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Facilities
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1.
Stanley Hall
2.
Noyes Hall (Wildman Science Library)
3. Dennis
Hall
4.
Greenhouse
& Ecology Lab
5. Joseph Moore Museum
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Biology
Department classrooms, laboratories, and faculty offices are
housed in Wendell M. Stanley Hall, which is part of the Science
Complex. There are six teaching laboratories plus ample student-faculty
research space. Stanley Hall is designed for extreme flexibility,
in that lab furniture and utilities may be easily moved to new
configurations to accommodate different experimental equipment
and teaching methods. Laboratory furniture has been designed
and arranged to facilitate student interaction and discussion. |
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the Science Complex, the Biology Department also has 2,000
square feet of greenhouse space including a conservatory,
extensive cactus collection, potting and soil handling room,
and experimental units. Attached to the greenhouse is a modern
field laboratory with an experimental laboratory, computing
facilities, conference area, and lounge. Stanley Hall also
houses the herbarium, which contains over 15,000 plant specimens,
2,000 color slides, and other botanical teaching and research
materials & an exceptional 1600 square foot animal care facility.
Also
part of the science complex, Joseph Moore Museum of Natural
History has a large public display area, extensive research
and teaching collections, and an active outreach teaching
program for regional public schools and other groups. Many
biology students work with and manage museum activities. |
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The
department has been aggressive in acquiring modern equipment
for teaching and research in biology. Students are able to carry
out contemporary procedures in experimental biology including
aspects of molecular genetics such as gene splicing, polymerase
chain reaction (PCR), and DNA sequencing; ultracentrifugation;
various types of electrophoresis, tissue culture; phase contrast,
polarizing, interference, and fluorescent light microscopy;
and scanning electron microscopy; among others. |
| A
grant from the National Science Foundation provided for a
high-field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectrometer. Extensive
computing equipment is available both within the department
and through the Earlham Computing Center.
The
Biology Department also oversees and manages several
field sites owned by Earlham. On our back campus, within easy walking distance for classes, we have two permanent ponds (Edwin Way Teale
and Murvel Garner Ponds) and three ephemeral ponds (James B. Cope, Carolle and Millard Markle, and Gertrude "Lucky" Ward Ponds), old field, early and mid-successional forest, and a small tall-grass prairie plot.Together with a small field lab building,
allow easy access to aquatic habitats. Adjacent plots contain
old field growths, woody succession areas, and a prairie.
The back campus also contains Clear Creek, the Whitewater
River, and extensive wooded areas for hiking and for biological
study. |
| Three outstanding forest preserves owned by the college are located
within short driving distances from campus. Sedgwick's Rock
Preserve, a gift to the college from Carrolle and Millard Markle, is a 13-acre, exquisite, mixed woodland with beech-maple
and oak-hickory areas, a creek in a deep ravine, and a large
mass of tufa rock on which a rich collection of fern species
grow. Sedgwick's is extensively used for experimental field
projects, particularly on under-story vegetation, as is the adjacent Robert's Run, owned by Earlham Biologist, Bill Buskirk. Wildman Woods, a gift from Dotty and Bill Wildman, is a 40- acre forested property that contains sections of old-growth and second-growth upland and lowland forest. Wildman Woods has an extensive trail system, and is intensively used for course field trips and student/faculty collaborative research. Together with the adjacent
Iverson Woods, owned by Earlham Biologist John Iverson, this
tract contains an unspoiled stream valley and upland woodlands.
Reller's Woods, a gift from Jean "Jay" and Bill Reller, is a 28 -acre preserve of mature forest. All three preserves contain outstanding wildflowers in the spring!
Biology field study also benefits from College ownership of the 100-acre Test Study Area, through the generosity of Fred Test, Bill and Ellen Dennis, and others. The area contains three ephemeral wetlands, a 17-acre woodlot, a high quality stream, a perennial drainage ditch, pasture and large agricultural areas destined for habitat restoration projects in the future.
Farther away from campus we hava a 40-acre upland forest, the Charles Cring Memorial Forest. This area often has saturated soils and supports a distincitve flora. |
Rue anemone,
Thalictrum thalictroides
Sedgwick's Rock Preserve
Photo by Peter Badra, EC'97 |
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