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The Biology Department

Boletus mushrooms with the Biology Building in the background.

Incoming Students 2023-2024

Are you an incoming WWU student for 2023-2024? Check out the Incoming Biology Students page to learn how to declare a Biology Major, the application process, and other helpful advising tips.

The Biology Department encompasses areas ranging from molecular biology to ecosystem ecology. This breadth is reflected in our curriculum and in faculty and student research. Our joint mission of teaching and research strongly complement each other and provide students with an educational experience of very high quality.

In support of the mission of Western Washington University and the College of Sciences and Engineering, the mission of the Biology Department is to provide an outstanding learning environment that integrates education, scholarship, and service in order to actively engage students in the biological sciences and foster their development as lifelong learners.

The faculty in the College of Science and Engineering has established a fund to provide support for Black students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Black people face unique and systemic barriers to succeeding in STEM, contributing to historical and ongoing underrepresentation in undergraduate and graduate STEM programs, and in STEM careers. The impetus for the fund is the 2020 protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Through this scholarship we can, together, make an impact on the educational goals of Black students at WWU for generations to come.

To donate, go to the WWU Foundation page.

The Biology Department Winter 2024 Main Office (BI315) Hours: 

  • Monday-Friday 8:30 - Noon  and 1:00 - 4:00

We are available to answer your questions via phone and email: 

  • Monday - Friday 8:00  - 5:00 

Biology Main Line -  360.650.3627 or email biology@wwu.edu 

Biology Staff Advisors - 360.650.6165 or email biologyadvising@wwu.edu

Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

Biology News Spotlight

WWU students, faculty attend SACNAS conference in Portland

Students stand at entrance to a conference hall.

Eight Western students represented the departments of biology, economics, political science and computer science at the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) National Diversity in STEM Conference, held at the end of fall quarter in Portland, Oregon. 

Student Spotlight: A Look Into MMEL

Four student researchers wearing bright life vests ride in a boat. Islands are visible in the background

Western students have many opportunities to join research labs in the Biology department. Today’s student spotlight looks at some of the student roles and research happening in the Marine Mammal Ecology Lab (MMEL).

Biology Students Attend American Society for Cell Biology Conference

Three people smile at the camera. They are wearing conference badges around their necks.

Two Western students, Bree Nelson and Anna Byquist, along with two Biology faculty, Lina Dahlberg and Nick Galati, attended the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) conference in Boston in early December 2023.

Biology Department Research and Publications