Asbury’s Shaw School of Science offers plenty of resources and opportunities for you to take advantage of outside of the classroom.
Science & Health Department
859-858-5172 x2172
vins.sutlive@asbury.edu
The Mission Farm Project is self-sustaining and located on Asbury University’s Equine Farm. It is used to train students in cross-cultural agriculture settings. The farm has a chicken coop, greenhouse, bee hives, and occasionally houses other small animals, like rabbits.
In the 1-credit Mission Farm course (BIO 121 and 122), students learn about practical, sustainable agriculture. They are taught basic skills to plan, establish, maintain, harvest and use a crop, and the students explore how to adapt to other cultures and utilize local resources in an intercultural field.
The work is interdepartmental: Students from all disciplines are encouraged to enroll in the course, The course instructors span four departments and two universities, There are guest speakers from agricultural missions around the world, Students receive advice from experts in various fields, The class takes field trips to agricultural sites.
Contact Dr. Marvin Ruffner if you have any questions.
The COMAP Mathematical Competition in Modeling is a highlight of the academic year with teams spending 96 hours working on these interesting problems. It is an international competition held each February, and teams of three undergraduate students use their mathematical skills to model solutions to real world problems.
Submitted work is judged by an international panel, and Asbury has earned “honorable mention” and “meritorious” ratings (top 15 percent of the competition). Some teams participate in the Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling which is designed to develop and advance interdisciplinary problem-solving skills as well as competence in written communication.
Majoring in biological science education grades 8-12, you’ll enjoy opportunities to work alongside experienced faculty to prepare and present research in a range of conferences and competitions, like the Kentucky Academy of Science (KAS) and the school-wide SEARCH event.
Students in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science attend the Kentucky Section of the Mathematical Association of America annual meeting each spring. Math modeling teams present their papers from the competition.
All science majors at Asbury do a senior research project. The project combines literature research, lab research, and writing a formal paper. A number of our students have presented their papers at the Kentucky Academy of Sciences. Some students have had their work published in professional journals.Many students do their research at Asbury. Many others choose to do their research off-campus, usually during the summer, at labs and facilities across the country. Students often receive internships or stipends for summer research.
Many Asbury students do internships with highly respected companies, and every year AU receives compliments about the quality, knowledge and work ethic of our students.
You’ll have the opportunity to use real laboratory equipment that is relevant to your future career, including high-resolution research microscopes, autoclaves, incubators and biohazard equipment.
Trek to Asbury’s nearby trails and green spaces to collect samples and test them in labs dedicated to environmental studies, or use specialized equipment to test anatomy and physiology concepts.
Asbury’s technology-driven biology labs result in students who are familiar with the tools and machinery they’ll encounter in graduate programs and their careers.
Outside of class, field and work experiences are available, from the Outdoor Recreation and Adventure Opportunities program to internship opportunities.
Over half of our students transition into graduate training, including medical school, but other possible careers or graduate programs include quality assurance, environmental science, geochemistry, biophysics, microbiology or pharmaceutical sales.
The mathematics major prepares you for graduate study in mathematics, mathematical physics or a mathematics-related area that relies heavily upon theoretical mathematics. If your career goal is to teach at a college or university or to become a member of a research team in government or industry, you may want to consider this major.
The Acturial Mathematics prepares you to identify risks and prevent problems. If you want to work with businesses, numbers, and finance, you may want to consider this major.
The Computer Science major prepares you to learn programing languages and build websites . If you want to work with websites, programing, apps, or anything digital, you may want to consider this major.
While most students working towards medical school choose one of the science majors, many Asbury students have entered medical school with majors such as psychology or history! Medical schools have a prescribed list of science prerequisites and professional programs such as dentistry and physical therapy do not have consistent admissions requirements. It is important to check the requirements of your preferred school AND talk to Asbury’s medical professions advisor, Dr. Branan.
Most schools prefer students who are broadly educated. Asbury’s liberal arts training is an excellent choice. Over the past 10 years, more than 80% of Asburians who apply have been accepted by one or more medical programs.
If you wish to teach secondary or middle school, you should choose the mathematics grades 8-12 major. The Depatment of Mathematics & Computer Science works closely with the education department to design a program that follows the recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the Mathematical Association of America, and the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators.
In the real world, forensic science is a diverse collection of professions. The person who specializes in evidence collection does not do DNA analysis or trace chemical analysis.
Both the chemistry and biochemistry majors at Asbury provide solid training in analytical chemistry, and students learn how to operate all of the equipment in our labs. The senior research course, required of all our majors, is often integrated with summer internship programs from labs across the country and can be used to develop expertise in a focus area.
A network of IBM PC-compatible machines supports the math and computer science program. Students also have access to a Macintosh Power PC lab and a Linux lab. Recently, the department constructed a 10-node Beowulf computer cluster. This “supercomputer” enables students to learn the fundamentals of parallel computing.
Many students are active in the Sigma Zeta math/science honor society. Faculty members participate in the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) and the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), among other organizations. Faculty in our department research collaboratively with colleagues in the chemistry and physics department and the education department.
The Sigma Zeta club provides many out-of-the-classroom opportunities, sponsoring meetings and parties for you to discuss science and math with others who enjoy your field of study.
admissions@asbury.edu
(859) 858-5000