INTRODUCTION

This research guide is a resource for Biology majors at Howard University. The purpose
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smooth transition into, through, and out of the University.
through, and out of the University.
There are four primary sections of this guide(list). These are placed in an order of
relevance that shows the student what is available to them as far as careers, followed by the
There are five primary sections of this guide: key terms, undergraduate societies, jobs, academic
steps that it takes to potentially reach that point through this University. This is done to avoid
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routes one could take on the road to graduation.
is done to avoid wasting the students time. If they find no interest in certain options available to
them, it is best that they are aware of this situation before enduring four academically challenging
years in the wrong field. However, if they are interested, this guide will then provide information that
will help them achieve success at this school as a biology major. From there general courses are
discussed along with terminology that those It will serve as a roadmap that details the potential
routes one could take on the road to graduation.
 KEY TERMS

The words listed in this section are organized by courses that are required within the major. The
terms are common and will be encountered while taking the listed classes. Biology 101 and 102
are examples of these mandatory courses. These courses are available beginning in the fall of
Freshman year. It is advised that they are taken then. The vocabulary is organized by course so
that the terms are put into context of the material that will be covered. This is done to give students
a broader range of the courses available while exposing them to the content of some of the
classes.

Biology 101: Offered in fall and spring, covers
cell structure, photosynthesis, cell respiration,
DNA, and mutations
Nuclear pore
A structure in the nuclear
membrane that controls the flow
of materials in the nucleus
Complementary Base Pairing
The pairing of purine (A, G) and
pyrimidine (G, T) to create the
double strand of DNA molecules
Calvin Cycle
A key part of the photosynthetic
process that occurs in the light
independent period
Inducer
Stimulates the synthesis of
needed enzymes in the correction
of mutations
Silent mutation
Mutation in DNA that does not
alter the phenotype of the
organism in which they occur
Biology 102: Offered in fall and spring, covers
evolution, eukaryotic and prokaryotic diversity
Allopatric speciation
Occurs when populations are
separated by a physical barrier
that leads to the development of
isolated distinct species
Biofilms
Cells contact a solid surface and
excrete a gel like matrix that traps
other cells
Endosymbiosis
A model of the origins of
eukaryotes indicating that
mitochondria and chloroplasts
were formally prokaryotes that
lived inside of larger cells
Dinoflagellates
Unicellular aquatic protists which
exhibit great diversity.
Saprobic
Organisms that obtain
nourishment from dead things.

Additional courses available:

Genetics
Chemistry I, II
Plant Diversity
Microbiology
Ecology
Anatomy
Evolution

To register for these courses, check with an academic advisor to make sure prerequisites are met to be
eligible. As a freshman, schedules will be made for students, so keep an eye out for second semester!
 UNDERGRADUATE SOCIETIES
\

The undergraduate societies that are offered at this university stay true to the schools motto,
Truth
in Service. Within these presented organizations biology students will have increased
learning
and networking opportunities with professors in both the undergraduate and graduate
schools
on campus. All of this while finding time to give back to the DC community.

The selected organizations are intended to provide a wider range of options for biology majors.
The first section includes pre-professional organizations, while the second has a more holistic
appeal
in that students of all interests could find an interest.




Health Professionals
Society and Howard University Pre-Dental
Society:



These are pre-professional organizations that are intended to guide

students that are interested in medical professions. The Health Professions

Society, often abbreviated as HPS, is geared towards students that are

leaning towards medical school or even to continue a career as a Physician
Assistant. Through this organization students will gain experience with
shadowing doctors, practicing with the MCAT or other preparatory, and
hands on even skills like suturing. These are all conducted through the
that holds bi-weekly meetings. To sign up, attend a meeting
organization
fees that range from $10-15 depending on the inclusion of a
and pay club
Flyers are posted throughout the biology building and there is
club t shirt.

even a preemptive meeting during freshman week so that students can

get involved as soon as possible. For more information contact Keely:

keely.smith@bison.howard.edu

The Howard University Pre-Dental Society is geared towards students
interested in dentistry as a future career. This is a similar organization in

that it provides resources to inform students about the requirements of

dental school, how to prepare for the DAT, as well as opportunities
shadowing dentists and sitting through guest lecturers. Similarly, to HPS,
HUPDS meets regularly on a biweekly schedule and communicates through
GroupMe to give members updates on events and volunteer opportunities.
also present during freshman week so that students can sign
This club is
up early in the semester. Club dues are $15 and include a t shirt that is to
be worn when volunteering or working with the group. For more
information contact: Francine at francine.johnson@bison.howard.edu







Meeting Of the Brains (M.O.B)


A research
based program that helps give students, starting their
sophomore year,
assistance in staying busy and becoming a well-rounded
student.
The objective is to guide students and help them get involved in
internships,
research, seminars, and even science conferences. This
organization
can be joined by all science majors, however there are many
opportunities
geared towards biology majors. Through this group, students
can network
with professionals, get funded for research, and diversify their
resumes with the work they do. This organization is special because it
does not
cater to interests, but rather exposes students to a wider range
of work and potential career paths. There is research specializing in plants,
microbiology,
ecology, genetics, and more. Due to this the opportunities
are seemingly
endless and students are not necessarily competing to be in
the same
programs.

The research
that is done can allow students to be eligible to participate in
conferences
domestically and abroad. The research conducted can also be
domestic
or abroad. Depending on the program, fully funded trips are
available with the inclusion of a stipend. Essentially students can get paid

to gain experience. To join this organization, you must be in good

academic standing, and you can apply through an emailed survey in your

sophomore year. This club is extremely new, but it is promising.
















ENTRY LEVEL JOBS

Today's
competitive job market has essentially made it necessary for students to obtain not only
a bachelors degree but also higher and more specific qualifications. Although this sounds
discouraging,
there are jobs available to recent graduates with a biology degree. Some people
are
interested in different routes to their careers, thus the explanation for the description of
professional
routes verses lab-centric routes for jobs. If as a student, medicine, dentistry, or
pharmacy
has interested you, be aware that post graduate education is required to get
advanced
jobs in these fields. However, there are still opportunities to work in those
environments
with just your bachelors degree.


Medical Scribe
get a feel of life working as or with a doctor, the medical scribe
To
position is an engaging job that can take place in a faster paced hospital

or for independent doctors with their own practices. As a scribe, one's

job would be to record all the interactions with the patient so that the
optimize their time with them on a one on one level. This job
doctor can

gives direct access to the world of medicine with hands on experience.

The direct access gives way to the basic understanding of medical

terminology, procedures, and protocol. In addition to that, the

relationships that can be developed may result in letters of

recommendations for medical school, if that is the path desired.

Starting salary: $9.91-16.25/hour






Pharmacy
Technician
This job is one that can be obtained with simple
online
training. A pharmacy technician is the person
who
works in the back alongside the pharmacist
assisting
with pill assortment, packaging, and filling
prescriptions.
While this does require training,
pharmacy
technicians are eligible to work at any
pharmacy
in the area, these include CVS, Walgreens,
Target,
Walmart and any grocery stores that have
joint
pharmacies.
Salary: $10.46-11.65/hour


For those who are not necessarily interested in that track, there are jobs available

in a lab settings. The different kinds of jobs were listed so that no matter what

interests an individual, they will be able to at least get exposure to all that is

available!





Lab Technician

As a laboratory technician one would play a crucial role in the
that need to be accomplished within a lab setting. Lab
basic tasks
are responsible for collecting samples, performing
technicians

experiments or running tests, and maintaining the supplies within the lab

so that they are accessible for all to use.

Starting salary: $30,000-40,000














Other opportunities include:
Certified Research Associate
Nutritionist
Field Researcher
Primary and Secondary School Educator











ACADEMIC JOURNALS


As biology majors, students quickly find themselves needing to do research for their classes. Some

students even take it upon themselves to do research regarding their own personal interests. All

students at Howard University are granted access to a multitude of online databases and academic

journals. It is crucial that these resources are utilized, not only because having experience

navigating the websites is useful, but also because the access is included in tuition cost! The

following sources increase in specificity so that students can narrow their searches to a tailored

field of study within biology.

EBSCO HOST

If you are just starting out in the world of research, EBSCO HOST is an
amazing place to begin. To navigate the site, it is best to go through the
Howard University library website. A simple way to get there is to Google
Howard University Library EBSCO. Upon clicking the first link, students
can see the numerous databases Howard has access to.

EBSCO Host allows students to utilize the search bars in addition to search
options to modify and further specify their inquiries. There are advanced
searches that incorporate Boolean phrasing, which essentially tailors the
search down what words will or will not be searched for. This is helpful
when a broad topic has a great deal of research on it.

There is also the option to search based on the type of document. This
includes full text, articles, journals, peer reviewed, speech, interview, and
so many more. It even gets as specific as an obituary. This is all just to
show how detailed a search can get when using EBSCO Host. If what is
needed is outlined, students should find any and almost everything they

desire.







PUBMED

PubMed is a government search engine and data base is run using the
information from the United States National Library of Medicine. The
primary information on this data base deals with life science and
biomedical research. To access this website students can type the
following into their search bar: www.http://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed or
just search for PubMed on Google.

One interesting thing about PubMed is that it does not restrict students
as they do research. A dropdown box is located to the left of the search
bar. This allows students to tailor their searches within different
databases outside of PubMed, but still within the U.S. governments
collection.

PubMed provides access to clinical trials, case studies, and research
papers on new findings as well as older material. There is also the
availability of an advanced search where students can create a more
specific pursuit of knowledge.

In addition to this, if students have any questions regarding how to
locate information, there is an extremely handy Help section that
provides detailed instructions and even YouTube videos.













CITATIONS






With the knowledge of the previously discussed databases and academic journals, it is important to
know how to cite them properly. Biology students are required to write at least one research paper
in their laboratory courses. These papers begin with a thorough background section in which outside
information and research is needed. Using the following information, students should be able to

grasp an understanding of how to utilize the proper form of citation for science based papers.




The American Society for Microbiology.

ASM uses a citation-sequence system. The sources used will be listed in
the order that they are referred to in the text. Within the text students

should refer to the cited material with a number in parentheses and have it
correspond to the sources list. The primary way to cite is either in text
citations with paraphrasing or direct quotations.

In text citation:


According
to researcher George Daniel, the amount of oxygen
particles
in a fish tank are not enough to keep a human alive (1).

Direct Quotation:


This
study proves a vital point as, the ratio of oxygen particles
within
a fish tank would not be a suitable amount to preserve the
life
of a human being, (1).


The citation
page would essentially look like a number list and would
follow the format listed.

Template:
Author
Surname Author Initial. Year Published. Title. Publication
Title
Volume number: Pages Used.

Example:
1. Daniel G. 2019. A discussion on fish and humans. Academy of
science journal 1: 16.