College of Life Sciences

301 WIDB
(801) 422-3963
Internet: http://lifesciences.byu.edu

Dean: Rodney J. Brown, Professor, Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science
Associate Dean: Alan R. Harker, Professor, Microbiology and Molecular Biology
Associate Dean: Brad L. Neiger, Professor, Health Science
Associate Dean: James P. Porter, Professor, Physiology and Developmental Biology
Assistant Dean: Shauna C. Anderson, Professor, Microbiology and Molecular Biology
Assistant Dean: John D. Lee, Microbiology and Molecular Biology
Assistant Dean: Steven L. Taylor

The following departments are included within the College of Life Sciences:

• Biology (Bio)
• Exercise Sciences (ExSc) (transferred from College of Health and Human Performance on 31 August 2009)
• Health Science (Hlth) (transferred from College of Health and Human Performance on 31 August 2009)
• Microbiology and Molecular Biology (MMBio)
• Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science (NDFS)
• Physiology and Developmental Biology (PDBio)
• Plant and Wildlife Sciences (PWS)

Courses offered in the life sciences give students a general understanding of the fundamental principles of life that extend from the tiniest microbes to plants, animals, and human beings. Students also obtain the knowledge, skills, and motivation necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Specialized courses emphasizing teaching and research in various life science disciplines are also offered. Disciplines range from basic science to applied science.

Alphabetical List of Majors Offered in the College of Life Sciences

Athletic Training (ExSc) (transferred from College of Health and Human Performance effective 31 August 2009)
Bioinformatics (Bio)
Biology (Bio)
Biological Science Education (Bio)
Biophysics (PDBio)
Clinical Laboratory Science (MMBio)
Conservation Biology (Bio)
Dietetics (NDFS)
Environmental Science (PWS)
Exercise and Wellness (ExSc) (transferred from College of Health and Human Performance effective 31 August 2009)
Exercise Science (ExSc) (transferred from College of Health and Human Performance effective 31 August 2009)
Food Science (NDFS)
Genetics and Biotechnology (PWS)
Landscape Management (PWS)
Microbiology (MMBio)
Molecular Biology (MMBio)
Neuroscience (Neuro)
Nutritional Science (NDFS)
Physiology and Developmental Biology (PDBio)
Public Health (Hlth) (transferred from College of Health and Human Performance effective 31 August 2009)
School Health Education (Hlth) (transferred from College of Health and Human Performance effective 31 August 2009)
Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation (PWS)

See the departmental sections in this catalog for details regarding these programs.

Student Services

Life Sciences Student Services Center	Richards Building Extension
Shauna C. Anderson, Assistant Dean
Jeanne M. Gubler, Manager Advisement/Assessment	Farris Child, Supervisor
Lisa Buzan, Advisement Assistant	Gayle Conant, Advisement Assistant
C. Gale Larson, Advisement Assistant
379–380 WIDB	203 RB
(801) 422-3042	(801) 422-3638
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday–Friday	Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday–Friday

The goal of Life Sciences Student Services Center is to provide "one stop shopping for students and faculty." The center services students in five areas: advisement, assessment, career advisement, college life, and mentored experiences.

Advisement—Students are instructed in general education advisement as well as assistance in creating a graduation curriculum plan for their major. Advisement is regarded as an interactive, developmental experience between students and advisors. Among other advisement services are the change of major, academic success, and graduation processes, as well as other specific advisement needs.

Assessment—Students are informed of the importance of maintaining the university's accreditation standing. Students assist the assessment process by providing input through surveys, exit interviews, one-year-out and five-year-out surveys, and results on national major field exams and other national and professional school admission exams.

Career advisement—Students are assisted in major exploration and basic developmental career issues. Information is provided regarding university resources for further career and major exploration.

College life—The "Empowering Others" philosophy encourages students to help and teach each other by creating a spirit of cooperation rather than competition. Study groups are fostered and organized to enhance learning. A learning facility provides tutoring services for students enrolled in the essential biology courses. This walk-in area allows a student access to tutors 10–12 hours per day. Leadership opportunities for students can be enhanced through participation on the Life Sciences Student Council and participation in clubs. The college also offers scholarship opportunites to its undergraduate and graduate students.

Mentored experiences—Internships provide students with opportunities to try out their prospective careers. The center provides resources for obtaining internships as well as processing all the paperwork and awarding grants to students who desire that experience. Assisting faculty with research constitutes a mentorship. Students learn invaluable skills and problem-solving techniques from their mentors. The center can help students seeking mentored experiences.

M. L. Bean Life Science Museum

Larry St. Clair, Director
Jack Sites, Associate Director
Marta Adair, Assistant Director
290 MLBM

Duane Atwood, Collections Manager, Herbarium
John Bell, Curator of Mollusks
Shawn Clark, Collections Manager, Arthropods
Keith Crandall, Curator of Crustaceans
Jerald Johnson, Assistant Curator of Fish
Leigh Johnson, Curator, Herbarium
Randy Larsen, Assistant Curator of Birds
Duke Rogers, Curator of Mammals
Dennis Shiozawa, Curator of Fish
Jack Sites, Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians
Wesley Skidmore, Collections Manager, Vertebrates
Larry St. Clair, Curator of Nonvascular Cryptogams
Michael Whiting, Curator of Insects

The Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum is a fully functional, accredited, professional museum. Its vast teaching and research collections include nearly two million arthropods, fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds, and prepared shells, and more than 600,000 plants, lichens, and bryophytes. Specimens for these collections, which represent creative work by university faculty and students, have been gathered from around the world, making the museum one of the major repositories of scientific-quality, biological collections in the western United States.

The museum and its collections are utilized by university classes in biology, plant and wildlife sciences, education, art, and other disciplines. The Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum also maintains and manages the Lytle Nature Preserve. Located in the northernmost extension of the Mojave Desert southwest of St. George, Utah, this 562-acre desert classroom is situated in a part of Utah that is unique not only for its plant and animal communities but also for its setting at the crossroads of three major bioregions.

Public programs include temporary and permanent exhibits of natural communities that illustrate complex relationships between plants, animals, and their physical environment. Educational programs serve more than 80,000 annual visitors and provide classes and programs for public and private schools and many other organizations. Museum hours are Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The museum is closed on Sunday. Admission is free.

The Western North American Naturalist, a nationally recognized peer-reviewed natural history journal, is housed in the museum. Other museum publications include professional and popular works such as A Utah Flora, Bark and Ambrosia Beetles of South America, Snakes of Utah, and Common Rocky Mountain Lichens.