Why Study Biological Physics at K?
Explore the intersections of research across the natural sciences to solve today’s most pressing and complicated medical research questions.
Biological and medical sciences are rapidly changing and increasingly require a firm foundation in physics, mathematics, and computer science. The concentration is designed to supplement your studies, typically in biology, chemistry, or physics, to better prepare you for the interdisciplinary future of medicine. As a biological physics student at K, you will learn how to study biological problems—from the smallest cell to whole ecosystems—using a physics framework.
To gain this holistic view of scientific advancement, you will take courses in chemistry, biology, physics, and mathematics—such as Evolution and Genetics; Physical Chemistry; Computational Neuroscience; and Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos. In your classes and research, you will use simple physics tools and strategies to address complicated systems and gain the numerical literacy needed to understand the time and size of living things. Our students will also benefit from our 3D printing machines that make the micro, macro.
By investigating phenomena from multiple scientific disciplines and putting them into perspective, you will be more adept and creative in your future research and applied work. Notably, alumni have utilized their biological physics concentration to enhance their careers in medicine and engineering.
What can you do with a biological physics concentration?
Below are some of the careers, employers, and graduate schools of our biological physics alumni.
Careers
- Medical Doctor
- Research Associate
- Veterinarian
- Chemical Engineer
Employers
- Merck
- UCLA Health
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- National Institute of Health
Graduate Schools
- University of Michigan
- University of California, Berkley
- Penn State University
- Ohio State University
Meet the Current Departmental Student Advisor
Zoë Klowden (She/Her)
Major: Physics
Minor: Japanese
Best Adjective to Describe You: Zany
What is the best thing about being part of this department?
Being able to explore multiple facets of science, and learning how to fit the ideas learned in both biology and physics into one cohesive understanding.
What has been your favorite class at K? Why?
Thermal Physics and Statistical Mechanics. It is a hard course, but that makes getting through it that much more rewarding.
What drew you to the department?
I took a Bio-Physics Class in sophomore year, and fell in love with it.
How have you taken advantage of the flexible curriculum or experienced breadth in your education?
I definitely have, despite being a physics major I have taken playwriting classes, economics classes, and gotten to take music lessons to be better at viola.
What is your SIP?
I am taking data and analyzing the difference between two public access lakes and a private access lake in Van Buren County to see what effects regular human activity has on the lakes.
What is your favorite thing about K?
I love how welcoming the campus is. Both the students and faculty are genuinely happy I am here and want to help me succeed.
What are your career aspirations/next steps after K?
I want to go to Graduate School and pursue a doctorate in Physics.