Department of Biology

UW Professor Emeritus Estella Leopold has been awarded the International Cosmos Prize, which honors those who further the "harmonious coexistence between nature and mankind." The prize carries a cash award of 40 million yen—nearly $500,000—and goes to just one individual or team each year.

No need to leave campus for the farm experience. The student-run UW Farm, tucked into a third of an acre on campus, is a working farm with ties to courses in everything from biology to anthropology to American Ethnic Studies. 

The Biology Department has tested teaching methods that keep students engaged and accountable, even in its 700-student classes. As a result, more students are passing the courses—with better grades—than in past years. 

Have you ever read a book steeped in science and wished you could discuss it with an expert in the field? That's the idea behind the Biology Book Club, introduced by a professor and a staffer in the Department of Biology. 

Over the past half century, the Brown Treesnake has decimated bird populations in Guam, leading to the extinction of nearly all native birds. Now researchers are studying the impact of bird extinctions on the island's remaining flora and fauna. 

Raymond B. Huey, professor emeritus of biology, discusses how humans adapt to hot weather.

After Frith Maier retraced adventurer George Kennan's 1870 route through the Caucasus Mountains, the journey became the basis of her UW master's thesis and a new book. 

There have been big changes in the College of Arts and Sciences in the past few years as long-standing departments have joined together to create new, more effective units. 

From winning the Nobel Prize to inventing the Wave; from circling the moon to inventing the disposable diaper. We list 101 outstanding UW achievements.

At the Summer Institute in Life Science, offered by UW Biology Program, middle school teachers do a lot of hands-on learning--and gain ideas for their own classrooms. 

Art Levinson (1972), head of biotech firm Genentech, got his start working in a faculty lab as a UW student.

The UW's Medicinal Herb Garden, home to hundreds of medicinal plants, has a long and colorful history.

Welcome, New Huskies 2026! The College of Arts & Sciences invites admitted students and their families to discover majors, programs, and campus life during UW Admitted Student Day on Saturday, April 4, as well as through online information sessions and other opportunities to connect.