Biology Major
Ready to start your path to a rewarding career in health care, conservation biology, biotechnology, teaching, or any other in biology’s vast array of exciting opportunities?
The Department of Biological Sciences offers three majors and one minor. Each major leads to a Bachelor of Science degree:
For complete description of all courses offered by the Department of Biological Sciences, please see UMW Course Catalog, Biology.
Read some of our student success stories here.
Department News
UMW Biological Sciences Students win 4 Grants at State Symposium
On November 8, multiple UMW biology students attended the Virginia Academy of Science’s Fall Research Symposium held at Virginia State University in Petersburg, VA. At this annual symposium, students present their research proposals to compete for $1000 grants. This year, students from 10 Virginia Universities submitted 69 proposals to compete for these grants. The Department of Biological Sciences was well represented, with students mentored by five faculty presenting their proposals. UMW is proud to celebrate another outstanding year of success, with our students receiving four of the ten awarded grants. The 2025 grant recipients are:
- Marco Estrella working with Dr. Swati Agrawal ‘Exploring phage?antibiotic synergy to enhance inhibition of pathogenic bacillus cereus’
- Katriana Meiman working with Dr. Laura Sipe ‘Mast cell contributions to connective tissue weakness’
- Mckenzie Cheynet also working with Dr. Laura Sipe ‘Cytokine expression in the activation of dendritic cells in immunogenic cell death’
- Eleni Kepler and Isla Williams working with Dr. Ginny morriss ‘The effects of myoglianin knockdown in Drosophila melanogaster with myotonic dystrophy type 1’
These grant awards recognize the research excellence of UMW students and provide critical funding to support the completion of their projects.
Congratulations to all of the students who represented UMW at this conference.
Welcome Lauren Cirino
The department is thrilled to welcome Dr. Lauren Cirino this fall! Dr. Cirino joins our faculty from a Post-doctoral Scholar position at Oklahoma State University. She earned her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Entomology and Nematology from the University of Florida. Dr. Cirino brings with her a wealth of teaching experience. In addition, she has amassed an outstanding record of undergraduate student research mentorship, and her publications and conference presentations include many student co-authors. Her intrigue about animal behavior is what drives her vibrant research program, especially fighting and mating behavior. Her latest publication, just accepted by the journal Ecology & Evolution, is titled “The leaf-footed cactus bug is not a cactus specialist: Narnia femorata feeds, fights, and mates on thistle.” Dr. Cirino is looking forward to digging into more fascinating insect behavior and ecology alongside UMW students.
To keep up with department news and events, students should self-enroll in the department’s Canvas site:
