2008 Woodie Awards
Department to offer biochemistry major
Steven Veit
Issue date: 2/19/08 Section: Other News
UST announced that it will begin offering a major in biochemistry to students interested in that field.
Michelle Steiger, assistant professor of chemistry, said that the biochemistry major gives students a degree option that directly opens many exciting opportunities for them.
"Since I have been associated with the University since 2002, students have expressed an interest in having biochemistry as an option for a major," Steiger said. She added that she feels that the option of a biochemistry major will increase the marketability of UST students in the fast-growing field of biomedical sciences.
The new program will be a part of the chemistry department but will rely significantly on courses in biology, Steiger said.
Biochemistry is a field in which biological issues are understood with a chemistry approach, Steigler said. Mathematics and physics play an important role in the field. To understand biological phenomena one must consider the chemical and physical properties of it, an approach sought for in biochemistry, according to Steiger.
A four-year degree in biochemistry opens up opportunities for employment in the biomedical sciences or biotechnology arenas such as working in a laboratory, either at a university or industrial setting and also creates work in industrial service, management or sales. Steiger added that many students choosing this major may also pursue graduate education in biochemistry, chemistry, medicine, pharmaceutical sciences or any other biomedical science field.
Steiger said that biochemical research encompasses a very broad range of topics and techniques. For example, a biochemist may study a single biomolecule from its significance to the entire organism down to its detailed three-dimensional form to understand how this particular biomolecule works in a living system.
Michelle Steiger, assistant professor of chemistry, said that the biochemistry major gives students a degree option that directly opens many exciting opportunities for them.
"Since I have been associated with the University since 2002, students have expressed an interest in having biochemistry as an option for a major," Steiger said. She added that she feels that the option of a biochemistry major will increase the marketability of UST students in the fast-growing field of biomedical sciences.
The new program will be a part of the chemistry department but will rely significantly on courses in biology, Steiger said.
Biochemistry is a field in which biological issues are understood with a chemistry approach, Steigler said. Mathematics and physics play an important role in the field. To understand biological phenomena one must consider the chemical and physical properties of it, an approach sought for in biochemistry, according to Steiger.
A four-year degree in biochemistry opens up opportunities for employment in the biomedical sciences or biotechnology arenas such as working in a laboratory, either at a university or industrial setting and also creates work in industrial service, management or sales. Steiger added that many students choosing this major may also pursue graduate education in biochemistry, chemistry, medicine, pharmaceutical sciences or any other biomedical science field.
Steiger said that biochemical research encompasses a very broad range of topics and techniques. For example, a biochemist may study a single biomolecule from its significance to the entire organism down to its detailed three-dimensional form to understand how this particular biomolecule works in a living system.