<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>My D is applying ED II, and is interested in biology as a major. Any bio majors out there who can tell me what the program is like?</p>
<p>bump!!!!!!</p>
<p>Is there a Bio major in the house? (Prequel to "Is there a doctor on the house?")</p>
<p>Geez, 30% bio majors, and not available to talk to me! I'm gonna start taking it personally.</p>
<p>[Geez, 30% bio majors, and not available to talk to me! I'm gonna start taking it personally.]</p>
<p>Theyre in finals week and studying or getting plastered on gender neutral eggnog at Fitzwilly's.
You'll come to know FW well. I used to love it for cruising. Now I just have dinner and whine about missing 'the good ol' days' </p>
<p>Admissions will have a bio major contact you, if you ask.
Contacting some of the professors is also an option. But do it soon as theyre out of there soon too.</p>
<p>Heres a fun site for your daughter.
<a href="http://smith.dailyjolt.com/%5B/url%5D">http://smith.dailyjolt.com/</a></p>
<p>Yeah, actually, e-mailing the department chairman might not be a bad idea. </p>
<p>But the students are certainly up to their eyebrows right now.</p>
<p>My D chose to go to Banard so my knowledge is limited to what I have gathered from our visit and from meeting Alums. I was very impressed by what I saw at Smith and in fact at all of the women's colleges. It is one of the sciences that has a long tradition on those campuses and beautiful facilities. Smith is also in a neat area to do outdoor studies.</p>
<p>Okay, BJM8, D got into LAX a little after midnight last night and I remembered your interest in Bio when out shopping today.</p>
<p>Smith's bio is oriented towards plant and cellular; a friend of hers had to take an animal physiology course elsewhere.</p>
<p>There are a <em>lot</em> of research opps in Bio. If your D doesn't get a STRIDE, she should just shine in class and ask individual profs...or so says D.</p>
<p>Thinking of me while shopping, heh???? Hmmm... <em>LOL</em> Thanks for the info. D is interested in molecular and genetics so far; sounds like a good fit. I know Smith has a huge plant research courseload; probably due to the fact that they have that beautiful greenhouse on campus! Hope D had a great flight, must be great to have her home. Please enjoy the holidays with family, and extend these wishes to your D on behalf of our family as well. Hope to meet you at Smith; at the very least, have our D's meet up at Smith and have a good laugh on us!</p>
<p>You probably already know this, but Smith is a national center for genomics research. most of it conducted by undergraduates under the direction of Steve Williams.</p>
<p>If you want to see what current research is being conducted, you could check out the poster session in February: (we'll have just left town - d. is managing the Five College Opera Consortium productions that weekend.)</p>
<p>For listing of some of the peer-reviewed genomics research published with undergrads in collaboration, check out Steve Williams' homepage:</p>
<p>("You probably already know this, but Smith is a national center for genomics research. most of it conducted by undergraduates under the direction of Steve Williams.")</p>
<p>No...I did not know this. Thanks for the info. This is why CC is so important to folks like us, as there are many parents like you out there that we would never have the opportunity to speak to, if not for this forum. My D is very interested in genomics, and would someday like to do research in this area. One of the reasons why admission to Smith is so important to her, is the research opportunities available to 1st and 2nd years. Stride would be great...but, according to TheDad, there are still research opportunities, Stride or not!</p>
<p>BJM8, D stresses that research for a first-year is not a slam dunk without the STRIDE. It's as if the STRIDEs are pre-vetted for the profs. If not a STRIDE, there's a three-step process your D needs to do:</p>
<p>1) scope out the profs, who's doing what (the list of STRIDE projects might be a good starting point for info but I wouldn't stop there)</p>
<p>2) approach the profs</p>
<p>3) impress the profs</p>
<p>It's #3 that will be the most difficult and your D should have a "sales package" to present herself worked out, because the best way to impress a prof is to shine in their classes, which you can't have done before hand.</p>
<p>Since I am not aware of your religious denominations, I will simply say happy holidays to you and your families. You continue to be a great help to us and our D.</p>
<p>I'll say "Merry Christmas" to all who partake of that tradition and "Happy Holidays" to all others.</p>
<p>Okay, BJM8. Here's some info. Smith has a published a little comb-bound book titled "Women in Science" which contains 73 abstracts of science research projects done by Smith students during Summer '05.</p>
<p>Biology is the most represented field with 18 projects. Others include Bio-Chem, 3; Chemistry, 15; Computer Science, 8; Engineering, 1; Environmental Science & Policy, 4; Geology, 6; Mathematics, 6; Physics, 3; Psychology, 9.</p>
<p>Titles of the Bio abstracts included are (any typos are mine):</p>
<p>"Ciliate Biogeography and the Eukaryotic 'Tree of Life'"</p>
<p>"Characterization of the INteraction o fthe Mnoterpeniod Menthol with Human GABAA Receptors Expressed in Xenopus Oocytes"</p>
<p>"Genetic Polymorphisms among Wood Frog (Rana Sylvatica) Populations in Western Massachusetts"</p>
<p>"Identification and Characterization of Cuticular Collagen Genes in the Human Filarial Parasite Onchocerca Volvulus"</p>
<p>"Determining the Role of the Slit3 Neuornal and Glial Cell Guidance in the Zebrafish Forebrain"</p>
<p>"Coat Color Measurement of Agouti and Nonagouti Mammals"</p>
<p>"Effects of Robo 1 and 2 in Zebrafish Axon Guidance"</p>
<p>"Sea Urchin and Fish Abundance Patterns in Patch Reefs of Northern Belize"</p>
<p>"The Role of Slits and their Roundabout (Robo) Receptors in Axon Guidance in the Zebrafish"</p>
<p>"Does DNA Extracted from Mosquitoes Degrade in a Concentration Dependent Manner?"</p>
<p>"Crushing Force in Two Invasive Crab Species: A Gripping Story"</p>
<p>"Anesthetic Preconditioning in Murine Neuroblastoma Cell Line"</p>
<p>"Characterization of Rimj a Thermoregulator of Pap Fimbrial Transcription in []iEscherichia Coli*"</p>
<p>"Structural Differences Between Hairs of Agout and Non-Agouti Deer Mice (*Peromyscus Maniculatus)"</p>
<p>"Lack of Intraspecific Variation in Noncoding Regions of the Chlorplast Genome in the Species Yucca Brevifolia"</p>
<p>"Paterns of Change in Genetic Variation in Nonindigenous Umbra Limi Determined by Starch Gel Electrophoresis"</p>
<p>"The Enhancement of GABA Transmission by Monoterpenoids"</p>
<p>"The Effect of Temperature and Dessication Stress on Growth of the Green Crab Carcinus Maenas and the Influence of Chemical Cues Effect on its Foraging Activity"</p>
<p>===============</p>
<p>Because Smith is a small school, the quality of various types of Bio sort of depends on the professor. I was interested in organismal bio, and while Dr. Virginia Hayssen is obviously an intelligent person and a solid academic in mammalian studies, she's sort of a weird person and several students had trouble working with her. Of course, you can look for summer research positioins through non-Smith institutes, such as REU positions. You have to make very good grades though.</p>
<p>{Because Smith is a small school, the quality of various types of Bio sort of depends on the professor.}</p>
<p>I would think that's true everywhere, in reality. I think sciences are special at Smith because of Smith's size, so we have a difference of opinion, I guess. I understand what you're saying though. Because Smith is small, there are only so many professors to go around. We all had, and our D's will have, professors that they just don't jive with; that's part of the learning curve while attending college. True, in larger universities you can drop one section and add another with another prof, I think there are enough options at Smith of one does her homework beforehand. FWIW, that's just my take on it.</p>
<p>A stride opportunity would be nice for my D, but because she's applying ED II, she does not have to be wooed. Still, we're hoping this comes through for her, because she is interested in research at Smith. That is one of the reasons why Smith was so high on her list. I guess time will tell.</p>