UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG 2002–2003
 Brigham Young University
Back College of Biology and Agriculture

   


301 WIDB, (801) 422-3963

Dean: R. Kent Crookston, Professor, Agronomy and Horticulture
Associate Dean: John D. Bell, Associate Professor, Zoology
Associate Dean: David L. Kooyman, Associate Professor, Animal and Veterinary Science
Assistant Dean: John D. Lee
Assistant Dean: Steven L. Taylor

The following departments are included within the College of Biology and Agriculture:

Agronomy and Horticulture
Animal and Veterinary Science
Botany and Range Science
Food Science and Nutrition
Microbiology
Zoology

Courses offered in biology give students a general understanding of the fundamental principles of plant, animal, and microbial life and their relationship to the world. Specialized courses emphasizing teaching and research are offered to majors in the several branches of biological science. In addition, preprofessional training for students interested in health professions and a strong program to train secondary-level biology teachers are both available.
Agriculture has always been one of America's basic industries. Men and women engaged in agricultural research, production, and marketing must have an understanding of new scientific and technological developments and a solid foundation in the basic sciences. 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.

College Advisement Center

Audrey L. Megerian, Director (380 WIDB, [801] 422-3042)

The College of Biology and Agriculture Advisement Center is designed to help students with academic needs, assisting progress from the day of orientation through graduation as smoothly as possible. The center maintains student records, advises on General Education and university requirements, coordinates scholarships, provides academic information of all kinds, helps cut red tape, and much more. It is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays.

Health Professions Advisement Center

Don D. Bloxham, Director (380 WIDB, [801] 422-3044)

The Health Professions Advisement Center will help preprofessional students in health-related fields (medicine, dentistry, podiatry, optometry, etc.) with any academic need, give accurate counsel, and help achieve successful transition into professional schools.

School catalogs and other pertinent materials are available in this office. The advisors will help students plan preprofessional study at BYU and apply for admission to professional schools.
The Health Professions Advisement Center also serves students planning such health-related careers as the following:

biomedical engineering
dental hygiene
dentistry
health administration
medicine
optometry
osteopathic medicine
pharmacy
podiatry
physician assistant

Molecular Biology Programs

The College of Biology and Agriculture, with molecular biology faculty from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, offer a minor in molecular biology that couples effectively with several major programs in departments within the college and with biochemistry. The major programs provide a curricular track that presents introductory and intermediate biology, molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, and cell biology as part of training in a discipline. Then the molecular biology minor provides upper-division courses that integrate and extend molecular biology knowledge and skills. See the Molecular Biology section of this catalog for details.

Conservation Biology

Students interested in ecology, environmental awareness, wildlife, the preservation of endangered species, and the conservation of natural resources can major with a BS degree in conservation biology in the Departments of Botany and Range Science and Zoology. See the department of your choice for details.

Biology Composite Teaching

A program is available for students interested in teaching biology at the secondary education level. Requirements are outlined in the Botany and Range Science, Microbiology, and Zoology sections of this catalog.

Agribusiness Programs

Students interested in careers in agricultural production, food marketing, and related agribusiness industries can prepare for such careers by completing an agribusiness emphasis under a BS degree in agronomy, animal science, or range science. These students are expected to complete departmental core courses plus the requirements for a minor in management offered by the Marriott School of Management and three agricultural economics courses offered by the Economics Department. In addition, students can prepare themselves for agribusiness careers by completing an agricultural economics emphasis under a BS degree in economics in conjunction with selected agricultural and business courses. See departmental listings for details.



Minor International Agriculture (18 hours)

Minor Requirements

  1. Complete 1 hour from the following (take twice):
    AVS 101R.

  2. Complete the following:
    AgHrt 205, 282, 460.
    AVS 120, 203.
    FSN 380.



Ezra Taft Benson Agriculture and Food Institute

Allen C. Christensen, Director (110 B-49)
Web: http://benson.byu.edu

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 in village nutrition and agricultural production.

M. L. Bean Life Science Museum

290 MLBM

H. Duane Smith, Director
Douglas C. Cox, Assistant Director

Exhibits and collections of biological specimens are housed in the M. L. Bean Life Science Museum.

The museum is open 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. Admission is free. 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.

Tours and Educational Programs. The museum offers a broad range of educational opportunities for students, from specialized graduate research in the various systematic collections housed in the museum to impromptu tours for the casual visitor. Many university classes utilize the extensive holdings, but the museum also serves the community by providing educational opportunities for elementary and secondary schools as well as civic groups. Docents and student employees conduct educational tours and help with display preparation and general museum operation.

To make arrangements for any of the various academic opportunities, please call (801) 378-5051.

The Botanical Collection includes herbaria of vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, lichens, algae, and fungi from many parts of the world. The vascular plant collection includes more than 10,000 species represented by more than 400,000 herbarium sheets. The collection is made up principally of plants from western North America but includes many materials from the eastern states, Europe, Mexico, Australia, and the Pacific isles. Acquisitions of plants from Alaska, Greenland, Siberia, and the Canadian Arctic have added significantly to the collections of Arctic plants. Lichens and mosses number about 100,000.

The herbarium includes more than 2,000 specimens from the Mediterranean region of Europe and from the Middle Eastern countries of Iran and Afghanistan. The fossil plant collections contain more than 10,000 specimens. The botanical and zoological collections housed in the museum are a valuable university resource and document systematic and taxonomic research.

The Zoological Collections consist of a large series of vertebrate and invertebrate species from North America and from many foreign countries. These materials are available to teachers, advanced students, and visiting scientists.

The invertebrate collection includes more than a million insect specimens (emphasizing butterflies, flies, and beetles) and their near relatives as well as other invertebrate phyla. Medically important arthropods such as fleas, lice, mites, and ticks are well represented. A large and valuable collection of invertebrate sea shells is also present. These collections have been gathered from many sources—from scientists engaged in research to amateur or hobbyist collectors. The invertebrate collections are a sampling of specimens from all parts of the world but are particularly strong in their representation of the environments of the Great Basin.
The vertebrate collections consist of thousands of fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, and mammal research specimens. In addition to the representative series of local species, the vertebrate collections include birds' eggs, South and Central American birds, and Hawaiian fishes. Staff members, graduate students, and friends of the university have contributed material from Mexico, South America, Africa, Formosa, Malaysia, the South Pacific islands, and other areas throughout the world. The vertebrate collections also include big game trophy collections gathered from around the world.

The Lytle Preserve in southwestern Utah provides a 460-acre area as an outdoor classroom in the northernmost extension of the Mojave Desert. It is managed for natural study and ecological research in a unique desert setting.






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