Biology

Majors & Minors

We encourage our students to learn to think critically through the study of living organisms and their relationships to the environment.

Contact

Romi Burks

Garey Chair and Professor of Biology; Department Chair

burksr@southwestern.edu

Phone

512.863.1280

Romi Burks

Garey Chair and Professor of Biology; Department Chair

Email Call

Majoring or minoring in biology acts as your gateway to a richer understanding of living organisms, from the molecules within cells to the biosphere that encompasses all of Earth’s ecosystems. At Southwestern, you’ll deepen your knowledge of molecular processes, ecological diversity, genetics, the human body, and evolution through our rich and wide-ranging curriculum. You’ll engage in thoughtful assignments and projects while gaining hands-on experience in our state-of-the-art on-campus laboratories. You will have opportunities to conduct research and collaborate with our engaged and enthusiastic faculty on a range of projects, such as studying

diversity & distribution of snails using genetics and field sampling
DNA repair & mutation
development & progression of breast & uterine cancer
gene expression within bacteria
complexities of antibiotic resistance
relationships between natural selection & gene evolution
ecology of local amphibians
development of neural circuits in the brain
response & impact of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems

Majors may choose to pursue either a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science. Our students often take courses in SU’s robust Environmental Studies Program or elect one of our new interdisciplinary minors, such as Animal Studies, Health Studies, and Data Science. In addition, SU offers pre-professional pathways in the areas of pre-medicine, pre-dental, and pre-veterinary medicine that will provide you with personalized advising and other helpful resources that will prepare your for advanced study. No matter which path you choose, you will have numerous career choices from which to choose. Our alumni have gone on to successfully complete graduate and professional programs in the dental, medical, medical technology, nursing, optometry, pharmacy, and veterinary fields. They’ve also enjoyed satisfying careers in industry, government, nonprofit organizations, public health, and education.

Gaby Garza ’22, Lupe Sanchez ’23, and Christine Vanginault ’23 spread compost on the research plots (Photo credit: Dr. Jennie DeMarco)

Spring 2022 TriBeta Induction ceremony led by Bilal Kahn. Each member had a profile slide of their interests and involvement in Biology.Good looking group!

Environmental Science students learning how to take measurements of dbh - tree diameters - to estimate age and growth. (Photo credit: Dr. Jennie DeMarco)

Dr. Maria Cuevas and the Spring 2022 Biology of Reproduction class at the end of the semester (Photo credit: Maria Cuevas)

We did get some vertebrates - fish - but tossed them back. More interested in the shrimp and crabs! Yes, even a couple of blue crab. (Photo credit: Romi Burks)

Made it to the end of the search for some marine invertebrates around the coastal area of Rockport, TX (Photo credit: Romi Burks)

Jamal Collins works on separating out soil layers in Environmental Science laboratory (Photo credit: Dr. Jennie DeMarco)

Students in Environmental Science out in the field (Photo credit: Dr. Jennie DeMarco)

Five women scientists had the opportunity to extend their coursework and research experience outside the classroom with poster presentations at the Texas Conservation Symposium, co-sponsored by Southwestern and The Williamson County Conservation Foundation. The students all had the opportunity to interact with the keynote speaker, Dr. Kelly Rameriz, Assistant Professor at the University of Texas El Paso and co-founder of 500 Women Scientists. Katherine Montgomery, Lauren Wheat, Cynthia Bashara, Dr. Romi Burks, Lillian Dolapchiev, Nicole Ratjak and Dr. Kelly Rameriz (Photo credit: Romi Burks)

Nice to have such a resource as Alex Wild and the invertebrate collection at the University of Texas - Brackenridge field site. We even added a specimen or two. (Photo credit: Romi Burks)

King Creativity Group “Lecture in a Box” with (left to right) Dean Dulthummon, Karen Rativa, Dr. Stacie Brown, Sebastian Somolinos, Alexis Dimanche (Photo credit: Dr. Stacie Brown)

SCOPE 21 students Lillian Dolapchiev and Cynthia Bashara present their research on environmental DNA at the Fall Open House. (Photo credit: Dr. Romi Burks)

Snail lab checking out the view of a wetland in Utah while attending a national scientific meeting. (Photo credit: Dr. Romi Burks)

Areli Gutierrez in the field doing her Capstone research on Georgetown Salamander. (Photo credit: Ben Pierce)

How do geckos climb walls? SU Callie Haworth & Jaxon Banks (Photo credit: Romi Burks)

How can solar power be turned into energy? SU Joyous Ahn & Audrey Damarest

Biology Extends the Sweet Treats Theme to Graduation (Photo credit: Maria Cuevas, Christy Schaller, Romi Burks)

Some of our star biologists (Emma Astad '21, Vanessa Jones '22 and Scout Gockle '22) enjoy the senior lunch (Photo credit: Christy Schaller)

End of semester lab meeting for the Apple Snail Molecular Ecology Lab with Dr. Burks: (left to right): Cassidy Reynolds, Cynthia Bashara, Lillian Dolapchiev, Abby White, Kate Henderson and Esmerelda Barrientos (Photo credit: Dr. Romi Burks)

Biology and History major Katherine Montgomery

Poster - Katherine Montgomery ’23: The Blackland Prairies in 2050: Never lost, just too often forgotten (Photo credit: Romi Burks)

SCOPE 21 students Cynthia Bashara and Lillian Dolapchiev sample for apple snail eDNA at a golf course pond in San Antonio (Photo credit: Dr. Romi Burks)

Talking Science (Photo credit: Romi Burks)

The Invertebrate Ecology class took a trip here in early March. We highly recommend the honey. But, Beeweaver known best for their queen bees - and there’s an SU biology alumni connection. (Photo credit: Romi Burks)

Spring 2022 TriBeta Induction ceremony led by Bilal Kahn. Each member had a profile slide of their interests and involvement in Biology. (Photo credit: Cynthia Bashara)

Christine Vanginault ’23 does the lab work with a smile! (Photo credit: Dr. Jennie DeMarco)

New partnership between Dr. DeMarco (and her students) and Copper Mountain makes the local news (Photo credit: Dr. Jennie DeMarco)

We also strive to provide a safe and supportive environment for all students, including, but not limited to, students of color, sexual and gender minorities, low-income students, first-generation students, differently-abled students and those with chronic health conditions.

Click here to learn more about our Department’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, belonging and equity.