Our Community Mission

  • Increase public understanding of the biosciences and the issues surrounding the application of scientific discoveries to solving real world problems
  • Encourage curiosity about scientific discovery among children in grades K-12 and thus nurture future generations of scientists and informed citizens
Map of california showing a stack of coins accross the state, where each coin represents a business created in that stack's city by a UC affiliate or alumni. San Diego's stack, discussed below, is by far the tallest in the state.

Economic Vitality

The Division of Biological Sciences is a vital and active participant in the local community. Here on the Torrey Pines Mesa, within a 4-mile radius of UC San Diego, 29,000 people participate in bioscience research every day. Our division and UC San Diego train the workforce for this booming economy in biotech / pharma. We also provide many of the discoveries that are used by that industry. Hundreds of local companies are a product of UC San Diego and its neighboring research institutions.

A high school-aged girl holds up and closely examines a piece of seaweed in a plastic tube.

Public Education

Our biologists play a key role in educating the public about how discoveries in the biosciences can help to solve the major health, environmental and economic problems facing us today, from understanding how climate change is affecting the planet's biodiversity to finding biofuel alternatives to petroleum, from cures for cancer through stem cell research to neuroscience helping us to understand and treat Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, and much more. Through our public presentations and our lecture series such as Evolution Matters, Grey Matters, and Science Matters, we bring the excitement and relevance of scientific discovery to the public.

Grades 9-12 Science Curricula

We also develop free online science curricula to help science teachers explain basic scientific concepts and the latest research techniques and discoveries to the next generation of researchers who are today sitting in classrooms in our middle and high schools. These public outreach activities help us all to become better stewards of our environment and more informed about decisions affecting our health, environment, and economy.

6 graduate students wearing surgical scrubs and hair nets relax on a bench in a clinic waiting room

Public Service

Some of our best ambassadors beyond the university are our graduate and undergraduate students. They make significant contributions not only to the local community but to areas around the globe. They volunteer as science tutors in middle and high schools; they work in area medical and dental free clinics, hospitals, hospices, and the children's convalescence home, to name a few examples. Many of them raise funds to purchase supplies for clinics and hospitals in developing countries and spend their spring breaks and summers working in clinics helping to bring basic health care to remote areas around the globe.

More About Biology

Learning Resources