Biology Department

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Biology — the science of life — is dynamic and diverse. Each living thing is an amazingly complex system. From our bodies to the viruses that infect us, from vast oceans to minute bacteria, each interacts with other living things in complex ways. 

Biology majors at Seattle Pacific University graduate with a broad understanding of living organisms. Through immersion in scientific inquiry and problem solving, you’ll develop fundamental skills and knowledge for entering a wide range of careers, including those in medicine, environmental science, research, and teaching.

We offer seven undergraduate Biology majors. Whichever one you choose, you’ll benefit from a robust program emphasizing hands-on research.

We offer a Biology minor, which gives you a scientific frame of reference to complement just about any major the University offers.

Our urban location near Seattle’s biotechnology hub offers you opportunities for mentors and internships. You can also perform research through our Summer Research Program and present your research findings at local conferences.

Biology News

Belle Burnside wins Top Poster prize at Murdock Conference

Congratulations to Belle Burnside (BS Ecology, 2025), who earned Top Poster Presentation honors in the Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity category at the annual Murdock College Science Research Conference. Belle's presentation, "Succession and forest maturation decreases population density of black-tailed deer on Blakely Island, WA", was mentored by Dr. Eric Long, Professor of Biology. Belle was one of 14 students from the Biology and Chemistry & Biochemistry departments who presented their research at the conference, which was attended by over 300 students from universities around the Pacific Northwest. More information on SPU's student presenters is available on the Biology department website.

50 SPU students contributed to salmon mislabeling fraud study

Dr. Tracie Delgado, Professor of Biology, is the senior author of a new study in the peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE. This study, carried out by 50 students in Dr. Delgado's lab and in her Genetics course, provided genetic evidence that "wild-caught" salmon sold in sushi restaurants and grocery stores were often actually farm-raised salmon. Professors of Biology, Dr. Eric Long and Dr. Tim Nelson, also contributed to this study. This study has been reported on by multiple media outlets, including NPR (KUOW), KING-5, the Seattle Times, Newsweek, ABC news, Popular Science and others. More information about the study is available on the Delgado lab website.

New study from Dr. Wall-Scheffler examines impact of longer lower limbs on running

Dr. Cara Wall-Scheffler, Professor of Biology, and collaborators at Charles University in the Czech Republic (where Dr. Wall-Scheffler was a Fulbright Fellow), published a new study, "Impact of relative lower-limb length on heat loss and body temperature during running" in the American Journal of Biological Anthropology. This study found that runners with longer lower limbs relative to overall body size experienced greater heat loss and smaller increases in mean body temperature compared to runners with shorter lower limbs relative to overall body size. Surprisingly, this thermoregulation was not due to increased body surface area, as was previously predicted. This study provides further evidence to the adaptive significance of lower limb length in thermoregulation across a variety of physical activities.

The Galapagos Global Seminar is now accepting applications

In June 2025, Professors of Biology, Dr. Eric Long and Dr. Ryan Ferrer, will lead students on a trip to the Galapagos Island, which has played a pivotal role in our understanding of evolutionary biology. Students can earn credit for either BIO 3303 (Evolutionary Ecology in the Galapagos Islands, 5 Credits) or BIO 3304 (Oceanography of the Galapagos Archipelago, 5 Credits). For more information and to apply, please see the Study Abroad program website. The application deadline is January 13, 2025.

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The Seattle Pacific University campus in a 360 circular globe

Visit Eaton Hall

Visit the Eaton Hall lobby without leaving home through SPU’s new 360 Virtual Tour. You can also tour Eaton Hall’s lecture hall.

Biology

Welcome to Biology!

Dr. Tracie Delgado, professor of biology, brings us a few words of welcome and introduction as part of Orientation 2020.

Med School Acceptance Rates

Over the last five years, SPU premed students have achieved an average acceptance rate into medical school of 80 percent — far exceeding the 39 percent national average.