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Sydney
A Natural Balance
Sydney, at once both metropolis and natural paradise, it
all depends on your point of view. If you're looking from
the outside in, the cosmopolitan pot-pourri and the international
buzz of a big city leave the strongest impression. But turn
around and cast your gaze beyond the city limits, and you
will appreciate Sydney as the perfect springboard for exploring
a multitude of natural wonderlands.
 Rivers,
ocean beaches, mountains and National Park forests encircle
the city and, weaving their way right through the heart of
the city itself, are the serpentine waterways of the spectacular
Sydney Harbour.
This perfect blend of civilisation and nature give Sydney
its unique character. It's a city where people pursue their
careers and cultural interests with a passion, but routinely
step back from it all to draw upon the environment as a source
of relaxation, inspiration and adventure. For a student, indeed
for anyone involved in academic life, this balance pays big
dividends. When you stand upon the honey-comb sandstone sea-cliffs
that embroider the city's eastern edge, with the salt-spray
in your face, and the Pacific Ocean crashing fifty metres
below, everything always seems suddenly to just fall into
place.
For anyone at the University of New South Wales, such an
experience can occur on a daily basis: those cliffs are only
two kilometres away, and nestled in amongst them are some
of Sydney's most famous bay beaches: Bondi, Bronte, Coogee,
and Tamarama. For some of us in the School of Biology at UNSW,
our journeys to the ocean are not purely just for fun or contemplative
catch-ups: we have one of the best Marine Science programs
in Australia. Our undergraduate students don't just study
ocean life, they become part of it. And our Honours and Post-graduate
students daily add to our understanding of the intricacies
of existence for Australian marine dwellers.
 A
focus on the unique lifestyles, adaptations and problems of
Australian fauna and flora is one of the main themes of teaching
and research in the School of Biology. As well as the ocean,
we take advantage of our ready access to the many National
Parks to the north, south and west: the closest is only fifteen
minutes away and as a student you can get to know it like
the back of your hand. Or if you thirst for more remote contacts
with nature our courses and research projects can take you
to one of our distant field stations: you can mingle with
the kangaroos in the outback, on the salt-bush plains of Fowler's
Gap Arid Zone Research Station; or study the rich web of invertebrate
life in Smith Lake, near the magnificent Seal Rocks. Individual
staff have contacts who can put research students into any
environment they desire: from studying algae in Antarctica,
to unravelling the genealogies of West Australian dolphins,
or even to Christmas Island, a tiny speck in the Indian Ocean
where you can track the life-styles of the Robber Crabs.
Our interests don't stop at field studies however. We offer
subjects ranging across fundamental botany and zoology, animal
behaviour, genetics, neuroscience, plant and animal phsiology
and ecology, oceanography, mammalogy, invertebrate physiology,
fungal cell biology, evolutionary biology, conservation biology,
mathematical modelling and general environmental science.
The diverse areas of research represented in the School are
integrated rather than formed into discrete departments. This
interaction generates research that is in many cases multi-disciplinary
and collaborative. Cooperation in research within interdisciplinary
projects extends to other Schools in the University, especially
in marine and environmental research. As one of Australia's
prestige universities, we can provide students with access
to all the latest in analytical equipment and techniques.
Currently the School of Biological Science offer majors in
Biological Science and Ecology within the Science and Mathematics
Course, while in the honours year further specialisation is
available. The majors are relevant to careers in the fields
of agriculture, forestry, wildlife management, conservation
and related environmental sciences.
These are available within the following degree structures:
The Science Degree. A 3 year general science program in which
students major)in a limited number of discipline areas. Students
undertake a major and a minor or a double major in their areas
of interest. Biological Science offers two major streams,
Biological Science and Ecology but other related majors are
available in Marine Science, Genetics, Environmental studies.
Minor options include Botany, Zoology and Ecology. The degree
is primarily a 3 year course, but it is possible for high
performers to proceed to a fourth Honours year.
The Advanced Science (Life Sciences) degree. A 4 year program
leading to an Honours degree. The School offers two Advanced
Science Plans, Biological Science and Ecology, and within
these it is possible to specialise in many areas of biology.
Other related plans include Genetics and Marine and Coastal
Studies. The entry level is higher than that for the Science
Degree. The Honours Year involves either a full year research
project or a mixed research project and course work option.
Environmental Science degree. A multi-disciplinary degree.
The areas taught by the School include Biology and Marine
Science. Environmental Science has high entry level requirements
and is a 4 year course leading to an Honours degree. It is
aimed at students whose career ambitions require a high level,
cross-disciplinary training in environmental science.
If your after a big experience in a big country, contact
us below and we'll help you get you started on your biological
adventure!
Mail: School of Biological Science, UNSW, Sydney 2052
Phone: +612-02-9385-2067
Fax: +612-02-9385-1588
Email: bios@unsw.edu.au.
Web: http://www.unsw.edu.au/bioscience/mainpag.htm
Author
Geoff Hyde
UNSW
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