UAF’s biological sciences program prepares students for high-demand careers and advanced degrees in all areas of biological sciences including animal and human health, wildlife management, physiology, ecosystems studies and others. As the state’s only doctoral degree-granting institution, UAF’s expertise in basic biological research serves as the foundation for innovative teaching.

All of UAF’s biology teaching facilities date from the 1960s or earlier. Although there have been some renovations, they have not been adequate to accommodate the 25 percent growth in enrollment over the past decade, or to adapt to the dramatic changes in the subject matter covered by biology courses. The Life Sciences Classroom and Lab Facility will provide modern instructional laboratories and classrooms for studying biological sciences, wildlife management, and effects of climate change, providing students with sufficient learning space and close proximity to the faculty and their research.

Enrollment Growth
The UAF biology and wildlife program is one of the largest degree programs in the UA system, in terms of the number of students enrolled, and it has been growing steadily.

Alaskan Student Needs

• Of the 444 undergraduates majoring in biology and wildlife programs in FY08, close to 75 percent are from Alaska.
   
• More than 40 percent of all Alaska biology and wildlife students are from outside the Fairbanks North Star Borough.
   
• Biology courses support students in associated fields such as chemistry, biochemistry and psychology. Biology courses are popular with students in all majors who take them to fulfill the science core curriculum requirement.

Space Needs
Since 1999, enrollments in biology and wildlife have increased by 25 percent while there has only been a 5.5 percent increase in teaching space, which was achieved through reassigning existing space. UAF’s biological sciences program suffers from both a lack of space and a lack of appropriate space for cell biology, molecular biology and microbiology. Students have been turned away from classes and labs because of inadequate space. For example, BIOL 342 (Microbiology) consistently turns away students due to the small room size for teaching the lab. Since this course is required for pre-med and other related degrees, this is a problem.

Positive Outcomes
Graduates of the UAF biology and wildlife program go on to careers across the state -- and beyond -- in jobs that affect all Alaskans. We have produced scientists such as David R. Klein and George Schaller who have received national and international recognition for their work in wildlife biology. Our program has trained commissioners for wildlife (Jim Brooks, Ronald Skoog) and natural resources (Bob LeResche) as well as 40 other positions in research and management for the state of Alaska, including the Department of Fish and Game, the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.

Our graduates hold positions at the U.S. Department of the Interior (National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey) and in private-sector organizations (Audubon, Ducks Unlimited, Defenders of Wildlife, World Wildlife Fund, and ABR, Inc. Environmental Research and Services).