The Brown & White

For many students, biology lab musters up memories of dissecting a pig in high school, tough chemical formulas and unattractive lab goggles.

But for those who from the beginning loved diving into research and answering science and medical questions, Lehigh provides a great resource.

With an accredited staff and graduate program, it is not surprising Lehigh has many aspiring doctors, veterinarians and researchers.

Undergraduates can pursue a degree in biochemistry, biology, molecular biology or behavioral neuroscience.

In addition to a challenging curriculum that prepares undergraduates for graduate or medical school and careers in health-related industries, students are encouraged to participate in research, where they work directly with their faculty and graduate students.

Sara Carlson, '09, is a biology major and despite the tough course requirements and one-credit labs that often last for three hours, she never tires of learning about the sciences.

"I love biology because it is constantly expanding, and we learn about issues that affect every aspect of our lives," she said.

Carlson chose to come to Lehigh because of the variety of choices of research and the highly respected professors in the biology department.

"The best part of being a biology major at Lehigh is having the opportunity to work with and establish connections with these professors," she said.

Taking advantage of the chance to work with some of Lehigh's accredited staff is Barry Perlman, '09, also a biology major. He is currently working in professor of cell biology, Dr. Barry Bean's andrology lab.

"The research that I am conducting now is focused on using various florescence dyes that have never been used on sperm cells," Perlman said.

The experiments Perlman conducts are meant to determine the value of these dyes for later purposes.

"They fluoresce only when in a hydrophobic environment such as a lipid-rich membrane," he said. "Based off this knowledge, the dyes are able to stain the various sperm membranes, allowing me to monitor sperm cells through the different stages they take prior to fertilizing an egg."

Perlman's project sounds complicated, but he is not the only one living in lab goggles.

Carlson is also hard at work with Dr. Jill Schneider, an endocrinology professor whose research deals with the effects of hormones on behavior.

"Our project focuses on the endocrine's influence over the reproductive and metabolic system," Carlson said.

Along with a graduate student, Carlson works in the lab a few times a week where she observes hamsters to see how much time they spend in a male's cage and in a food cage during their estrous cycle.

Although she may have to spend hours up at Iacocca Hall, Carlson doesn't seem to mind.

"The central animal facility provides a great research climate," she said. "There are strict guidelines to protect the animals and the facility is clean and easy to work in."

Additionally, research work often gives students who feel a bit lost but know they want to enter the biology field some inspiration.

"I've changed my mind multiple times regarding my post-graduate work," Carlson said. "Being a biology major at Lehigh University opens up many options, and doing research is a great way to find something you could turn into a career."

Why do students do all this work, though, for a project that isn't even technically theirs? Jenny O'Brien, '09, explains the program gives you the right introduction to the real world of science students can't get from a textbook.

"Whether I want to go to medical school or just enter the medical field in some regard, Lehigh has given me the chance to truly see and understand everything it is that we are tested on," O'Brien said.