Why Study Natural Sciences at New College?
If you have a broad-based interest in the sciences, including biology, chemistry, physics, math, bioinformatics, scientific history and more, then our Natural Sciences AOC is for you. The freedom to pursue your own special interests and goals, the opportunity to take a more interdisciplinary approach to the sciences, and the ability work alongside a broad sampling of our highly-acclaimed faculty are three reasons why students choose our Natural Sciences AOC.
Natural Sciences area of concentration
The Natural Sciences faculty have agreed that a student who earns “Natural Sciences” as an Area of Concentration should have a diverse enough background to be reasonably called a natural scientist and, at the same time, should have attained some level of mastery in one of the following disciplines: biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics or physics.
More than any of the more specialized programs we offer in the sciences, our Natural Sciences AOC allows you the flexibility to work with your faculty advisor in designing a course of study that matches your specific interests and goals. You won’t explore areas as deeply as you would in say, Chemistry, but you will enjoy unparalleled breadth, which is one of the reasons this program is so popular with pre-med and pre-dentistry students, as well as with students interested in environmental law and other professional areas where a broad-based familiarity and understanding of the sciences is needed.
An additional benefit to our Natural Sciences AOC is that it allows students to take classes with our expert faculty from a wide variety of disciplines. For example, one of our physics professors was recently awarded a $1.7 million grant from the United States government to fund her research on nanoparticles, while a professor in physical chemistry received a large grant from the U.S. Navy for his research on microwave spectroscopy. A biology professor received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of a research team exploring gene networks and endosperm development in maize, and a professor in biochemistry received NSF funding for her research on animal development and gene expression. As a major in Natural Sciences, you have an opportunity to take classes, as available, with each of these faculty members, as well as others who are widely published and regarded in their fields.
In addition to medicine, dentistry and law, popular career paths chosen by our students who pursue a Natural Sciences AOC are lab work, quality control, and environmental and conservation work.
Faculty
- Nikita Bagley Coordinator, Data Science Program
- Joel Beaver Coordinator of Research Programs/Services, Pritzker Marine Biology Res. Ctr.
- Alfred Beulig Emeritus Professor of Biology
- Rebecca Black Assistant Professor of Chemistry
- Burcin Bozkaya Director of Data Science & Professor of Data Science
- Amy Clore Professor of Biology
- Brandan Cole Biological Specialist, Pritzker Marine Biology Research Center
- Donald Colladay Professor of Physics
- Peter Cook Assistant Professor of Psychology
- Melissa Crow Instructor of Statistics
- Susan Darter Office Assistant
- Leo Demski Emeritus Professor of Biology
- Erika Diaz-Almeyda Assistant Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies
- Tiffany Doan Instructor of Biology
- Caitrin Eaton Assistant Professor of Computer Science
- Kristopher Fennie Assistant Professor of Epidemiology
- Jayne Gardiner Associate Professor of Biology; Director of Pritzker Marine Biology Research Center
- Sandra Gilchrist Professor of Biology & Marine Science, Division Chair
- David Gillman Associate Professor of Computer Science
- Farahnaz Golrooy Motlagh Visiting Assistant Professor of Data Science
- Fahmida Hamid Assistant Professor of Computer Science
- Emily Heffernan Dean of Studies, Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies/Co-Director of the Environmental Studies Program
- Karsten Henckell Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science
- Mathis Hodge Associate in Chemistry; Adjunct, Chemistry Labs
- Lin Jiang Assistant Professor of Bioorganic Chemistry
- Rebekah Jones Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics
- Bernhard Klingenberg Professor of Statistics
- Christopher Kottke Assistant Professor of Mathematics
- Arun Kumar Visiting Assistant Professor of Biochemistry
- Elizabeth Leininger Assistant Professor of Biology
- Matthew Lepinski Assistant Professor of Computer Science
- Elzie McCord, Jr. Emeritus Professor of Biology
- Patrick McDonald Professor of Mathematics
- David Mullins Emeritus Professor of Mathematics
- Donal O'Shea Professor of Mathematics
- Brad Oberle Assistant Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies
- Levente Pap Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry
- Chris Pedersen Associate in Physics
- Eirini Poimenidou Professor of Mathematics
- Jack Reilly Associate Professor of Political Science
- Tania Roy Assistant Professor of Human Centered Computing
- George Ruppeiner Professor of Physics and Astronomy
- Tyrone Ryba Associate Professor of Bioinformatics
- Athena Rycyk Assistant Professor of Biology and Marine Science
- Paul Scudder Emeritus Professor of Chemistry
- Mariana Sendova Professor of Physics
- Suzanne Sherman Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs/Associate Professor of Chemistry
- Steven Shipman Professor of Physical Chemistry; Leonard Florsheim Chair
- Andrey Skripnikov Assistant Professor of Applied Statistics
- Colleen Swessel Office Manager
- Joel Thurmond Senior Teaching Laboratory Specialist in Biology
- Gerardo Toro-Farmer Assistant Professor of Coastal and Marine Science
- Katherine Walstrom Associate Professor of Biochemistry
- Necmettin Yildirim Professor of Mathematics; Soo Bong Chae Chair
Recent Theses
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Alumni
Healthcare technology entrepreneur, CEO
Avocare
Research entomologist
University of Florida
Attorney
Miami, Florida
Fisheries biologist
National Marine Fishery Service, Miami, Florida
Vascular surgeon
Samson Showalter Lepore Surgeons, Sarasota, Florida
More Information
Natural Sciences Curriculum
View the requirements for an AOC in Natural Sciences and see sample pathways to graduation.
Read more hereHeiser Natural Sciences Complex
The 56,000-square-foot Heiser Natural Sciences Complex includes teaching and research labs for chemistry, biochemistry, biology, bioinformatics, computational science, mathematics and physics.
Read more hereUndergraduate Program
New College of Florida offers more than 40 different majors in humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, as well as a number of interdisciplinary concentrations.
Read more here