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Department: Biology

Chairperson: Chiyedza Small 

718 270-6458 office 

718 270-6498 fax 

Email:   csmall@mec.cuny.edu

Office: AB1-403 N 

Faculty: William Carr, Margaret A. Carroll, Edward Catapane, Charles des Bordes, Abdulhassan Jimoh, Marta Kalamarz, Shiraz Mujtaba, Ebere Nduka, Mohsin Patwary, Chiyedza Small, Michael Tessler, Anthony Udeogalanya 

General Information

The mission of the Department of Biology is to produce high quality, professional, career-oriented graduates who wish to pursue careers in biology, applied biology, research, medical and paramedical fields as well as biologically related fields.

The Department’s curricula focuses on the following goals:

  1. To increase the participation of students with diverse educational, socio political, and cultural backgrounds in the biological sciences, in the professions of medicine, dentistry, research, teaching and other biologically related fields.

  2. To provide students with the essential knowledge and skills needed for career advancement and professional mobility.

  3. To provide knowledge of the role that modern biological science and technology play in society and to provide students with a sense of responsibility for their humanistic applications.

  4. To prepare students for leadership roles in their communities and to foster their personal growth and development.

  5. To enrich knowledge and experiences of residents of the community in the biological sciences.

  6. To increase community awareness and interaction in order to provide the community with the necessary knowledge and commitment to advocate for increased support for students and programs in the biological sciences.

The faculty and staff of the Biology Department endeavor to enrich the academic experience of our students by continuing to develop new programs and courses, and by establishing educational and research collaborations with other prominent universities, advancing professional development through research, seeking grant funding to support faculty research and student internships, participating in scientific conferences and producing scholarly publications. Both students and faculty have available to them modern and well-equipped computerized laboratories with state of-the-art instrumentation in the areas of microscopy, VIS, UV, IR and fluorescence spectrophotometry, gel electrophoresis, HPLC micro-spectrofluorometry, PCR, electro-physiology, ultracentrifugation, and image analysis.

The Biology faculty continue to implement strategies to further strengthen the Department by increasing the academic and professional success of its student population and also by promoting awareness of MEC’s role in the local Brooklyn community. Many of the faculty have participated in local community events by volunteering as judges in science fairs and giving guest lectures at regional schools and civic associations.

STEM Research and Training Programs

The Biology Department offers a variety of undergraduate research opportunities, allowing students to actively engage in faculty-led research projects. Through hands-on experience, students can enhance their scientific training, develop critical research skills, and gain insight into the process of scientific discovery. Participating in research not only deepens their understanding of biology but also prepares them for advanced studies and careers in science, healthcare, and related fields. The following are the STEM research training programs available in the department:

  1. Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP)

  2. Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP)

  3. Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP)

  4. CUNY Research Scholars Program (CRSP)

  5. Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (U-RISE)

  6. Transformative and Innovative Practices in STEM Education (TIPS)

  7. NIH Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program

The department also collaborates with many other prestigious universities that provide research internships. Students have interned at various institutions, including Harvard University, UMASS at Amherst, the University of Virginia, and SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn. Biology majors have also participated in fully funded international summer research programs, including the University of Helsinki in Finland, the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and the National University of Singapore.

The Department offers special Transfer Opportunities into Allied Health Programs at SUNY/Downstate. Students who complete a prescribed course of study at MEC are granted preferred acceptance into four SUNY/Downstate degree programs: Physician Assistant Program, Physical Therapy Program, Diagnostic Medical Imaging Program, and Occupational Therapy Program.

Students wishing to attend medical, dental, veterinary, osteopathic, chiropractic, or graduate school benefit from an expert available to Biology majors for personalized academic advisement, research internship placement, and organization of MEC-MCAT study groups. Biology majors are also invited to join and become officers of the Medgar Evers Science Association (MESA), sponsored by the Pre-professional committee.

Many undergraduate research opportunities are available through the Biology Department. Students are invited to participate in the faculty's research activities to enhance their training in the sciences and to give them firsthand experience of how new knowledge in science is obtained. Department of Biology faculty has received research project support from various agencies, including NIH, NIGMS, NSF, NYS Dept. of Education, Department of Defense, VOYA Foundation, and PSC/CUNY.

The department also collaborates with many other prestigious universities that provide research internships. Students have interned at various institutions, including Harvard University, UMASS Amherst, the University of Virginia, and the SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn. Biology majors have also participated in fully funded international summer research programs, including the University of Helsinki in Finland, the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and the National University of Singapore.

Students wishing to attend medical, dental, veterinary, osteopathic, chiropractic, or graduate school benefit from an expert, pre-professional advisor available to Biology majors for personalized academic advisement, research internship placement, and preparation for MEC-MCAT study groups.

Biology majors are also invited to join and become officers of the Medgar Evers Science Association (MESA), sponsored by the Pre-professional committee.

Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (URISE)

URISE is a developmental program of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that seeks to increase the capacity of students underrepresented (UR) in the biomedical and behavioral sciences to complete a Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. degrees in these fields. The program provides grants to institutions that showed commitment and history of developing minority students underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral sciences. The program aims to increase the overall number of URISE students that complete a Ph.D. and continue biomedical research careers, thereby reducing the existing gap in completion of Ph.D. degrees between underrepresented and non-underrepresented students.

The URISE program at Medgar Evers College provides participants 940 hours of research training per year in a research laboratory at Medgar Evers College, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, School of Graduate Studies and other host labs under the overall supervision of a research active faculty. They participate in a number of enrichment activities, such as seminars, workshops, preparation for graduate school application, preparing personal statements and courses to ensure their academic success. Each URISE student receives one-to-one mentoring and academic advisement from their faculty, research mentors and program staff. The students attend 2-4 national and regional conference and present results of their research either orally or as scientific posters.

The program supports expenses for such conference attendance. The participating students receive compensation for up to 15 (fifteen) hours per week during the semester (Spring and fall) and up to 35 hours per week for two weeks during the intersession and 35 hours per week for ten weeks during summer @$15.00/hour. To be eligible to participate in the program the students must be US citizen or non-citizen nationals or permanent Residents from a minority under-represented group in biomedical & behavioral research (including, but not limited to African-Americans, Hispanic- Americans, Native Americans including Alaska natives and or U.S. Pacific Islanders). They are to be full time B.S. degree seeking student in Biological Sciences at MEC and must continue in the full time status during their tenure in the program. They must have a career goal to pursue a Ph.D. or in selected cases M.D.- Ph.D. degree in biomedical field, have a minimum science GPA 2.8, and expected to have at least 30 science credits and not more than 50 college credits (sophomore preferred).

MEC students interested in this program are advised to review program information at MEC URISE WEB site and contact should contact the URISE PI/Program Director: Dr. Shah Huq at shuq@mec.cuny.edu.

NIH IRACDA Partnership with Rutgers University

NIH IRACDA at Rutgers: INSPIRE Postdoctoral Training Program

The IRACDA at Rutgers: INSPIRE Postdoctoral Training Program addresses two related problems: the inadequate representation of underrepresented minorities (URMs) in biomedical science research and the lack of developmental programs to prepare university-trained Ph.D. scientists for careers as scientist-educators in undergraduate colleges. To address these problems, the Biomedical Science Education Postdoctoral Training Program at University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (UMDNJ-RWJMS), will train postdoctoral fellows to be researchers and educators, and will give them the opportunity to teach and mentor undergraduate trainees at 3 nearby Minority Serving Institutions (MSI's): New Jersey City University, William Patterson University and Medgar Evers College of the City University of NY. The two Specific Aims are 1) To prepare recent Ph.D. recipients for careers as educators and biomedical scientists, and 2) To increase the interest of undergraduates at the 3 MSI partner schools in careers in the biomedical sciences. The program is a structured 3-year postdoctoral training program for 5 trainees per year. The trainees will participate in mentored research in NIH-funded laboratories, a structured career development program, and a mentored teaching and course development program at a partner MSI. The mentoring faculty at each MSI will work closely with postdoctoral trainees and faculty at UMDNJ-RWJMS. Interaction between MSI faculty and faculty at a research-intensive university, along with the active participation of postdoctoral trainees in teaching and mentoring students, will enhance students' scientific development and awareness of scientific career pathways. This program will be evaluated by increased entry and retention of MSI students into STEM majors, increased student application and entry into mentored undergraduate research programs, and increased interest in research careers, as measured by taking the GRE and applying to and entering graduate education; increased entry of RWJMS trainees into education/research careers will also be evaluated.

MEC CUNY Research Scholar Program

The CUNY Research Scholars Program is a NYC -funded program at the CUNY central that provides 400 hours of laboratory experiences for associate degree students over a one-year period.The goal of the program is to encourage undergraduate participation in authentic research and to increase persistence in STEM disciplines.The program provides participants with opportunity to study and do research with a MEC Science faculty mentor on academic research projects in a STEM field. In addition to research, the program offers lectures on lab safety, responsible conduct in research, career advising and supports local conference attendance. Each participant receives a $5,000.00 fellowship. Associate degree students in STEM discipline at any stage of their academic career who are committed to be in the program for one full academic year plus summer may apply to be in the program. MEC students interested in this program are advised to review program information at MEC CUNY-RSP WEB page and contact CUNY-RSP Program Administrator, Dr. Shah Huq at shuq@mec.cuny.edu.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

The Biology Department offers students the opportunity to participate in the research activities of the faculty as a means of enhancing their training in the sciences and giving them first hand experience as to how new knowledge in science is obtained. The faculty in the department have had research projects supported by various agencies including NIH, NIGMS, NSF, NYS Department of Education, Department of Defense and PSC/CUNY. In addition, the Department has arranged summer internships for its students at various institutions including Harvard University, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, University of Virginia Medical School, Meharry Medical School/Vanderbilt University, Boston University, University of Missouri and SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn.

Pre Professional Advisement

All students wishing to attend medical, dental, veterinary, osteopathic, chiropractic or graduate school should begin their preprofessional advisement process no later than the first month of their sophomore year. An expert Pre-professional Advisement Committee is available to Biology majors for personalized academic advisement, research internship placement and organization of MEC-MCAT study groups. In addition, the Pre-professional Committee sponsors the weekly meetings of the Medgar Evers Science Association (MESA). MESA activities include presentations by invited speakers on careers in research, medicine and other health related fields. The Department also maintains an articulation agreement with SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn (HSCB), Early Medical Education (EME) Program. This Program is part of a Health Resources Administration grant whose focus is to increase the opportunity for under-represented students to enter Medical School. Qualified MEC Biology majors who successfully complete three consecutive summer enrichment science programs taught and designed by HSCB Medical School faculty, and achieve a minimum MCAT Score, are given a guaranteed acceptance into SUNY-HSCB’s College of Medicine. These students are also offered a special opportunity to shadow a clinical faculty member one afternoon a week in order to give them a first-hand view of clinical medicine. Students seeking advisement in those area should contact Dr. Charles DesBordes (Pre-Med advisor) at cdesbordes@mec.cuny.edu.

Academic Standards

Students in the Department are expected to pass Department of Biology required Core courses with a grade of “C” or better. For graduation, a student must have an index of 2.0 in his/her major. Students will be required to repeat a course in their major in which a grade of “D” or below is received, whenever the GPA in the respective major drops below 2.0.

Academic Awards

Each year the Biology Department presents the Faculty of Biology Award to the graduating senior with the highest GPA receiving a BS in Biology.To the student graduating AS degree in Science (Biology Concentration) with the highest GPA.

Degree Programs Offered by the Biology Department

The Department of Biology offers two degree programs, an Associate of Science in Science with a Biology concentration and a Bachelor of Science in Biology.

Additional Departmental Academic Criteria

All students pursuing either the AS or BS degree must have a grade of C or better in all Science and Mathematics courses. Students with advanced abilities in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics should consult the chair of Biology for possible exceptions. If an exemption is approved then the students must take an appropriate higher level course.

Students wishing to substitute transfer courses or other courses for required courses should also consult with the Chairperson. For additional major requirement details for the A.S. and/or B.S. in Biology. See Chair or Academic Advisor.

Biology Web Page

For more up to date degree requirements please visit the MEC website:  https://www.mec.cuny.edu/academic-affairs/schools/school-of-science-and-allied-health/biology/