Biochemistry major – Colleen Zink Tran ’07, Emergency Room Physician
Biochemistry Major
With our entrance into the 21st century, it is increasingly apparent that distinctions between the sciences are becoming blurred. To prepare students for this environment—and others that they’ll encounter in the not-so-distant future—Allegheny offers an interdisciplinary and integrated major in the field of biochemistry, increasing the diversity of Allegheny’s hands-on educational opportunities and encouraging students to see the connections between scientific disciplines.
The biochemistry major is part of an interdisciplinary program primarily supported by faculty from the biology and chemistry departments. The major requires a group of courses from the biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics departments.
The junior seminar offers students the chance to specialize within the major, applying their knowledge from the introductory and upper-level courses to a specific sub-discipline. In addition, the in-depth exposure to scientific literature and assignments emphasizing scientific communication form an important bridge to the senior project. The required senior project is a two-semester, laboratory-based, independent project that is ultimately defended before an interdisciplinary faculty committee.