Concentration
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
Lindsey Baker (She/Her)
Major: Chemistry
Minors: Chinese and Math
Concentration: Biological Physics
What is the best thing about being part of this department?
While biophysics is a subset of the physics department, I think the concentration is really more interdisciplinary. I’ve enjoyed connecting with professors across campus because it gives me a more diverse set of problem-solving techniques/strategies.
What has been your favorite class at K? Why?
Outside of my major, I have really enjoyed both Biophysics (PHYS205) and Differential Equations (MATH280) because of the way we are encouraged to think about problems.
How have you taken advantage of the open curriculum or experienced breadth in your education?
The open curriculum has allowed me to explore classes that appeal to me outside my major, and I think getting a view of how other disciplines research and problem solve has only enriched my problem-solving abilities as a STEM student.
What is your Senior Integrated Project (SIP)?
I am doing antibiotic research with Dr. Williams! I am focusing on synthesizing and characterizing indole-pyrroline hybrids in hopes that they show antimicrobial activity.
What are your career aspirations/next steps after K?
I imagine I’ll not quite be done being a student after graduating K, but I have not yet figured out what my next steps will be.