For intensives that are listed as special permission on the class schedule, permission can be obtained by emailing the instructor during the pre-registration period. Permission is not guaranteed.

If the INT is not listed as special permission you may request it through the usual pre-reg request system.

Spring 2026 
Special Topics intensives (BIOL 293 or 393)

BIOL 293 Conversations with scientists. (0.5 units, ungraded). How do you talk to a scientist?  How do scientists talk to one another?  In this intensive we learn how to talk to scientists about their scientific work in the context of department seminars and local or regional scientific meetings. We prepare to talk to these scientists by reading and discussing their academic papers and discussing the structure and expectations of a scientific seminar. We also talk about how scientific meetings work and why scientists attend these important networking events. Finally, we discuss how to reach out to scientists—to ask about their career paths, or to inquire about conducting research in their lab. We meet from 12 – 2 PM on Fridays. If a seminar is scheduled during this time, students attend the seminar and meet with the seminar speaker afterwards.  We may also attend seminar series at other institutions (e.g. Cary Institute), or local or regional conferences (e.g., Hudson Valley Life Science Guild) outside of the normal class time. Students use their skills to help us identify seminar speakers to invite for future semesters. This intensive is especially appropriate for sophomores and juniors intending to or majoring in Biology. The Department. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 107 and BIOL 108.

BIOL 393-02: Mentored Cancer Research. (1 unit, ungraded) As part of this research intensive students work on a novel project to assess the efficacy of cancer metabolic targeting therapies in human cancer cell lines. To evaluate cancer therapies, students get hands-on experience with a variety of cellular and molecular biology laboratory techniques. Throughout the semester students familiarize themselves with the field of cancer biology and work to understand the scientific process, identify research questions, read recent and relevant primary research articles related to cancer, design experiments and analyze data. At the end of the semester students present their findings. One 1-hour period. Instructor: Hayley Affronti

The following intensive may also be of interest to biology students:

COGS/DANC 393 – Minds in Motion: The Cognitive Science of Dance (0.5 units)

How do we dance and how does it affect us?  Dancing to a beat is a type of rhythmic synchronization with social origins; it involves watching, listening, and then reproducing and riffing on the sounds and movements of others, in coordination with others. As we learn more about how the brain and body co-operate with each other, and interact with their world, the cognitive underpinnings of dance appear to involve the parallel workings of multiple perception-action loops and mental models that learn and predict. From a neural perspective, we see the brain activity of dance partners entrain, and people with Parkinson’s who use music and dance to reorganize their rhythmic movements. In this Intensive, we explore dance from the perspective of cognitive science and cognitive science from the perspective of dance. Our work includes readings, projects and experiments. John Long, Miriam Mahdaviani. First six-week course.
One 2-hour period.

Independent Research Based Intensives

Students interested in starting to work with faculty on research projects during the academic year do so through independent research intensives such as BIOL 178, 298, 399 or 300 or similar intensives through BIOC, ENST, NEUR, STS, etc. Below is a list of faculty research interests and whether they are accepting new students for the next semester.  Since these independent research based intensives are all by special permission, please contact the faculty during the pre-registration period by email who you are interested in working with and are accepting new students to ask if you can begin working with them on a research project.

Aitken (continuing students only) My lab is focused on understanding the molecular mechanics of translation initiation, the process of assembling the ribosome on a messenger RNA molecule coding for a protein needed by the cell. Depending on their specific project, students learn and employ molecular cloning approaches, in vitro biochemical techniques, next-generation sequencing workflows, and bioinformatic tools.

Duncan (not accepting students) Research will focus on the underlying mechanisms regulating steroid induced neuroprotection following TBI in an avian model. All research students will be required to undergo animal use training.

Esteban (continuing students only) Laboratory and bioinformatics projects on the structure and function of the gut microbiome in post-viral chronic diseases myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and Long COVID. We are investigating the role of microbial tryptophan metabolites, which interact with host receptors to regulate inflammation, neurological function, and gut permeability.

Hughey (continuing students only) The overarching goal of research in my lab is to expand our understanding of the factors and processes that influence the formation of the microbiome of vertebrate animals. We investigate microbiome assembly as a basic process and are also interested in how this process can be perturbed by environmental challenges such as pathogens and stressful abiotic conditions. This work is highly integrative, drawing upon the fields of microbiology, molecular biology, community ecology, disease ecology, and bioinformatics.

Kennell (continuing students only)  Research will focus on characterizing the role of a family of HAD-domain containing phosphatases in regulating Drosophila melanogaster development and metabolism.  Wet lab and computational projects are available depending on the student’s interests.  Projects related to studying yeasts used in beer fermentation may also be available.

Long (continuing students only).  Experimental, biorobotic, and computational projects on the behavior, development, and evolution of animals. Also can take on COGS 399 students

Pater (Not taking students) Research in my lab focuses on photosynthesis, including natural variations within species and stress responses. Current projects in my lab are investigating the ecophysiology of native and invasive woody vine species.

Pokrywka (Not taking students). My research investigates factors involved in cell organization, using Drosophila oogenesis as a model system. Ongoing work is focused on the dynamics of microtubule organization, using fluorescent and confocal microscopy.

Ronsheim (Not taking students). My research focuses on restoration ecology and management on the Preserve, including the management of invasive vines to increase ecosystem resilience, propagating and planting native plants, and developing restoration approaches to increase carbon sequestration on the Preserve.

Schwarz (Not taking students) Lab research investigating the role of an LGRA2 glycoprotein receptor in spawning behavior of the sea anemone Aiptasia pallida. PreReq: Genetics or Biochemistry

Touchon (taking new students) Research in my lab generally focuses on the development of amphibian larvae when under the threat of predators or pathogens. In fall 2025 we will be studying how environmental complexity interacts with predator presence to affect the development of prey phenotypes.

Student Initiated Intensive Proposal

A group of students can propose an intensive or an individual student can propose to have a CEL (community engaged learning) opportunity count towards their BIOL major. Your proposal must be approved and adopted by a faculty sponsor. If this is something you are interested in, contact a possible faculty sponsor with a brief description or your proposal and include the names of all students in your group (if relevant).