College of Science and Mathematics Viewbook 2023

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS

GREETINGS FROM THE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS

In the College of Science and Mathematics at Tarleton State University, we are committed to helping meet the high demand for STEM professionals across Texas and beyond. To do so, our college provides distinctive STEM programs that engage students in hands-on experiences in traditional classroom and laboratory settings, as well as resume building experiences outside the classroom. COSM students gain relevant educational opportunities in cutting-edge research, industrial internships, field studies, competition teams, and much more.

We are developing the next generation of problem solvers — scientists, technologists, mathematicians — required to tackle complex global challenges.

To be successful in STEM fields, students must have hands-on experiences that ensure their knowledge to be leaders and innovators upon graduation. Our programs prepare students to enter the workforce or continue their education, either in their field of study or through professional areas like medicine, pharmacy and optometry.

If you have any questions or want to learn more about our programs, please schedule a visit, send us an email or give us a call. The welcome mat is always out.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael T. Huggins Professor and Dean College of Science and Mathematics

BRIEF OVERVIEW

Tarleton’s College of Science and Mathematics educates students for careers in healthcare, research, education, environmental science and business, among other fields, while being outstanding contributors to their communities and professions.

COSM faculty are dedicated to providing our students with high-quality educational experiences to ensure their success after graduation. With a focus on student success, the math and science achievement centers provide free tutoring for many of the most academically challenging courses students might encounter during their studies.

Science and Mathematics

FACTS AT A GLANCE

More than 100 undergraduates ENGAGED IN RESEARCH each year

790-acre

TIMBERLAKE BIOLOGICAL FIELD STATION

in Mills County advances environmental research, engages students in scientific discovery and promotes stewardship of the natural world

9 undergraduate and 3 graduate STEM DEGREE PROGRAMS

125+ STUDENT RESEARCH CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS each year

32-INCH TELESCOPE at Hunewell Ranch provides students hands-on experiences to undertake significant astronomy research

DEGREES

The college offers undergraduate degrees in biology, chemistry, geoscience, mathematics, physics, and biomedical sciences.

Graduate degrees are available in biology, mathematics, geoscience, and environmental science.

BACHELOR’S OF SCIENCE MAJORS AND CONCENTRATIONS

Biology

Aquatic Ecology

Botany

General Biology

General Environmental

General Wildlife

Life Science

Molecular

Terrestrial Ecology

Zoology

Biomedical Science

General

Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental

Pre-Pharmacy

Pre-Physical Therapy

Pre-Vet

Biotechnology

Molectular Biotechnology

Plant and Animal Biotechnology

Bioinformatics

Chemistry

Biochemistry

Environmental Chemistry

Forensic Chemistry

Interdisciplinary

Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental

Pre-Pharmacy

Professional Chemistry

Environmental Science

Environmental Policy

Geospatial Information Science

Science

Soil Science

Geoscience

Earth Science

Environmental Science

Geology

Hydrogeology

Petroleum Geology

Mathematics

Biomathematics

Data Analysis

Environmental Mathematics

Financial Analysis

General

Pre-Actuarial

Pre-Law

Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental

Technical Writing

Physics Statistics

MASTER’S OF SCIENCE MAJORS

Biology

Data Science

Environmental Science

Mathematics

MINORS

Biology

Chemistry

Earth Science

Environmental Science

Geology

Mathematics

Physics

Statistics

SIGNATURE EVENTS

Annual poster session. The college hosts a showcase each year where students present and discuss their research findings.

Service Day. As part of Tarleton’s annual Service Day, faculty, staff and students participate in a variety of events to give back to the community, including the Bosque River Cleanup, Chamberlain Elementary School STEM Day and Service Day at Timberlake Biological Field Station.

Math Day. The Mathematics Department celebrates the end of the academic year by hosting Math Day. The centerpiece is a speed round where students give three-minute research talks to a panel of VIP judges (president, provost, deans, legislative and industry leaders) and compete for cash prizes.

National Chemistry Week and Earth Day. The Tarleton Geological Society, Tarleton Environmental Society, and Tarleton Chemical Society host bake sales, meetings and speakers to celebrate these events annually.

Star parties. COSM offers an astronomy outreach where participants use a combination of the observatory at Hunewell Ranch and portable telescopes to engage in a variety of educational experiences.

Planetarium shows. The planetarium conducts regular shows in the theater to showcase astronomy and related topics. The theater also hosts “movie nights” for COSM student organizations.

HIGH-IMPACT PRACTICES

Study Abroad. Developing a global perspective gives students the know-how to be leaders. From studying mathematics in Greece and Germany to researching ecology in Honduras and Costa Rica, the college offers abundant opportunities to learn overseas.

Student research. We learn by doing, and opportunities abound for groundbreaking research. Students use computational modeling to address legislative gerrymandering, to study mosquitoes for new pest control measures, and to research nontoxic, cost-effective delivery systems for chemotherapy drugs.

Mentorship. The innovative Health Pre-Professions Mentoring Program matches students with Tarleton alumni and friends in the medical, dental, pharmacy and health professions. The program helps students learn more about their field of study while connecting alumni and professionals to the university.

Sense of Place. Learning to communicate in the public arena is vital to the scientific community. Sense of Place, a provost-supported initiative, begins this process in the freshman biology course sequence. Sense of Place helps students develop an awareness of ecological impacts on local species. Students acquire skills that can be used in other courses by learning how to connect content knowledge with real-life examples, plus they begin to develop partnerships with individuals outside the classroom. Additional Sense of Place experiences occur in geology and environmental sciences courses

Field experiences. Biological science, geoscience and environmental science programs have large field components, from daily lab trips lasting only a few hours to week-long endeavors to important formations or ecoregions, such as the Guadalupe Mountains, Davis Mountains, Big Bend, New Mexico lava fields and Timberlake Biological Field Station.

SEA-phages and SEA-genes. As part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science Education Alliance, students discover and characterize new bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) and use bioinformatics to annotate their sequenced genomes. Students can continue their research on bacteriophage genetics by performing microbiology, molecular biology and biochemistry experiments on cytotoxicity, immunity and protein interactions. Students present their work at regional and national conferences and publish the results in scientific journals.

DEPARTMENTS

The Department of Biological Sciences offers a wide range of courses leading to a career in ecology, evolutionary biology, genetics, microbiology, physiology and virology. Students gain hands-on experience with biological techniques and instrumentation while working in state-ofthe-art laboratories.

Emphasizing one-on-one instruction, the Department of Chemistry, Geoscience and Physics is dedicated to helping students master their chosen field. Faculty and staff work closely with students to challenge them academically and prepare them professionally for robust careers in science.

The Mathematics Department prepares students to succeed in applied mathematics, data science and mathematics education. Students work with cutting-edge technologies such as supercomputing and 3D printing.

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Academic student organizations help students learn, grow and lead, and they play a big role in the college experience. Through these groups, students begin developing their professional networks and creating entry into a career. The College of Science and Mathematics is home to a variety of academically oriented student organizations:

• American Association of Petroleum Geologists & Geological Society of America

• Tarleton Chemistry Society

• Mathematics Club

• Alpha Epsilon Delta – Pre-health students

• Pre-Veterinary Medical Association

• Beta Beta Beta – biology honors society

• Tarleton Educators for the Advancement of Mathematics

• Tarleton Geological Society

• Tarleton Physics Society

• Sigma Pi Sigma- physics honor society

• Tarleton Environmental Society

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES FOR HANDS-ON LEARNING

The Timberlake Biological Field Station is an outdoor, handson laboratory and longtime working cattle ranch that advances environmental research, engages students in scientific discovery and promotes stewardship of the natural world. Students can research aquatic ecology, biology, chemistry, sociology, geospatial analyses, herpetology, hydrogeology, landscape management, plant ecology, sustainability, water quality and wildlife management.

The Department of Mathematics operates a high-performance computer modeling laboratory using advanced NVIDIA graphics processing units. Successful students can use their modeling knowledge from this course to conduct and present independent research in a wide area of research area spanning all of the STEM fields. Current and past projects range from Biomedical projects such as dynamically modeling the human heart to astrophysics projects such as modeling how the Earth-Moon system was formed.

Scientific discovery. Undergraduate students find and name their own bacteriophages as part of the Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science program, administered by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science Education division. Students first dig in the soil to find new viruses, then they work through a variety of microbiology techniques and complex genome annotation and bioinformatics analyses. The program aims to increase undergraduate interest and retention in biological sciences through immersion in research.

Stargazing. Beneath the iconic copper dome of the Lamar Johanson Science Building, the Tarleton Planetarium provides a spectacular, immersive view of the stars. The facility features a Digistar 5 projection system, 5.1 surround sound and accurate images to bring the wonders of space to students, faculty, staff and visitors.

Undergraduate research. COSM faculty work closely with students to provide opportunities to conduct research. These experiences enable students to build on their classroom knowledge by studying real-world problems and generating résumé worthy results for journal publications and conference presentations.

Internships. For many STEM students, internships provide an important mechanism to begin their professional careers. By working with companies such as Lockheed Martin and Bell Helicopter, students gain experience in a corporate environment that propels them toward success and often gets them hired (by the same company) shortly after they graduate. Internships also are available at the Tarleton research centers — the Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research, the Texas Analytics Institute and the Center for Agribusiness Excellence.

Summer Research Showcase: The annual College of Science and Mathematics Summer Research Showcase in August of each year highlights the hard work of our faculty and students conducted primarily during the summer term. It provides an opportunity for College and University colleagues to celebrate our research efforts as well as providing students an opportunity to build and hone their communication skills.

WHAT OUR STUDENTS SAY

The faculty within the College of Science and Mathematics have been nothing short of amazing, from my preliminary Biology and Calculus courses to my heavily theoretical and applied mathematics courses each and every faculty member has molded me into who I am today. Numerous connections that I have made over the years have ultimately allowed me to start countless research projects, participate in internships, and most importantly pursue a Ph.D. in Biomedical Data Science. I will never forget the friends and memories I have made here at Tarleton and I am eternally grateful for all the opportunities I have been given.

—Aurod Ounsinegad, BS Mathematics

The College of Science and Mathematics has helped me become a better student by academically challenging me. Through tough classes I have improved my studying habits and have become more dedicated to my academic goal. These challenging courses will help me prove that I am a competitive student to graduate programs in the future.

Through the College of Science and Mathematics I have found mentors who care about my future. As a first-generation student academic guidance has been one of the most important things for me. My mentors at Tarleton have guided me through each semester and have helped me with graduate school applications and future plans. The support I found in my college is like no other.

—Salina Alvarado, BS Biomedical Sciences