Hampshire College

Biology and life science students at Hampshire take advantage of courses both on campus and throughout the Five College consortium, studying various aspects of natural science, from ecology and evolution to adaptation and immunology.

The natural sciences form a set of theories, methods, and data for understanding the world in which we live. Science is not just information to learn; it is a process and way of thinking.

Hampshire’s School of Natural Science engages students deeply in interdisciplinary problem solving, emphasizing real-world issues and often situating student research at the interfaces of the sciences, for instance between physics and biology or human health and the environment.

Sample First-Year Course
The Unknown Microbial Majority
Ten billion bacteria live in a mere pinch of soil. They represent thousands of species and directly affect the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients and wastes in every ecosystem on Earth—Yet 99 percent are unknown to science. Students in this course will shed light upon this mysterious microbial majority through discussions based on their reading of the scientific research literature emphasizing molecular, genetic, physiological, and ecological knowledge. In addition, semester-long field and laboratory-based research projects will utilize modern molecular methods of analysis for assessing microbial diversity. Students will help design and carry out these research projects, develop skills at the laboratory bench, see the value of working closely in small groups, and spend time thinking about and practicing science.

Facilities and Resources
Cole Science Center at Hampshire College boasts some of the most up-to-date laboratories at any liberal arts college nationwide. Hampshire’s open lab policy makes these facilities available to Natural Science students at all levels. First-year classes regularly use our ecology, chemistry, or molecular biology laboratories, gaining hands-on experience and learning basic experimental procedures, while Natural Science concentrators at the Division II and III levels design their own original research experiments in such fields as neuroendocrinology or genetics. Students have full access to the labs outside of classroom hours in order to perform and analyze their experiments, and are given appropriate training in the use of complex and sophisticated equipment encountered elsewhere only at the graduate and post-graduate level. Hampshire’s state-of-the-art laboratory equipment includes a laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer, an inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer, molecular biology and genetics instruments, ion chromatography, a forensics laboratory, and many other resources.

The Five College Certificate in Culture, Health, and Science complements a traditional disciplinary major by allowing students to deepen their knowledge of human health, disease, and healing through an interdisciplinary focus. The certificate is designed to foster holistic, biocultural, and interdisciplinary understandings of health and disease. Additionally, the Health Careers Advising Center at Hampshire helps interested students and graduates learn about the various health-related professions, evaluate their career goals and, ultimately, gain admission to professional schools when appropriate.

The Center for Science Exploration at Hampshire College offers Hampshire students unique opportunities to broaden their understanding of student-centered science education. A variety of collaborations give Hampshire students numerous opportunities to work directly with K-12 students and teachers, including many projects that work with typically under-served populations such as young girls and students from large urban communities.