Mission Statement
All Biology Department graduate students automatically belong to an organization known as the Graduate Biology Group (GBG). The Graduate Biology Group (GBG) serves to represent the interests of all Biology Department graduate students by facilitating student-faculty communication through Town Halls, hosting various organizations to meet with students, and organizing social and outdoors events to garner departmental camaraderie and promote mental wellness. The GBG is also involved in the recruitment of faculty and doctoral candidates, arranging time for graduate students to meet the candidates and encouraging students to attend faculty seminars. Finally, the GBG helps to organize graduate student recruitment and hosts a question/answer panel for incoming students on student life and student perspective on the department.
The GBG organizes various functions including the annual departmental retreat, student-sponsored seminars, and social functions. The GBG executive board is composed of several members who carry out many of the central responsibilities of the organization, but all students are encouraged to become active members. It is noteworthy that involvement in the GBG often helps students, as several University awards take service and GBG participation into account.
The GBG is an important component of the department, helping to build collegiality within the student body and between the students and faculty. The GBG fosters a supportive academic environment for study and research. It is a progressive organization that is constantly pursuing these goals.