Biology Archives

Nancie Walden Petrucelli, '92, alumna and genetics counselor

A Marriage of Two Disciplines: Nancie Petrucelli’s Career in Genetic Counseling

When Nancie (Walden) Petrucelli, ’92, came to Hillsdale, she planned to become a veterinarian. She quickly declared her biology major and focused on achieving her goal until a well-timed class schedule opened her eyes to an entirely different career.

From Butterfly House to Biology Lab

“I owe my career to my mother. When I was in high school, she encouraged me to get a job at a butterfly house,” says Ben Proshek, ’07.

Counting Sheep (and Caribou) in Alaska

Apart from the cold and snow, it would seem Hillsdale and an Alaska survival show have little in common. But Hillsdale alumna Erin Julianus, ’08, has a connection to both.

From Counting Bacteria to Analyzing Poetry

“Can such old books really hold my interest?” Judy Moreno wondered, a question asked by many freshmen who crack open the The Odyssey with trepidation.

How Science 101 Sparked Sheldon Saccoman’s Interest in Biology and Chemistry

When Sheldon Saccoman came to Hillsdale, he had no idea that exploring the core curriculum, rich with history and English classes, would ultimately lead him to a biology and chemistry double major.

Marine Biology Summer Session

Every summer, the biology department conducts a class in the Florida Keys dedicated to the study of shallow, subtropical marine environments.

A Tight-Knit Team Both On and Off the Playing Field

Between being a member of the Hillsdale College women’s volleyball team, volunteering at a local women’s shelter, teaching Sunday school, and pursuing a bio-chem major and biology minor, junior Kyra Rodi doesn’t have a lot of time for Netflix. But when I asked about her experience as a student athlete, a huge smile spread across her face.

Treating Staph Infections with Light

The desire to seek effective alternatives to antibiotics drew Wyatt McDonnell to study MRSA. During his research, he came across an interesting method of fighting bacterial infections called photodynamic therapy (PDT).

Discovering Hillsdale’s Hidden Gem

From an early age, Lindsey Lewis knew that optometry was her calling in life. “I have horrible eyesight,” she laughs. “I also have an overwhelming desire to help people. And when I realized that my favorite day of the year was going to the optometrist for an eye exam, everything just clicked – I knew that I wanted to be an eye doctor.”

Dr. Swinehart Takes Marine Biology to its Natural Habitat

With Dr. Swinehart’s recent Florida Keys Biology summer session, students had the opportunity to take care of their Biology core requirement in a way that everyone ought to find appealing: snorkeling and catching weird fish.

Nathan Conroy

Convinced of his alma mater’s excellence, Nathan Conroy notes “only a select few are admitted to Hillsdale College, and I’m proud to be one of those ‘chosen few’ who are called upon to represent all that Hillsdale stands for.”

Carly Hubbard

Carly Hubbard, currently finishing her junior year, transferred to Hillsdale from a large state school to study biology. She said there were several reasons that the choice to come to Hillsdale was right for her. Her elder sisters attended Hillsdale, and after a semester elsewhere, she realized that she wanted to be a part of the conversations that her sisters had experienced.