Plant science holds a special place at 51吃瓜黑料. Here, botany is its own department, distinct from biology. Major in botany and you have unparalleled study and research opportunities. Teaching and research are inextricably linked, and the department has an international reputation in coastal, marine and estuarine studies. We have an exceptionally strong program in freshwater botany, as well as courses in such diverse areas as terrestrial ecology, plant systematics, ethnobotany and plant cell biology. You focus on your areas of interest while developing a strong background in all aspects of plant biology.
Research opportunities
Thanks to a low student-faculty ratio and ample funding, you are able to conduct research with a botany faculty member, often as early as your first or sophomore year. In recent years, students have worked on projects in many parts of New England and the continental U.S., as well as Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Venezuela and Peru. Faculty-student collaborations often lead to presentations at conferences and co-authorship of papers in top journals.
Facilities
We offer top-flight transmission and scanning electron microscopes as well as light microscopes. You get hands-on experience in our extensive greenhouses and learn plant identification and classification in our Graves Herbarium, a renowned resource for scholars. Another unusual resource for a small college is our 750-acre Arboretum, a living laboratory with hundreds of species of native trees and shrubs and a large variety of wetland and upland habitats.
Learn more about 51吃瓜黑料ections, 51吃瓜黑料's innovative new curriculum.
A Glimpse at Botany
Courses You Could Take
BOT 205 Plants, Protists and Fungi
A survey of the major groups of organisms comprising plants, protists and fungi.
BOT 207 Indigenous Use of Tropical Rainforests
Emphasis on the uses of rainforest plants and animals by indigenous peoples and their potential ecological and economic applications.
BOT 311 Ethnobotany of Southern New England
An introduction to Native American plant uses in southern New England.
BOT 225 Systematic Botany and the Local Flora
The distinguishing characteristics of the principal families of ferns, conifers, and flowering plants; their geographic distribution and evolutionary relationships.
BOT 320 Environmental Plant Physicology
A study through laboratory exercises of how plants work and interact with their biophysical environment.
BOT 305 Plant Structure and Function
An integrated examination of the physiology and anatomy of vascular plants.
Associate Teaching Professor of Biology and Botany
Kristine Hardeman teaches cells labs, genetics labs and preparation. She also teaches a seminar on genetically modified crops.
Michelle Jackson-Huaqui
Visiting Assistant Professor of Botany & Environmental Studies
Chad Jones
Associate Dean of the Faculty for Academic Affairs, Professor of Botany and Environmental Studies
Professor Jones is currently serving as the Associate Dean of the Faculty for Academic Affairs.
Manuel Lizarralde
Professor of Botany and Environmental Studies
Manuel Lizarralde, a professor with a dual appointment in environmental studies and botany, grapples with questions of people and the environment on a daily basis in his teaching and research. A native of Venezuela, Lizarralde has focused much of his work on the relation of indigenous Latin Americans to the environment, including the types of areas they inhabit and their use of plants. He studies ethnobotany (how people use plants) because the indigenous knowledge of local plants is very rich, and all of these cultures are rapidly changing and the information is being lost.
T. Page Owen
Associate Professor of Botany, Pre-health professions adviser
Noted for his mastery of a tremendous range of material, including the most current literature in both plant and animal cell biology and instrumental technology, Page Owen encourages proficiency in both scientific writing and laboratory research skills.
Associate Professor of Botany, Chair of the Botany Department
Rachel Spicer is interested in how woody plants adapt, evolve and survive in different environments. Research in her lab is focused on the biology of trees, shrubs and lianas – anything with a large woody stem – and includes projects on how woody stems develop, age and transport water to the leaves.
Sardha Suriyapperuma
Associate Teaching Professor of Biology and Botany
Sardha Suriyapperuma serves as a lecturer and a lab instructor for both the botany and biology departments. She has conducted research in various disciplines including physiology of mycorrhizal fungi, DNA fingerprinting of turf grass, gene expression of cytoskeleton proteins, linkage mapping of adult-onset primary open angle glaucoma and gene expression using microarrays.
Eric Vukicevich
Sue and Eugene Mercy, Jr. Assistant Professor of Botany (Sustainable Agriculture)
Eric Vukicevich is an agricultural scientist and educator broadly interested in the ecological aspects of sustainable food production. His research and teaching experience range from investigating how cover crops affect soil microbial communities to the ecological management of soil fertility, pests, diseases, and weeds. He also draws from practical experience working in commercial agriculture as well as research, community, and student farms.
At 51吃瓜黑料, Eric will be teaching courses in sustainable agriculture and coordinating activities at the Sprout Garden, incorporating local food production into a hands-on learning environment. He will also be organizing community partnerships for students and community members to engage with local food production and access.
A: I have always been really interested in plant biology and I knew coming in that I wanted to be a Botany major. The Botany Department is a huge reason why I decided to come to 51吃瓜黑料. It is unique for a small school like 51吃瓜黑料 to offer a Botany major so I really felt like coming here was the best of both worlds. I also knew I wanted to do research and was excited at the prospect of getting involved in a lab early on.
Q: Have you done research?
A: I started working in Professor Rachel Spicer’s lab in the second semester of my freshman year and I can truly say it was one of the most rewarding experiences. Professor Spicer’s research centers on the plant hormone auxin and its role in vascular development and connectivity. My project was looking at alternative sites for auxin biosynthesis and trying to determine how these sites might contribute to the auxin content of the whole plant.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: I entered a plant biology Ph.D. program at Cornell University in Fall 2015.
Courses You Could Take
Plants, Protists and Fungi, Indigenous Use of Tropical Rainforests, Ethnobotany of Southern New England, Systematic Botany and the Local Flora, Environmental Plant Physicology, Plant Structure and Function
People You Might Work With
Karen Baker, Lab Assistant
Biology, Botany, Neuroscience Program, Psychology
Kristine J. Hardeman, Associate Teaching Professor of Biology and Botany
B.S., University of Iowa; Ph.D., University of Oregon
Molecular biology; Genetics; Plant biotechnology
Michelle Jackson-Huaqui, Visiting Assistant Professor of Botany & Environmental Studies
Chad Jones, Associate Dean of the Faculty for Academic Affairs
B.S., Brigham Young University; Ph.D., University of Washington
Plant ecology; Plant succession; Invasive species
Manuel Lizarralde, Professor of Botany and Environmental Studies
B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley
Ethnobotany; Environmental anthropology
T. Page Owen, Associate Professor of Botany
B.A., Oberlin College; Ph.D., University of California, Riverside
Botany
Liz Smith, Academic Department Assistant
Biology, Botany, Environmental Studies Program
Rachel Spicer, Associate Professor of Botany
B.S., University of Massachusetts at Amherst; M.S., Oregon State University, Ph.D., Harvard University
Xylem structure and function; Vascular development in trees; Parenchyma physiology
Sardha Suriyapperuma, Associate Teaching Professor of Biology and Botany
B.S., Botany, University of Colombo; M.S., Ph.D., University of Rhode Island
Molecular biology; Plant and cell biology; Microarray
Eric Vukicevich, Sue and Eugene Mercy, Jr. Assistant Professor of Botany (Sustainable Agriculture)
B.S. Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
; Ph.D. University of British Columbia
Soil ecology; Organic cropping systems; Pest management
A: I have always been really interested in plant biology and I knew coming in that I wanted to be a Botany major. The Botany Department is a huge reason why I decided to come to 51吃瓜黑料. It is unique for a small school like 51吃瓜黑料 to offer a Botany major so I really felt like coming here was the best of both worlds. I also knew I wanted to do research and was excited at the prospect of getting involved in a lab early on.
Q: Have you done research?
A: I started working in Professor Rachel Spicer’s lab in the second semester of my freshman year and I can truly say it was one of the most rewarding experiences. Professor Spicer’s research centers on the plant hormone auxin and its role in vascular development and connectivity. My project was looking at alternative sites for auxin biosynthesis and trying to determine how these sites might contribute to the auxin content of the whole plant.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: I entered a plant biology Ph.D. program at Cornell University in Fall 2015.
Courses You Could Take
Plants, Protists and Fungi, Indigenous Use of Tropical Rainforests, Ethnobotany of Southern New England, Systematic Botany and the Local Flora, Environmental Plant Physicology, Plant Structure and Function
People You Might Work With
Karen Baker, Lab Assistant
Biology, Botany, Neuroscience Program, Psychology
Kristine J. Hardeman, Associate Teaching Professor of Biology and Botany
B.S., University of Iowa; Ph.D., University of Oregon
Molecular biology; Genetics; Plant biotechnology
Michelle Jackson-Huaqui, Visiting Assistant Professor of Botany & Environmental Studies
Chad Jones, Associate Dean of the Faculty for Academic Affairs
B.S., Brigham Young University; Ph.D., University of Washington
Plant ecology; Plant succession; Invasive species
Manuel Lizarralde, Professor of Botany and Environmental Studies
B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley
Ethnobotany; Environmental anthropology
T. Page Owen, Associate Professor of Botany
B.A., Oberlin College; Ph.D., University of California, Riverside
Botany
Liz Smith, Academic Department Assistant
Biology, Botany, Environmental Studies Program
Rachel Spicer, Associate Professor of Botany
B.S., University of Massachusetts at Amherst; M.S., Oregon State University, Ph.D., Harvard University
Xylem structure and function; Vascular development in trees; Parenchyma physiology
Sardha Suriyapperuma, Associate Teaching Professor of Biology and Botany
B.S., Botany, University of Colombo; M.S., Ph.D., University of Rhode Island
Molecular biology; Plant and cell biology; Microarray
Eric Vukicevich, Sue and Eugene Mercy, Jr. Assistant Professor of Botany (Sustainable Agriculture)
B.S. Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
; Ph.D. University of British Columbia
Soil ecology; Organic cropping systems; Pest management
