Natural Sciences

Course Information

Welcome

Natural Sciences majors at Assumption College have access to fully-equipped laboratories in the state-of-the-art Testa Science Center, cutting-edge undergraduate research opportunities and esteemed faculty who will mentor, challenge and encourage them to excel.

From the Department Chair

The Natural Science Department continues to change and expand just as science does. We now have programs in Neuroscience and Engineering to complement our Biotechnology and more traditional Biology and Chemistry programs. Our strength continues to be our hands-on approach to helping our students learn and understand science. Students have access to our faculty not only in the lecture hall but in every laboratory as well. This helps them develop a firm foundation in the sciences that will carry them forward to internships and research experiences both on campus and at many of the region’s scientific institutions and companies. We take pride in our students’ successes, both at Assumption and after graduation, knowing that we are helping to advance our understanding of the world around us as well as the overall betterment of the human condition.
~ Edward Dix, Ph.D., Department Chair, Natural Sciences

Benefits and Features of a Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Sciences

Work alongside faculty in Assumption’s 17 teaching/research labs and greenhouse in the state-of-the-art Testa Science Center.
Benefit from Assumption’s articulation agreements with highly competitive graduate programs – Assumption students are offered numerous opportunities for guaranteed admission and/or accelerated degrees on intensive scientific study.
Apply for funded research grants and choice internships in Worcester, Boston and beyond.
Explore our American Chemical Society-accredited Chemistry major – a highly regarded certification that reflects the expertise of our faculty and strength of our academic program.

Program Overview

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The natural sciences encompass life science and physical science, which, together, seek to understand the world around us. Our programs ask students to think far beyond the classroom and laboratory, as they come to understand our everyday world.

Students who pursue a Natural Science degree, or minor in the discipline, gain a thorough understanding of classical and contemporary scientific concepts, as well as the scientific process and its application. In addition to honing their powers of observation, inquiry, data collection, analysis, written and verbal communication, they also acquire the skills and knowledge to explore the field's ethical issues and moral considerations.

Assumption’s Natural Sciences department offers programs in the following areas:

Biology (major or minor): Explore the diversity of life forms, from single-celled organisms to complex populations.
Biotechnology and Molecular Biology (major): Learn how biological systems can be used to make useful products like antibiotics, and other pharmaceuticals and improved crops and foodstuff.
Chemistry (major or minor): Gain an understanding of the structure and fundamental principles of matter. Our chemistry major is certified by the American Chemical Society, one of the world’s leading sources of authoritative scientific information
Environmental Science (major or minor): Discover the effects of biological systems on the environment and acquire a deeper appreciation for the impact of human activity on our fragile ecosystem.
Physics (minor): Seek an understanding of the fundamental laws that govern matter, energy and motion.

With their strong science background and a broad liberal arts education, Assumption students are well prepared for undergraduate internships and postgraduate careers in the sciences and other related professions. Students with a Natural Science degree have begun rewarding careers in the health professions, industry, education, and laboratory and field research. Others have established careers in business or law, and some have even earned fellowships from the prestigious Fulbright program and National Institutes of Health as well as for graduate study and medical school.

Recipients of a Natural Science degree from Assumption enjoy an 85 percent acceptance rate to medical schools, and an 83 percent acceptance rate to other types of graduate medical programs (dentistry and veterinary schools, etc.). Assumption also has articulation agreements with the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (Worcester and Manchester, NH), the Des Moines Osteopathic School of Medicine, Barry University College of Podiatry and New England College of Optometry. Articulation agreements guarantee that a limited number of qualified Assumption students seats in:

Natural Science Degree Summer Research Opportunities

Increasing numbers of Assumption students have been selected to participate in summer research programs at major research institutions around the nation, including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Also, Assumption offers on-campus summer research opportunities to upper-level students who apply to assist Assumption faculty with their research projects. Students selected for summer research positions receive a stipend and housing on campus.

Faculty

	Elizabeth Colby Davie, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Chemistry
	Stuart Cromarty, Ph.D. Professor of Biology Neural Basis of Behavior; Current research involves the use of extracellular and intracellular electrophysiological studies of coding of steroid compound by the peripheral and central olfactory systems of the American lobster, Homarus americanus.
	David Crowley, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Biology Research Crowley, D.J., research program has focused on elucidating mechanisms and regulation of DNA repair and DNA damage tolerance in the extremely halophilic archaeon, Halobacterium sp. NRC-1 and the moderately halophilic Haloferax volcanii. Projects of ongoing interest include modification and optimization of assay systems to study transcription-coupled repair of ultraviolet light-induced DNA lesions in Halobacterium sp. NRC-1. Also targeted knockouts of putative repair genes inHalobacterium for purposes of functional characterization. Twenty-five undergraduate students have participated in this research at Assumption College and Mercer University. Recent collaborators have included Dr. Shirley McCready at Oxford-Brookes University, Oxford, UK and Dr. Justin Courcelle at Portland State University, Portland, OR. Dissertation Research, Stanford University, 1994-1999 Research in the laboratory of Dr. Philip Hanawalt. DNA damage inducible responses and mechanisms of DNA repair inEscherichia coli. Major focus on the genetic control of nucleotide excision repair genes and the effects of their regulation on the efficiency of repair of ultraviolet light induced DNA lesions. Additional studies characterizing modes of DNA repair in Haloferax volcanii. Undergraduate Honors Thesis, Univ. of Massachusetts Medical Center, 1991-1993 Research in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Volkert. Development of an assay to measure transcription-coupled DNA repair of ultraviolet light irradiated phage lambda in its host, Escherichia coli. Also contributed to elucidating modes of DNA repair and mutagenesis in aerobic and anaerobically grown Escherichia coli treated with alkylating or oxidizing chemicals. Undergraduate Research, College of the Holy Cross, 1991-1992 Research in the laboratory of Dr. George Hoffmann. Investigated the effect of monofunctional and bifunctional alkylating agents on the rates of mutation and recombination in Salmonella typhimurium.
	Edward Dix, Ph.D. Professor of Chemistry
	Aisling Dugan, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Biology Research Interests Investigating the interaction between microbial infection and human host cells
	Dr. Karolina Fučíková Assistant Professor of Biology
	Georgi Georgiev, Ph.D. Professor of Physics Sample of Research Collaboration with TUFTS University on Studies of Phase transitions in ordered systems: some examples are polymers and liquid crystals. Sample projects: “Electric control of carbon nanotubes” and “Development of a transmission ellipsometric system.”
	Benjamin Knurr, Ph.D. Assistant Professor
	Elissa Kraus, Ph.D. Visiting Instructor
	Michele Lemons, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Biology Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms that drive neural development, in particular the remarkable ability of brain cells to form connections and “talk” with each other. This research can unveil a deeper understanding of brain function and diseases including autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia and more. Students are trained to meaningfully contribute to research, which utilizes a variety of molecular and cellular research techniques, at Assumption College and in our collaborators’ labs at UMMS, to better understand genes that drive neuronal communication.
	Laura L. Marcotte, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Chemistry
	Jessica McCready, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Biology Research Interests Women diagnosed with breast cancer following pregnancy have a poorer prognosis than women diagnosed with non-pregnancy associated breast cancer. Currently it is unclear as to why breast cancer diagnosed following pregnancy is more aggressive however a diagnosis of breast cancer within the first year following childbirth is negatively associated with survival. Understanding why this is so could have a large impact on improving the survival of pregnancy associated breast cancer patients. My previous work established that adipose stromal cells present in the breast during lactation promote the growth of breast cancer cells due to high levels of the gene cellular retinoic acid binding protein-1 (crabp1). Research conducted by undergraduates at Assumption College will extend that observation and focus on the mechanism of how of crabp1 expression levels are regulated in lactation-derived adipose stromal cells. These findings may help lead to new therapies which would potentially extend the survival rates in a population of young women and mothers diagnosed with cancer.
	Brian Niece, Ph.D. Professor of Chemistry
	Kimberly Schandel, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Biology and Chemistry
	Owen Sholes, Ph.D. Professor of Biology Plant-herbivore interactions Factors affecting tree growth and survival Environmental history
	Steven Theroux, Ph.D. Professor of Biology, Health Professions Advisor Sample of Research Professor Theroux’s research, which is done in collaboration with colleagues at Brown University, focuses on the molecular causes of cancer.

#ACachieves

Sarah Morley

Chemistry '18

Research Project: Investigating Chemical Reactions using Millifluidic Devices

My internship focuses on using 3D modeling software to design and print milifluidic reaction channels. This internship has taught me that no field is isolated. I'm technically researching physical chemistry, but in the process I'm using math, engineering, physics, and computer science.
Robert Benjamin

Biology '17

Internship: Pediatric Epilepsy Clinical Researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital

I’m conducting a research study on rescue medications in pediatric epilepsy in conjunction with a research fellow. Each day I go to the hospital and enroll patients into this clinical trial. I also have the opportunity to shadow world-class neurologists at the clinic and in the ICU.
Stephen Johnson

Biology with a concentration in Physical Therapy '16

Internship: Physical Therapy Assistant at Worcester Physical Therapy; Post-Grad Plans: Doctor of Physical Therapy at Boston University

With over 100 hours of handling clients with neurological, cardiopulmonary, vestibular, orthopedic, integumentary, issues; I learned a myriad of “soft skills” that cannot be learned from any textbook. I learned how to communicate my ideas and treatment plans to patients and aid them in effectively executing treatment plans under the guidance of licensed Physical Therapists. I also learned the importance of building rapport with clients, which I believe has set a solid foundation for me as I begin my studies and career as a future healthcare professional.
Elizabeth DiLoreto

Biology with a concentration in Neuroscience '17

Internship: Undergraduate Intern of the Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology Department at UMASS Medical School

My internship taught me how little I know. Being around people who have been so immersed in their field for so long showed the passion that one can develop for their field. This application-based learning really helped me to have a greater appreciation for what I was learning in the classroom. It also helped me to be more comfortable in the class labs, allowing me to help others with the concepts I already understood.
Dr. Michele Lemons, Rachel Avard, Michaela Temple and Monika Rettler

Natural Sciences

Project Name: Molecular Mechanisms of Neural Development

“I enjoy working with Assumption students and unlocking new mysteries about neuronal development. It’s extremely gratifying to carefully plan and execute a series of experiments with students and to ultimately (hopefully) obtain data that unveils a novel understanding about molecular mechanisms of neural development. It’s thrilling to be the first to answer a scientific question that no one else has answered! It is equally thrilling to see the ‘ah ha’ moment in students eyes as they make new discoveries in the lab after investing a lot of work and effort in their projects. Research in the lab is challenging and Assumption students bring a source of energy, dedication and optimism that are important factors for success.” - Dr. Michele Lemons
Dr. Jessica McCready, Juan Toscano, Carmino Riccio and Robert Benjamin

Natural Sciences

Project Name: The role of Tumor Microenvironment in Pregnancy Associated Breast Cancer

"Conducting research highlights the importance of the material we teach in the classroom. As science professors we try to stress the importance of what we teach to real life. Once the student arrives in the research lab, he or she begins to see how important the lecture material becomes since we use our knowledge of biology all the time in the lab. These research projects offer a great opportunity to work closely with a professor and we form close relationships with our research students that last beyond the students’ time at Assumption." - Dr. Jessica McCready

Contact Information

Edward Dix, Ph.D.

Professor of Chemistry

edix@assumption.edu

508-767-7292

2018-2019 Course Catalog

Academics

Natural Sciences

Course Information

Benefits and Features of a Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Sciences

Natural Science Degree Summer Research Opportunities

Research Interests