Welcome

The Science Department offers several degrees: a B.A. in biology, a B.A. in chemistry, a B.S. in medical technology and a B.A. in a multidisciplinary major (science track). We also have an affiliation with UMDNJ-SHRP which allows students to obtain a B.S. in Clinical Laboratory Science awarded jointly by Caldwell and UMDNJ.

Dr. Sook Choi presenting a seminar entitled “Redirecting Nursing Education to Meet the Challenges of Globalization”, Red Cross College of Nursing, Seoul, Korea, October 14, 2004. She was also honored as the most successful graduate of the Red Cross College of Nursing.Caldwell College offers exceptional students a chance to enter into several seven year programs where a B.A. in biology is conferred to students after three years of study at Caldwell and one complete year of study in an affiliated graduate school. These affiliations include dental, chiropractic, and podiatric professional schools. These programs are rigorous and require that the student be accepted by both Caldwell and the post-baccalaureate institution before enrolling.

Benefits of Caldwell College’s Science Department

Caldwell’s science department is dedicated to teaching. We have low student to teacher ratios, laboratory sections are taught by dedicated faculty, and the student body is small and close. Research is available to students and expected of all chemistry majors.

Successful graduates have gone onto doctorate programs, professional institutions, masters programs, academic positions, and industrial positions.

Career Opportunities

The bachelors in biology or chemistry prepares students to enter graduate schools in biology and chemistry, or health related professional schools such as medical school, dental school, chiropractic school, podiatric school, and physical therapy programs. Graduates have also entered the pharmaceutical, food, or fine chemicals industry as bench scientists. Other graduates have chosen to teach at the high school level. Our graduated medical technologists work within hospital and private laboratories performing critical diagnostic tests. The multidisciplinary major has been approved by the state of New Jersey to teach science in the middle school.

Seven year programs

The seven year programs allow exceptional students to condense the time required for a professional degree from 8 years to 7 years by allowing these students to substitute their last year at Caldwell for their first year at one of our affiliated institutions. Our seven year programs are highly competitive, require that the student be accepted by both Caldwell and the affiliated institution before entering Caldwell, and to maintain an agreed upon GPA and test scores. These affiliations also help our traditional students to have preferential treatment for regular acceptance. We have affiliations with the following professional schools:

  • UMDNJ-Dental School
  • NYU-Dental School
  • Pennsylvania College of Optometry
  • New York Chiropractic School
  • New York College of Podiatric Medicine
  • New York Medical College-Physical Therapy Program (Doctorate)

Coursework

Upper level biology courses concentrate on the following areas of biology: microbiology, immunology, histology, environmental biology and genetics. Upper level chemistry courses concentrate on the following areas in chemistry:
analytical methodologies, physical chemistry, instrumental analysis, biochemistry, and modern spectroscopy.

The medical technology major takes upper level courses in biology and chemistry that focus on health and analytical methods and spend their senior year within a practicum at an affiliated hospital. Our affiliated medical technology hospitals are:

  • Jersey Shore Medical Center, Neptune, NJ
  • Morristown Memorial Hospital, Morristown, NJ
  • The Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, NJ

The multidisciplinary major science track has a threefold concentration of courses in Physics, Chemistry and Biology and is approved by the state of New Jersey Department of Education to teaching middle school science.


Department News

Caldwell students Matt Casani, Suk Ky Lee, and Alberto Rodriguez and Dr. A. Scimone (not pictured here)presented their work on the "Synthesis of Ethyl and Propyl Ethers of Napthols" at the 51st Annual meeting of the New Jersey Academy of Science" April 8, 2006 at NJIT. 51st Annual New Jersey Academy of Science meeting at NJIT on April 8

Dr. Angelina Scimone, Chair of the Department of Natural and Physical Sciences, and three of her students presented a research paper at the 51st Annual New Jersey Academy of Science Meeting at NJIT on April 8th. Dr. Scimone and students Matt Casani, Suk Ky Lee and Alberto Rodriguez presented a work entitled "The Synthesis of Ethyl and Propyl Ethers of Napthols".

The science department is proud to announce that three students have been accepted into summer research programs. Jamie and Amy Vizcarra have been accepted into John Hopkins University Medical School's Summer Research Program and Olga Svetnikov was accepted to Carnegie Mellon University Medical School's Summer Research program.

Nov. 1, 2004: Students Emanuel Duran, Marneece Williams, Kristen Dolberry and Melissa Pellicer attended the 37th annual meeting of the Metropolitan Association of College and University Biologists to display their presentation on Sugar Maple (Acer Sacharum March.) Seeding Growth Under a Vessicular Arbuscular Mycorhizal (VAM) Modified Rhizosphere.

Science Faculty

  • Jean Armstrong, Ph.D.
    Professor of Chemistry
  • David Byrne, M.S.
    Adjunct Instructor of Physics
  • Sook Choi, Ph.D.
    Dr. Alvin B. Calvin Professor of Biology, Premedical Advisor
  • Marguerite Kenney, M.S., M.A.
    Chair, Assistant Professor of Biology, Moderator of Tri Beta
  • Catherine Koo, Ph.D.
    Professor of Biology, Coordinator of Medical Technology
  • Angelina Scimone, Ph.D.
    Professor of Chemistry
  • Eduardo Zappi, Ph.D.
    Professor of Biology

Honor Societies

Beta Beta Beta (Tri Beta) Biological Honor Society has an active chapter at Caldwell.

Recent Science Students and Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sauers, Van Arnum and Scimone, “Green Chemistry Analytical Method Development: A Revisit on he Use of Potassium Ferrixalate as an Actiometer”, Green Chemistry in press.

Caldwell College students Duran, Williams, Dolberry and Pellicer , Sugar Maple (Acer Sacharum Marsch.) Seedling Growth Under a Vessicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (VAM) Modified Rhizosphere was presented at the 37th annual meeting of the Metropolitan Association of College and University Biologists (MACUB)at Long Island University on Nov. 1 2004.

Scimone, Alliu, Boczany, and Schneider, “The Aldol Reaction as an Educational Tool”, presentation at New Jersey Academy of Science annual meeting in April 2003.

Nguyen, Pellicer, Zappi, “Distribution of the bacterial genera Pseudomonas and Bacillus within ectomycorrhizae of Gray Birch (Betula populifolia Marsch.) in a Northern New Jersey forest”, BIOS 73(3) 91-97, 2002. This was also presented at the 36th annual meeting of the Metropolitan Association of College and University Biologists (MACUB), Wagner College Nov. 1 2003.

Scimone and Scimone, “Recommendation of Herbal Remedies by Psychiatrists”, Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, vol. 16 issue 3, 2001, page 155.

Research Opportunities

Research opportunities exist both on-campus and off-campus, and are usually restricted to juniors or seniors. On campus projects included those presented above, and investigating cellular differentiation and immune interactions.

Field Experience

This year Dr. E. Zappi will offer Tropical Ecology in Costa Rica during the wintersession 2005. This will enable both non-science and science majors to have a significant field experience in the Tropics.