Accounting Anthropology Art - Seattle Pacific University

Cynthia Fitch, Associate Professor of Biology; B.S.,
McMurry College, 1985; Ph.D., Iowa State University, 1990;
Post-doctoral Fellow Howard Hughes Medical Institute,
University of Washington, 1990-93; Research Scientist,
University of Washington Medical School, 1993-94. At SPU
since 1994.
A. Kenneth Moore, Professor of Biology; Coordinator,
Pre-Professional Health Sciences Program; B.A., Evangel
College, 1960; M.A., University of Missouri, 1963; Ph.D.,
University of New Mexico, 1975. At SPU since 1975.
Timothy Nelson, Associate Professor of Biology; B.S.,
Seattle Pacific University, 1987; Ph.D., University of
Washington, 1995. At SPU since 1991.
Richard L. Ridgway, Associate Professor of Biology;
Chair of Biology; B.S., Seattle Pacific University, 1977; M.S.,
Washington State University, 1983; Ph.D., 1988. Post-Doctoral
Fellow, Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research,
University of Calgary, Canada, 1988-91. Post-Doctoral Fellow,
Canadian Centres of Excellence in Neural Regeneration and
Functional Recovery, 1990-91. At SPU 1978-80 and since 1991.
Biotechnology
Miller Science Learning Center (MSLC)
Voice Mail: (206) 281-2002
Rick Ridgway, Director, Cynthia Fitch
One of the pillars of entrepreneurial growth in science is
biotechnology. It has been identified as one of the most
important applied sciences of the 21st century. This
emergent discipline embraces the disciplines of
biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, cell biology and
computer science/mathematical modeling. It has been
argued that this will lead to a new discipline where
technology and biology are driving each other. A dramatic
example of this is the Human Genome Project, genetic
manipulation for medical therapy. This knowledge can
eventually lead to extended and expansive practice of what
is termed preventative medicine (i.e., identification of
genes predisposing to disease and the use of therapies to
avoid or lessen disease).
The Seattle area is one of the leaders in biotechnology,
with nearly 100 biotechnology firms in operation. This
industry exerts a major economic force and provides a
rapidly growing employment opportunity for research and
administrative positions. The influence of this biotechnology
industry is felt in educational institutions, including
science education enhancement in the K-12 classrooms, as
well as for college and university students who find many
opportunities for undergraduate research projects.
To maximize benefits for students at SPU, a
biotechnology program is being designed. The program
uses existing courses in biology and chemistry but with
some special emphases. The initial phase of this program
was introduced in 1997-1998. One of the ways to enable
students in this professional quest is to have them develop
a portfolio. The portfolio will include the following: (1)
Evaluation forms that reflect development of both theory
content and laboratory skills (done with the use of a pretest/post-test
instrument to see if the curriculum leads to
desired skills); (2) an assessment of the practicals done in
lab (each designated student will have a report filed during
each course); (3) a student-volunteer teaching report (each
student will do volunteer work in a K-12 classroom over a
period of one or two terms); and (4) internship evaluation
at a local biotechnology firm (each student will engage in a
one- or two-term working internship at a local research
lab. This work may be extended to a senior thesis project).
This portfolio then becomes an asset that students can
carry forward to their professional activities.
Course Requirements
The biotechnology program is framed within existing
majors in biology, biochemistry and chemistry. The core
courses for the program are as follows:
BIO 3325 Genetics (5)
BIO 4325 Molecular Biology (5)
BIO 4352 Cell Biology (5)
CHM (BIO) 4361, 4362 Biochemistry (5 each)
CHM/BIO 4363 (3)
Recommended Courses
CHM 3226 Quantitative and Instrumental Analysis (5)
BIO 3350 Immunology (3)
The internship component of the program is satisfied
by the following:
CHM 4940 Internship in Chemistry (1-5)
BIO 4940 Internship in Biology (1-5)
Blakely Island
Field Station
Blakely Island, W ashington
(206) 281-2899
www.spu.edu/depts/biology/blakely
Bruce Congdon, Director
In 1977, the University was given 900 acres of land and
granted an open space conservation easement on another
3,000 acres on Blakely Island, in the San Juan archipelago
of northwestern Washington. The Blakely Island Field
Station serves as the teaching site for upper-division biology
courses in marine, aquatic and terrestrial ecology, as well as
in natural history, introductory biology and astronomy for nonscience
majors. Research conducted by faculty and students
has included baseline surveys of major island habitats, and
the ecology of lakes, marine bays and eelgrass beds. The field
station campus is located near Spencer Lake, one of the
island’s two freshwater lakes.
Although only a few miles from the mainland, the
island is isolated and home to only a few year-round
residents. Facilities include a dining hall-library-classroom
building that accommodates 24 students and staff, a
residence hall with 10 double-occupancy rooms and a dive
shop. The island is surrounded by lush kelp forests,
eelgrass meadows and spectacular rock walls. These
subtidal and intertidal habitats support a diversity of
seaweeds, invertebrates, fish and marine mammals. In the
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Biotechnology
Blakely Island