In 2018, the Biology Department, along with the departments of Chemistry, Physics, and Psychology and the BCBP and Neuroscience Programs, moved into the new Science Center shown below. The building also houses the Moss Quantitative Center and the Science Library This modern facility is located on East Drive, across from Beneski, which houses Geology and Environmental Studies. The Seeley Mudd Building remains home to the Mathematics, Computer Science, and Information Technology departments.
Federal and private foundation grants have contributed to the specialized equipment used in teaching and research which includes ultracentrifuges, scintillation counters, spectrophotometers, high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, fluorescence microscopes, confocal microscope, a cell sorter, tissue culture facilities, and greenhouse.
Greenhouse Facility
The new science center includes a state of the art greenhouse facility for use in our research laboratories, our courses, and our summer programs. The greenhouse manager is responsible for overseeing our greenhouse and student workers. Find more details on our Greenhouse Facility webpage.
Zebrafish Facility
The new science center includes a modern zebrafish facility that houses many lines of zebrafish for use in our research laboratories, our courses, and our summer programs. The animal care technician overseas our fish and other vertebrate and invertebrate animals in the department. More details can be seen at our Zebrafish Facility webpage.
Specialized Equipment Facility
The Biology department maintains an array of specialized shared equipment and provides standardized training on the care and use of each item. The technical equipment specialist maintains and oversees the specific details on our shared equipment and manages signup for training, please see our specialized shared equipment webpage.
Imaging Facility
Our department maintains shared confocal microscopes that are used for research and teaching purposes. Several departments at Amherst College have access to our imaging facility that resides in the Science Center. More details can be found on our Imaging Facility webpage.
Dishwasher and Autoclave Facility
Biology laboratories benefit from a multifunction dishwasher and two autoclaves for sterilization of media and labware.
Wildlife Sanctuary
The Amherst wildlife sanctuary is an excellent resource for our classes and research laboratories.