Biology Night was hosted March 12 in the north lobby of Stoffer Science Hall from 5 to 6:30 p.m. It was the third annual biology night hosted by Susan Bjerke, associate biology professor.
“The purpose of the biology night is to invite high school students and parents from Topeka and further out to come and explore the university’s biology program,” Bjerke said. ”At biology night, the students can also see the labs, they can sign up for free scholarships and just kind of get to know the biology department. The main motto is to show the high school students that Washburn biology is a great place. It also helps local students learn about Washburn, which they may overlook because it’s close to their home.”
Madeline Holter, freshman environmental biology major, mentioned that the club focuses on projects like film recycling, native plant gardens and environmental awareness. They have regular meetings and invite anyone interested in sustainability, no matter their major, to join.
“We’re the sustainability club on campus and we do a couple of recycling things. We have bins around Stoffer to collect film recycling, so any stretchy plastic bags that you can find, you can put them in there,” Holter said. “We also do tailgate recycling around campus with the cans and we take them down to a metal recycling place and use the money from that to donate to Helping Hands [Humane Society]. We also do the native plant garden on the outside of Stoffer.”
Ella Hulse, a prospective student from Kansas, attended the event to learn more about Washburn’s biology, pre-med and pre-law programs. She appreciated meeting faculty and discovering clubs that align with her interests, including sustainability and biology.
“I learned a lot more about the clubs and stuff that I was interested in, and I also just sat down with the admissions person who’s here and he kind of just helped me make sure that I had everything done and I checked all the boxes, especially because I know things missed along the way. It was really relieving to know everything’s done,” Hulse said.
Bjerke encouraged anyone interested in Washburn biology, whether current or future students, to reach out here and they’ll be connected with the right person. She also mentioned a competitive scholarship for incoming freshmen. Attendees of the event could sign up for a chance to win one of two scholarships, which were awarded at the end of the night.
Edited by Alijah McCracken and Stuti Khadka.
