding is made available to the Department of Physics and Astronomy and other science and engineering departments on campus. In the past two years, university-sponsored "Environment for Mentoring" research awards have dramatically increased the opportunity for student research.

After more than 20 years of teaching and research, Dr. Busath feels rewarded but humbled by how much more there is to learn, to discover. "I like to think of research as a huge field of blossoms and as humans we are like bees, gathering the pollen. Little by little we pick it off."

College of Biology and Agriculture

UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS

The College of Biology and Agriculture offers a variety of major programs within the disciplines represented by the following five departments:

• INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY


• MICROBIOLOGY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY


• NUTRITION, DIETETICS & FOOOD SCIENCE


• PHYSIOLOGY & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY


• PLANT & ANIMAL SCIENCE

Specialized courses emphasizing teaching and research are offered to majors in the several branches of biological science. Students interested in agriculture may specialize by taking a four-year major that prepares for farm and ranch management, employment in related agricultural business or government, or teaching and research. In addition, preprofessional training for students interested in health professions and a strong program to train secondary-level biology teachers are both available.

HEALTH PROFESSIONS ADVISEMENT CENTER

The Health Professions Advisement Center helps preprofessional students in health-related fields (medicine, dentistry, podiatry, optometry, etc.) with any academic need. Advisors help students plan preprofessional study at BYU, apply for admission to professional schools, and achieve successful transition into those schools. Additionally, the center serves students planning such health-related careers as biomedical engineering, dental hygiene, health administration, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, and physician's assistant.

EZRA TAFT BENSON AGRICULTURE AND FOOD INSTITUTE

The major objective of the Benson Institute is to raise the quality of life among the people of the world through improved nutrition and enlightened agricultural practices. Emphasis is on developmental research with cooperating universities in the developing world.

M. L. BEAN LIFE SCIENCE MUSEUM

Exhibits and collections of biological specimens are housed in the M. L. Bean Life Science Museum. Exhibits include representative habitats of local as well as exotic plant and animal species and a large and valuable collection of trophies from around the world.

THE LYTLE PRESERVE

This facility in southwestern Utah provides a 460-acre outdoor classroom in the northernmost extension of the Mojave Desert. The preserve is managed for natural study and ecological research in a unique desert setting.

Courses offered in the College of Biology and Agriculture give students a general understanding of the fundamental principles of plant, animal, and microbial life and their relationship to the world.