Penn State Biology Places High in National Rankings
The Penn State Department of Biology is one of the most productive biology departments in the United States, according to a multi-year study released on 28 September 2010 by the National Research Council. The department offers six types of Bachelor of Science degrees, including degrees in General Biology, Neuroscience, Ecology, Genetics and Developmental Biology, Plant Biology, and Vertebrate Physiology. It also offer Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in a wide range of research areas. Faculty in the Biology Department work on the cutting edge of research. With over 40 graduate faculty members, the Penn State Biology Department is known as one of the top research institutions in the world. Credit: Joel McNeal
The Penn State Department of Biology is among the most productive biological science departments in the United States, according to a multi-year study released today by the National Research Council.
The Data Based Assessment of Graduate Programs, produced by the NRC for a consortium of universities, used a broad range of measurements to rank the performance of thousands of graduate programs across hundreds of U.S. universities — its first such rankings in 15 years. The Department of Biology at Penn State jumped into the top 5 biology departments, ranking #5 in the nation in the categories of number of publications per faculty member per year and average citations per publication — crucial measures of scientific productivity.
Department Head Douglas Cavener stated that the NRC study reflects the current stature of the Penn State Biology Department, saying that the "NRC rankings are consistent with the fact that Penn State biology faculty rank #6 in among biological-science departments in the number of faculty who are members of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences and the ISI list of Most Highly Cited researchers." ISI is an organization that monitors scientific citations worldwide and ranks as "highly cited" the scientists whose research papers are cited most often by other scientists. "These recent rankings are a testament to the outstanding accomplishments of our faculty and, with the addition of the excellent faculty we have hired within the past few years, we have high expectations for our future achievements," Cavener said.
CONTACTS
Douglas Cavener: drc9@.psu.edu, 814 865-4562
Barbara Kennedy (PIO): science@psu.edu, 814-863-4682
MORE INFORMATION
Links to more information about the National Research Council's Data Based Assessment of Graduate Programs report are online at http://www.nationalacademies.org and at http://www.nap.edu/rdp