Students of the Biological Sciences Department are exposed to the full spectrum of biology career choices. Located on California’s Central Coast, the hub of pristine ocean, coastal marine, estuary, riparian, mountain, and grassland environments, these unparalleled “living laboratories” are ideal for study and research on plant, aquatic, and animal species in a variety of thriving ecosystems. The latest high-tech equipment allows students to study life on a molecular level. The department and its professors are continuously engaged in projects funded by private, state, and federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research, and the National Institutes of Health.
Modified from bio.calpoly.edu
Senior Projects from 2023
The Development of Sexual Health Educational Canvas Modules for Cal Poly Students, Alexa J. Asson, Dillan Chiewpanich, Amanda Hodges, and Tanya Patil
Efficacy of Pure Bioscience Surface Disinfectant on Varying Bacterial Strains, Isabelle R. McKenzie
Senior Projects from 2022
Biomass Estimation of Marine Biofilms on Plastic Surfaces, Kian Banihashemi and Fernando Javier Gil
Assessing Black Rat Population Abundance and Persistence at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, Mars Lu and Julia Kristina Perez
Senior Projects from 2021
Assessing Cryptic Dispersal and Movement in the Lompoc Kangaroo Rat, Katherine A. Belnick
Comparative Effects of Chemical and Physical Sunscreen on Fertilization of Purple Sea Urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus), Marilla Lippert, Maurice Codespoti Goodman, and Nikki Adams
Occupancy Modeling of Western Monarch Thanksgiving Counts: Negative Impacts of Incomplete Resurveys and Uneven Sampling Efforts, Keegan M. McLean
Phytoplankton Community Response to Changing Environmental Conditions Across Two Central California Sites, Nicholas Soares
Senior Projects from 2020
Course Design for Quality Online Education: Effective Strategies from the Viewpoint of Undergraduate Teaching Assistants, Cassady E. Healy, Jackson D. Stayner, and Jafra Thomas
Spatial and Temporal pH Variability in a California Estuary During the Winter Wet Season, Garrett S. Schmid
Senior Projects from 2019
Do Elevation and Aspect Predict Functional Trait Values in Alpine Plant Populations?, Karen Analiesa Bach
Availability of Microtrash Materials and Selectivity by California Condors, Marie G. Solis
Senior Projects from 2018
Second Annual Survey on Narrowleaf Milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis) and Western Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) Populations in Pozo, CA, Emily Rose Hermann and Francis Villablanca
Senior Projects from 2017
Peromyscus boylii and Peromysus californicus Differ in Physical Characteristic Measurements, Puja M. Kasondra and
Linking Large Scale Ocean-Atmospheric Patterns with Recruitment in Kellet’s whelk (Kelletia kelletii), Katherine N. Rodriguez and
Understanding the transition from benthic egg to dispersive larvae: observations on the intra-capsular growth and development of a marine snail (Kelletia kelletii), Megan N. Wilson and
Senior Projects from 2016
Effect of the 2013-2015 California Drought on Small Mammal Abundance and Diversity in Chaparral, Oak Woodland and Riparian Habitats, Nicole Desideri and
Senior Projects from 2015
Variation in Microbiome Composition and Stability for a Vancomycin Treated Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis Patient with Ulcerative Colitis Compared with Controls, Alanna Dubrovsky and
A Preliminary Report on Escherichia coli Strain Diversity in Cows, Alison T. Stivers and
Native Deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) use of invasive grass seed (Ehrharta calycina) in Coastal California, Megan Wong and
Senior Projects from 2014
The Pythium suppressive ability of Glomus intraradices in cherry tomato propagation, Stanley Graham and
Senior Projects from 2013
The Correlation between Veldt grass (Ehrharta calycina) and Reproductive Condition of the Lompoc Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys heermanni arenae), Jacqueline Mae Bates and
A Multispecies Avian Abundance Analysis in Riparian and Oak Woodland Habitats on the California Central Coast, Jacy Hyde and
A Closer Look at the Breeding Season of the Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys heermanni, Brianna R. Lavelle and
Census and Mapping of Chorro Creek bog thistle in Reservoir Canyon, San Luis Obispo, CA, Tyler Michael Lutz and