Position Yourself for Success in Some of the Most In-Demand Healthcare Careers
Are you interested in a career in dentistry, medicine, veterinary medicine, or pharmacy? Keuka College can help you get there.
As a Keuka College student interested in attending graduate school for one of these disciplines, you'll work with your pre-professional advisor to determine the best major (usually biology with a concentration in biomedical biology) for you.
Your advisor will also work with you one-on-one to select the best possible Field Period® experiences that will help you get into your graduate program of choice.
Real-World, Hands-On Experience
Real-world, hands-on experience is an important part of your pre-professional degree.
The Keuka College Field Period® gives you the chance to have four separate internships, starting your freshman year.
This means you can explore different career options and decide which one is the best career for you.
Program Overview
As a pre-professional student at Keuka College, you'll be part of a unique program designed to help ensure you are an attractive candidate for graduate study in your field of choice.
Pre-professional is not a separate major, but a custom-tailored advising sequence that compliments your chosen major with intentionally selected Field Period®, research, and extracurricular activities and opportunities.
Your academic advisor will assist you with:
- Preparing and studying for standardized tests, such as the MCAT (medical school), PCAT (pharmacy school), etc.
- Researching and applying to graduate programs
- Finding opportunities to research—and possibly publish—in topics related to your field of interest
With the exception of those students who have an interest in law, your academic advisor will be a professor from the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The pre-law minor is designed specifically for those students who are interested in a career in law.
In keeping with Keuka College’s emphasis on experiential learning, you’ll also become a scientist outside the classroom. You’ll be encouraged to work professors on independent research projects, and many students have had the opportunity to present the results of their work at professional conferences.
Keuka College is on the shore of Keuka Lake—arguably the prettiest of the Finger Lakes. The College’s Sunset Woods and the nearby Penn Yan Outlet Trail are home to thousands of species of plants and animals, providing an ideal environment for biology students. Ornithology students are able to work in the field, identifying birds native to the area.
You’ll get to study in the Jephson Science Center, where students hang out in the Chiral Center or at the Math Table in between classes and labs. A highlight of the building is that the laboratories weren’t simply designed in collaboration with architects, but by the professors who use and teach in them.
As a student, you will have access to a wide range of instruments, including:
- Ultraviolet - visible spectrophotometers
- Sorvall High-capacity Centrifuge
- Opti-sciences Chlorophyll Fluorometer
- Kodak Gel Imaging and Documentation Systems
- Bioradgelelectrophoresis and Western-blotting Apparatus
- High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph
- Gas Chromatograph - Mass Spectrometer
- Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer
- Environmental Chamber and incubators
- Biosafety Cabinet
- Nikon Compound and Stereo Microscopes with Digital Camera
- Nikon Inverted Microscope
- End-point Thermal Cycler
- Real-time Thermal Cycler
Chi Beta Phi, the natural science, math, and psychology honor society offers students the opportunity to network with like-minded peers and have their scholarly accomplishments recognized.
Pre-professional advising focuses on some of the most in-demand health care professions of today and tomorrow, including medicine and pharmacy.
Dr. Catherine Abbott
Professor of Mathematics
Academic Credentials
- University of North Texas
- Ph.D.
- University of North Texas
- M.A.
- University of Texas at Tyler
- B.S.
Dr. Todd Anderson
Assistant Professor of Environmental Science
Academic Credentials
- Cornell University
- Ph.D.
- University of Idaho
- M.S. in Environmental Science
- University of Alaska Southeast
- B.S. in Environmental Science
Dr. Tom Carroll
Professor of Chemistry
Academic Credentials
- Yale University
- Ph.D.
- Yale University
- M.S.
- Hobart & William Smith Colleges
- B.S.
Barbara Demjanec
Laboratory Coordinator
Academic Credentials
- University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign
- M.S.
- Montana State University
- B.S.
Dr. Laurel Hester
Assistant Provost
Associate Professor of Biology
Academic Credentials
- University of Michigan Ann Arbor
- Ph.D. in Biology
- University of Michigan Ann Arbor
- M.S. in Biology
- Swarthmore College
- B.A. in Biology and History
Biography
Dr. Laurel Hester is the Assistant Provost and an Associate Professor of Biology at Keuka College. She has a B.A. in Biology and History from Swarthmore College where she fell in love with the small college learning environment with its supportive atmosphere and close student-faculty interactions. Dr. Hester has an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. She is a co-author for a Biological Science Study Guide and has other publications related to teaching biology. She enjoys travel and studied rodents in agricultural areas as a Fulbright Scholar in Senegal. She has also lived abroad in France and South Africa.
Professional Interests
Biology, scholarship of teaching and learning, and vertebrate physiological ecology.
Jessica Katolik
Instructor of Natural Sciences
Academic Credentials
- University of Rochester
- M.S. in Pharmacology and Physiology
- Rochester Institute of Technology
- B.S. in Biotechnology
Dr. Michael Keck
Interim Chair of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Professor of Chemistry
Academic Credentials
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Ph.D.
- University of California at Berkeley
- B.S.
Biography
Dr. Keck joined the faculty at Keuka College in 2008 after 13 years teaching at Emporia State University (Kansas). He teaches chemistry and biochemistry, and has also taught analytical chemistry and inorganic chemistry. His primary area of expertise is nucleic acids biochemistry. He loves teaching, and he is also eager to work with students on research projects. He and his students are presently collaborating with colleagues at RIT to design and evaluate compounds that have potential as photodynamic therapy agents.
Dr. Luciana Parent
Assistant Professor of Biology
Academic Credentials
- University of Sao Paulo/Cornell University (Sandwich Program)
- Ph.D.
- Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG)
- M.S.
- Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG)
- B.S.
Phillip Rahr ’07
Assistant Athletic Trainer
Adjunct Instructor of Biology
Academic Credentials
- Keuka College
- B.A. in Biology
Dr. Andrew Robak
Professor of Chemistry
Academic Credentials
- University of Oregon
- Ph.D.
- University of Oregon
- M.S. in Chemistry
- Rochester Institute of Technology
- B.S. in Environmental Chemistry
Biography
Dr. Robak started teaching at Keuka College in the Fall of 2007 and is the primary instructor for organic chemistry at Keuka.
He is the adviser for Keuka's chemistry club and also directs a number of undergraduate research projects. Active research projects include: Exploring click chemistry for organic synthesis, developing new surfboard coatings from polyurethanes, designing chemistry experiments for home-schooled children at the high school level and a project using chemistry and photography to promote both art and science.
Other research interests are: designing more environmentally friendly lab experiments
Professional Interests
chemistry, organic chemistry, science based medicine, green chemistry, science in popular culture, science as art, polymers/plastics, science education, explosive chemistry demonstrations, inorganic chemistry
Dr. Tim Sellers
Associate Provost
Professor of Biology and Environmental Science
Director of the Center for Aquatic Research
Academic Credentials
- University of Louisville
- Ph.D. in Environmental Biology
- University of Louisville
- M.S. in Biology
- University of Colorado Boulder
- B.A. in Environmental Science
Biography
Dr. Tim Sellers is the Associate Provost and Professor of Biology and Environmental Science at Keuka College. He is the founder and director of the Center for Aquatic Research at Keuka College and the head science advisor for the Keuka Lake Association. Dr. Sellers has a B.A. in Environmental Science from the University of Colorado, an M.S. in Biology and a Ph.D. in Environmental Biology from the University of Louisville, and was a post-doctoral fellow in Oceanography at Texas A&M University. He has conducted aquatic and water quality research on Keuka Lake and the other Finger Lakes for 15 years.
Professional Interests
Limnology, oceanography, ecology
Dr. Mark Sugalski
Division Chair of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Professor of Biology
Academic Credentials
- Miami University
- Ph.D. in Zoology
- Miami University
- M.S. in Zoology
- Roger Williams University
- B.S. in Biology/Environmental Chemistry
Jack Westbrook
Instructor of Mathematics
Academic Credentials
- SUNY Geneseo
- M.S.
- SUNY Geneseo
- B.S.
Contact Information
Dr. Michael Keck
Interim Chair of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Professor of Chemistry
