Biology, the study of life, is the fastest growing of the scientific disciplines, and is likely to be a dominant issue in the coming century. The Department of Biology is one of the largest departments at the University of Akron, and is moving to meet this challenge. Our goal is to help provide the biologists of the future with the skill necessary to address important issues ranging from environmental concerns to health care. In our research we adopt an integrated approach, crossing the traditional boundaries between subdisciplines, from the cellular to the ecosystem level. This research forms the basis for much of our teaching, since our faculty routinely include cutting edge research findings in the classroom. Teaching in our department is innovative and interactive. Members of our department have won a number of teaching awards, been active in teaching issues on the national level, and worked hard to improve learning in their classroom through active learning and multi-media technology. Biology professors instruct the majority of biology classes, and the professor:student ratio is low.