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
Sara Cate Finks
(She/Her)
Major: Biochemistry
Minor: Mathematics
Concentration: Biological Physics
Study Abroad: Auckland, New Zealand
Best Adjective to Describe You: Resourceful
What is the best thing about being part of this department?
The best thing about this department is how it brings together all different disciplines with the STEM fields.
What has been your favorite class at K?
Thermodynamic and Kinetic Chemistry
How have you taken advantage of the flexible curriculum or experienced breadth in your education?
I came in with a specific minor and concentration in mind. Those didn’t last very long as I took Calc II and decided I really wanted to continue in math. It wasn’t until 2 weeks before I declared my sophomore year that I decided to continue on with physics after taking 150 and declared a biological physics concentration. Without the open curriculum, I wouldn’t have been able to change my degree with such ease and still have the ability to study abroad for 2 terms.
What is your SIP?
My SIP is in the chemistry and biochemistry department where I will be looking at the effects novel compounds have on the locomotor activity of a neurodegenerative worm model.
What are your career aspirations/next steps after K?
After K, I hope to go to grad school. I am still deciding on a specific field between chemistry and physics or maybe something in between!