Biology Major
Hi, I’m Brittane Strahan and regardless of what John Stutzman said, bio is the best major at Lycoming College.
I came to Lycoming thinking I might want to combine science and criminal justice to pursue a career in forensics, but I eventually morphed into a bio enthusiast and now plan to attend graduate school in neuroscience.
If there is one thing you need to know, it’s that we don’t just study biology at Lyco, we do biology. Every student is expected to complete an internship or an undergraduate research project before they graduate. I’ve been fortunate to have had several ‘hands-on’ opportunities and am currently involved with a rigorous research project.
My first internship was working for Lycoming’s Clean Water Institute. I kept busy collecting data, analyzing stream samples, testing water, and educating the public on environmental issues related to stream restoration, habitat improvement, and water quality.
Two summers ago I interned in Cleveland, Ohio at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute of Case Western University. There I did research with the Case Western profs in the molecular and microbiology laboratories. This past summer, thanks to the American Society of Microbiology, I received funding to continue with my honors research project. The purpose of my project is to identify bacteria that carry out integral processes in treating wastewater. This has been really exciting because an unexpected outcome was discovering four novel organisms. My next step is to characterize these organisms and submit my findings for national publication.
Just as few years ago I was attending a small high school in rural Pennsylvania and was thinking about the type of schools where I would be the most comfortable. I eventually chose Lycoming because of its friendly people and beautiful campus. But never in my wildest dreams did I envision the educational opportunities that would come my way.
As a prospective student, if you are looking for a college where you can learn and socialize with your fellow classmates and professors, then Lycoming is an excellent choice. And you might be surprised at the opportunities that will come your way!