Natural Sciences and Mathematics

A science education at St. Olaf is personal, filled with innovative learning approaches that utilize the latest technology. We offer investigative experiences that give students hands-on use of sophisticated scientific equipment.

Dave Van WylerQ & A with Associate Dean of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Dave Van Wylen '80
Nearly 40 percent of St. Olaf students choose a major or concentration in the natural or mathematical sciences, and St. Olaf has the highest number of graduates who earn mathematics and statistics Ph.D.s among the nation’s baccalaureate liberal arts colleges. We consistently rank in the top 10 for graduates who earn Ph.D.s in biology, chemistry and physics, and we’re typically the number two feeder to the University of Minnesota Medical School, behind only the university itself. Read more »

Wind turbineWhat Sustains Us
From a $1.5 million grant to install a wind turbine on campus to composting food waste and using environmental principles in the design of our new Science Complex, St. Olaf is committeed to earth-friendly practices. Learn more »

What can I do with a Natural Sciences or Mathematics major?


Barbara Bowles Biesecker '79Wise Counsel
Genetic Counselor Barbara Bowles Biesecker ’79 has examined the quality of life of people with genetic disorders and studied ways to improve women’s engagement in the decision to undergo prenatal testing. Read more »

Doug Blanchard ’67Cosmic Thinker
Assistant director of Space Life Sciences at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, Doug Blanchard ’67 helps keep astronauts safe and healthy far from home. Read more »

Elizabeth G. NabelA National Leader
Dr. Elizabeth G. Nabel '74 is a leading scientist and recognized expert in the development of genetic and cellular therapies for cardiovascular disease. Read more »

Knut ChristiansonPolar Bound
A Fulbright Scholar, Knut Christianson '05 will spend a year on Svalbard, a group of islands located in the Arctic Ocean, about 1,000 kilometers south of the North Pole, using ground-penetrating radar and satellites to study glaciers. Read more »

Cool Class

Equatorial Biology
South America provides the palette for students to examine equatorial biology through intensive field experiences. Students visit three equatorial environments: the Amazon rainforest, the Andean cloud forests and the Galapagos Islands. [close]

Cool Class

Vertebrate Biology
The focus is on the natural history of Upper Midwest vertebrates. Field trips include documenting bird migrations, amphibian chorusing and other animal activities and independent projects explore topics ranging from bluebird nesting behavior to thermal conductivity and insulation in animals. [close]

Cool Class

Biology in South India
Biology in South India offers a mix of independent research and global travel. Students complete a cultural course and two independent research projects in topics related to rural health care, leprosy, emerging diseases, agriculture, mountain ecology and human/wildlife interactions. [close]

Off-Campus Opportunity

Peruvian Medical Experience
Our Peruvian Medical Experience partners St. Olaf students with Children’s Surgery International at hospitals, clinics and orphanages in Cusco, Peru. Students work with international physicians and pediatric patients, develop awareness of global health care and learn how to deal with patient confidentiality and patient interviews. [close]

Cool Class

Explorations in Biomedical Sciences
This course broadly studies biomolecular science through reading and discussion of literature across the field. Biomolecular faculty take turns leading discussions of a paper in a field related to their own interest, from bioanalytical chemistry, conservation and bioinformatics to cell physiology and population genetics. By exploring the breadth of biomolecular science, students can identify the areas of their principal interest and plan their future course selections. [close]

Cool Class

Chemistry of Life's Beginning
What elements went into the formation of our solar system? Which molecules played a role in creating the diversity of life on Earth? While studying the structure and function of molecules common to living organisms, students ponder answers to fundamental questions about how life got started in our universe. [close]

Cool Class

Forensic Science
It’s the stuff of CSI: hair analysis, drug screening, arson investigation, and DNA and fingerprint analysis. Students explore the fundamentals of forensic science by learning from actual case studies and the option of a lab, where experiments highlight forensic techniques used to collect and analyze evidence. In addition to learning the science itself, students grapple with the ethical issues that arise from recent developments in technology. [close]

Cool Class

Gateways: Geometric Patterns in Islamic Culture
A mathematical exploration of the geometry underlying the patterns and images of Islamic art and architecture. [close]

Off-Campus Opportunity

Quantitative Methods in Ecology and Evolution
This supplement to several biology courses applies the mathematical techniques of optimization, modeling and elementary statistics to the study of ecology and evolution. [close]

Off-Campus Opportunity

The Structure of Higher Mathematics
Students travel to Budapest, Hungary, during Interim to study in one of the most important worldwide centers of mathematics. [close]

Off-Campus Opportunity

Global Health and Biostatistics in Geneva
Students work with researchers from the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, to learn about the global burden of disease and get a firsthand feel for how statisticians and epidemiologists collaborate to find solutions. [close]

Off-Campus Opportunity

Origins of Nuclear Weapons
The world hasn’t been the same since the United States dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II. Part physics and part history, the class allows students to explore the scientific developments and the political, social, military and psychological environment that produced the bomb that continues to impact world events. [close]

Off-Campus Opportunity

The Psychology of Good and Evil
Students gain insight into why people are compelled to judge behavior as morally good or bad and examine how individuals can commit acts of extraordinary heroism or evil. [close]

Off-Campus Opportunity

Environmental Psychology at Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
How are we affected by nature? How do we respond to environmental challenges? Students examine ways in which the natural environment is important psychologically to human beings. [close]

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