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 a Biological 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.  There is still the challenge of outfitting a second Introduction to Biology lab in order to meet existing student demand.  In Fall 2016 all Introduction to Biology labs were filled to capacity with waiting lists fully subscribed.  As our existing lab space was booked solid M-F both day and evening as well as Saturday there was no opportunity to meet student need.  Additionally, the department would like to explore options of accelerating our Introduction to Biology →A & P I pre-health professions sequence by offering intensive "Intro" and "A & P" sections in half-semester time blocks.  This would be of huge benefit to pre-health science students, enabling them to qualify for admission to Health Profession Programs in a shorter period of time.

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 microscopes and micro-video equipment to allow students optimal and engaging opportunities for "hands-on" observation and study of cell, tissue and organ specimens.  Currently, microscopes in service are old, do not focus easily and do not provide clear, crisp images.  It is ironic that in a technologically cutting-edge facility such as Rowley Center fundamental instrumentation is sub-par.

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 (BIO 110), and Anatomy & Physiology 1 & 2 (BIO 111, BIO 112).

Additionally, the Biology Department is engaged in developing a Horticulture Course as a keystone of an anticipated certificate program in Floriculture.  While this initiative does not require specific funding requests during this cycle, it will ultimately benefit from instrumentation upgrades incorporated in this PIP submission.