Mission: The Graduate & Postdoc Program Committee (GPC) is broadly responsible for managing the graduate student and postdoc programs within UW Biology. These responsibilities include setting guidelines and policies for these programs, handling recruitment/admissions/orientation for the graduate program, distributing awards to graduate students and postdocs, and serving as a resource for, and promoter of the department’s graduate students and postdocs. In all of its tasks, the GPC works towards increased equity, accessibility, and inclusivity within the graduate and postdoc program in order to recruit and retain a diverse community of graduate students and postdocs in our department.

What we do: The GPC supports its mission through the following subcommittees and/or themes: (I) graduate recruitment, admissions, and orientation (joint with DEC), (II) graduate and postdoctoral awards, (III) mentoring, networking, & training (joint with EC, DEC, RC, and UPC), (IV) codes of conduct & conflict resolution (joint with EC, DEC, and UPC), and (V) graduate course program.

Contact: If you would like to help in these efforts or share your perspectives and ideas, please contact Caroline Strömberg, Chair of the GPC, at caestrom@uw.edu.

Biology Research Committee Mission: To promote and facilitate all aspects of research within the Biology department, including securing funding, supporting infrastructure, the greenhouse and imaging facilities, organizing space and other shared resources for our research endeavours. The research committee aims to encourage and facilitate the process of identifying funding opportunities for departmental resources, competing for those resources and efficiently using that funding to expand the department research capabilities. It also aims to ensure equitable access to departmental resources necessary for successful implementation of individual research programs while considering department wide resource limitations. The committee advises the Biology Department Chair on research-related allocations of space and to that end, reviews laboratories regularly (every 2-3 years) with respect to their use of assigned spaces. The committee also oversees the departmental shared research resources, such as the Greenhouse, environmental chambers and imaging center, and advises the Biology Chair on their management. Finally, the committee advises the Biology Chair of priorities for use of research cost recovery (indirect cost) funds.

Mission: Ensure that all our biology majors graduate with a deep understanding of core biological principles and with the critical scientific skills needed to address questions across the many sub-disciplines within the life sciences; and encourage within our classes the use of evidence-based teaching strategies to create a challenging and inclusive learning environment for our diverse pool of students.

What we do: Each year, the committee reviews and makes recommendations on new undergraduate courses and changes to existing courses; deliberates on undergraduate scholarships and awards; assures that our core classes have instructional teams in place; and addresses urgent and long-term strategic issues in Biology’s undergraduate academic programs, degree requirements, and course offerings with the overall goal of maintaining a curriculum that dynamically responds to societal needs and newly emerging ideas.