The Biology Department serves a large and diverse population of students on both Middletown and Newburgh campuses offering approximately 130 lecture/lab sections in more than a dozen subject areas.

The department supports students pursuing Health Profession careers, seeking to complete general education science requirements as well as students seeking an A.S. Degree in Math and Natural Science where we offer both a Biology and Environmental Science track.

Now that our department has transitioned to our new quarters in Rowley Center for Science and Engineering we are looking forward to fully utilizing the potential offered by this facility.  In the past year we have been able to equip a dedicated Human Biology lab so that models, microscopes and other instructional supplies no longer will be awkwardly juggled between Human Biology and A & P I and II labs!  There is still the challenge of outfitting a second Introduction to Biology lab in  order to meet existing student demand.

As evidenced by faculty passion expressed in Departmental Meetings there is also considerable interest in several initiatives addressed within this PIP submission.  Biotechnology-centered labs are being developed as an integral component of our coursework in General Biology I, Genetics, and Botany and will require additional PCR Thermocyclers and related instrumentation.  Additionally, several departmental faculty are engaged in developing active learning lab exercises requiring student use of “notebooks”/”tablets”,  thus, driving our request for 4 such units with which to run a ‘pilot’ study in which groups of students would work collaboratively.

At Newburgh, our faculty (Festa, Ebbert, Iannuzzi Sucich) strongly advocate for a micro-video system/flat screen monitor for use in acquainting students with organ structure and function, a central goal of Introduction to Biology.

Providing access to an internet computer station with printing in our Newburgh BATCAVERN is also seen as a critical need at that site and is addressed in this submission.  This would allow students and tutors to access internet sites as well as supportive material on ‘Angel’ during tutoring sessions.

Thank you for your consideration of our requests and help in identifying potential funding sources.  I am available to field any questions you may have or to provide additional rationale as may be necessary.