Archives
Questions &Answers
Gerald Koudelka is professor and chair of the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences.
In the past five to 10 years, the biological sciences have changed dramatically. What are some of the biggest changes in the discipline and how are those changes reflected in the UB Department of Biological Sciences?
The biggest single change that underpins all aspects of biology is that we no longer study one organism, or one gene, or one protein. No matter what you do—whether you're an evolutionary biologist, a biochemist or a cell biologist—you're thinking about where your results fit in a much larger context. It was very difficult to do that in the past. But all technological changes and the explosion of information have created tremendous resources for us to look at scientific discoveries in this larger context. Biology no longer has a very narrow focus. That's happened at UB and it's one of the strengths of our department. In the 1970s and prior to that, most biology departments had people who were mostly focused on organismal-type biology. With the advent of molecular techniques and structural biology information, as well as the discovery of DNA in the late '50s, the continuum of biology expanded. As molecular biology matured in the mid-'70s and early '80s, most biology departments fractured into multiple segments. If you look at institutions around the country, most have organismal departments, molecular biology departments, evolutionary biology departments. We didn't do that at UB. Having all these disciplines still together in a single department facilitates taking a broad perspective and to look across broad disciplines. We hire people who work together well and that have that broader view. In addition, the idea of collaborative research—working together in groups and teams to bring various types of expertise to bear on a particular problem—has become crucial. Within the UB biology department, we are trying to assemble those types of teams, including faculty both within the department and with scientists within other areas of the university and other scientists worldwide.
Describe the range of research being done within the department.
As I said before, biology is a continuum of topics, and within this department we have a broader continuum than most departments on a national scale. We range from evolutionary biological studies with respect to single-cell invertebrates all the way down to studies of protein-nucleic acid interactions at the atomic level. So it's a very broad range of interests to be housed in a single unit. We continue to have that because our mission is not just research, but to provide the appropriate modern instruction to UB's undergraduates. We need to maintain strength in all these subject areas in order to deliver a modern, relevant biological sciences curriculum to our undergraduate students.
How does the biology department fit into the UB 2020 strategic plan?
Biological sciences is a major player in the molecular recognition and bioinformatics strategic strength. More than half of departmental faculty are involved there. We also host some of the few courses in bioinformatics for undergraduates, as well as for graduate students. We also are involved in the integrated nanostructured systems strategic strength through an initiative in nanomedicine that is a collaboration between us and the Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics. We have a very strong neurosciences group, and as the strategic strength in aging and chronic diseases evolves, that group is bound to be a major player in that particular strategic strength. We are looking to make three hires for the coming year; two will be directly related to various aspects of the molecular recognition and bioinformatics strategic strength—one is an evolutionary biologist and the other one will work in gene expression—and the other hire will be in nanomedicine, which is part of the integrated nanostructures strategic strength. These people will fit into our department primarily because of the breadth of what we do here in terms of our research and our instructional mission. Within the biology department, we are trying to create an environment that is focused on our own strategic areas: evolutionary biology, nucleic acid structure and function, and neurosciences. These are all elements of various strategic strengths at UB, and they are the three main foci within the biology department.
How does the biology department serve nonmajors, and why is that important?
Over the years we've implemented many programs to serve nonmajors. It is extremely important because of the many ways in which biology touches the life of every individual. We are all living creatures, and eventually some aspect of biology is going to catch up with us—be it aging, be it disease, be it a microbe. It is just a part of our lives. Over the past few years, ethical issues with respect to embryonic stem-cell research, low-cost prescription pharmaceuticals and end-of-life issues are just some of the biologically related issues we think nonscience majors need to be informed about. We do that in a nonmajors course called "Human Biology" (Bio 129-130), with the emphasis on human. The course touches a little on medical ethics, on the basics of biology and previews what scientists actually do. That aspect is important because the major research funding in this country comes from the government—and the government allegedly comes from the people. So the priorities for science funding really are set by the people, and if they don't understand, they won't get the science that they want or that they need. Somebody else is going to make that decision for them. An educated populace is an absolute necessity, particularly because of the importance of biology in everyone's life.
What do most of your majors do after they graduate? Where can a biology major take you?
These days it takes you all over the place. We have graduates who have followed the typical track of going into science careers. They generally go to graduate school and get a Ph.D. A significant number of our students are pre-health—they want to go to medical school or dental school, and they generally are successful in getting into those professional schools. Other career paths include science education, at both the elementary and high school levels; working in laboratories; and working in the field of environmental sciences. There also are the nontraditional career paths, like going into business. Biotech is an important part of the economy, and is targeted for growth here in Western New York. Some of our students go to law school and become attorneys practicing in patent law with respect to science, particularly biological science. We pride ourselves on providing a breadth of training at the undergraduate level that provides a foundation for people to do whatever they want as it relates to science.
Is there anything else you'd like people to know about the Department of Biological Sciences?
When people think about life sciences research at UB, they tend to think of the medical school. They think of us as an undergraduate science department. However, we are thoroughly involved in many aspects of the university's life science research initiatives—from organismal to structural biology. We also have a very strong undergraduate training program. We welcome undergraduates as research collaborators. Every faculty member in our department who has had undergraduate students in their research labs has found it to be an extremely rewarding experience.