College of Science

Departments

• Biological Sciences
  The Department of Biological Sciences is a popular launching point to jobs and post-graduate studies. In 2011, Biological Sciences had the highest percentage of female students in the College of Science at 57 percent.

  • Bio Prof. Peter Hollenbeck is a 2013 Murphy Award winner. The Murphy is the highest faculty award at Purdue.
  • New Bio lab focuses on finding drugs to prevent vision loss.
• Chemistry
  Chemistry is a rapidly changing science. The strong commitment to research excellence at Purdue results in a faculty who are at the leading edge of this change and constantly revise their courses to keep up with the latest advances in our understanding of chemistry.

  • See Nobel Prize-winning Prof. Ei-Ichi Negishi's bio from the Big Ten Network.
  • Did you know? Purdue's first graduate was from Chemistry.
• Computer Science
  Computer Science at Purdue is one of the most historic and best CS programs in the nation. The CS department is centered in the new, state of the art Lawson Computer Science Building where robots and Android apps are programmed by freshman year.

  • Creating new programs and apps on the fly is what CS students excel at during "hackathons."
  • CS women fare well at Grace Hopper Conference, a national event for women in computing.
• Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
  
  In the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, students research and explore why weather happens and how to predict it. This diverse major also includes paleontology and the study of earthquakes and plate tectonics. Natural disasters are explained and fossils are put under the microscope.

  • Get EAPS-fueled weather data here.
  • EAPS alumnus named director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
• Mathematics
  The Department of Mathematics is a vibrant center of research and education in mathematics. The undergraduate program includes a variety of concentrations, from pure math to actuarial science, while the graduate program promotes the highest level of research. Purdue Math graduates have followed a wide variety of paths, including successful careers in business and law, mathematical finance on Wall Street, software engineering, research at national laboratories, and in the highest levels of academia.
  

  • Math alumnus receives world attention for prime number theory work.
  • Purdue showed well at the 2012 Conference for African-American Mathematicians.
• Physics & Astronomy
  The recent discovery of the Higgs boson had some major assistance from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Purdue. This major discovery has brought momentum to the field as well as the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Purdue, where students can make their own discoveries in astrophysics, high energy physics, geophysics, nanophysics, nuclear physics, sensor technology, biophysics and more.

  • Prof. Chris Greene wins the 2013 Hamburg Prize for Theoretical Physics.

  • Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson captivated thousands during his Elliott Hall of Music appearance at Purdue.
• Statistics
  Purdue's Department of Statistics ranks as one of the largest statistics programs in the nation. In the past five years, the department's student population more than doubled.

  • Meet the faculty and get to know their research specialties.
  • Prof. Frederi Viens receives a College of Science Research Award.