Life Sciences

The Life Sciences Department at Santa Rosa Junior College focuses on quality education in biology for undergraduate and special interest students. Biology means the study of life, and can include courses in many sub-disciplines. We have chosen to name our courses for some of these disciplines, and use the umbrella term “Life Sciences” as the name of our department. Thus, we have courses listed under the following headings: Anatomy, Biology, Botany, Microbiology, and Physiology.

The Life Sciences Department is as diverse and exciting as the world of biology, in terms of courses offered, our faculty and staff, as well as our facilities, which include extensive specimen collections.

•The department serves a diverse group of students, including students who take a single introductory course as part of their general education, those who wish to continue their education at transfer institutions as Biology majors, students whose focus is preparation for a career in the allied health disciplines, and individuals who wish to pursue a personal interest in the natural world.

•The department offers courses leading to an A.A. or A.S. degree with a major in Biology or Pre-Allied Health (for allied health students).

•The department offers field courses that focus on the natural world, in Sonoma County and abroad. These courses present exciting opportunities to learn about the biological world up close and personal for both biology students and anyone with an interest in the natural world. The department is currently offering a course in ecology taught in Costa Rica, as part of the Study Abroad Program. The department also teaches courses at the local Pepperwood Preserve

The Life Sciences Department welcomes you to come and find out more about our programs.

•The department is located in Baker Hall, named for famous Sonoma County biologist Milo Baker.

•The department sponsors two public interest lecture series: the Peter Leveque Natural History Lecture, held once each year in the fall semester, and a Biology Forum series each semester. The forum presents lectures on current topics in Biology; it is open to the public and can be taken as a .5 unit course (BIO 55). Every semester the first meeting of the forum presents an introduction to Biology, our department and our majors: Biology and Physiology.

•Life Sciences has an active independent study program. Students must have a faculty sponsor, and can participate in a research project or serve as teaching assistants in lab courses they have completed. During the 09/10 school year, students completed articulation of a variety of animal skeletons, including mountain lion, antelope and a giraffe in our research lab, room 1805. Their completed projects are on display in the Mahoney Library on the Petaluma campus.