Facts and Figures

At a Glance

Leadership

Norma Allewell, Dean

Department Chairs, Research Center Directors, and Graduate Program Directors

Historical Highlights

Historical photo (circa 1940) of students in zoology lab at UM
  • 1856: Maryland Agricultural College chartered
  • 1859: The Maryland Agricultural College (later to become the University of Maryland) opens its doors to students and offers studies in five departments, including the Natural Sciences, of which Botany, Chemistry, and Entomology are part.
  • 1897: The Department of Entomology and Zoology is created.
  • 1919: The Maryland Agriculture College is organized into seven schools, of which Chemistry is one.
  • 1919: Entomology and Zoology become two separate departments, Entomology in the School of Agriculture, Zoology in the School of Arts & Sciences.
  • 1919: First woman to earn degree at Maryland, Elizabeth Hook, graduates in Entomology.
  • 1922: The department of Bacteriology is organized.
  • 1959: The department of Bacteriology changes its name to Microbiology.
  • 1950s: The University of Maryland's Chemistry Department becomes one of the largest in the United States under Chair Nathan Drake's leadership.
  • 1993: The College of Life Sciences is formed, with four departments: Zoology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, and Entomology.
  • 1994: The Department of Zoology changes its name to Biology.
  • 2000: Norma Allewell becomes Dean of the College of Life Sciences.
  • 2005: The College of Life Sciences becomes the College of Chemical and Life Sciences.
  • 2007: The College dedicates the Bioscience Research Building, a state-of-the-art laboratory and teaching facility that will advance bioscience research.

Facilities

The College of Chemical and Life Sciences is housed in eight buildings, including the Biology/Psychology Building, Plant Sciences Building, Chemistry Building, HJ Patterson Hall, Microbiology Building, the Biomolecular Sciences Building, and the most recent addition, the Bioscience Research Building. Several core facilities are available to advance research, including:

Research

The college engages in research programs and operates core facilities related to five major areas of the biological and chemical sciences:

  • Comparative and functional genomics
  • Ecological sustainability
  • Host-pathogen interactions
  • Nanoscience and biomaterials
  • Sensory neuroscience

Circle of Discovery

Members of the Circle of Discovery, who may be alumni, faculty, and others closely linked with the College of Chemical and Life Sciences, have demonstrated visionary leadership and conducted outstanding research in the biosciences or chemistry. We honor them for their ground-breaking discoveries and scientific contributions that underlie our understanding of the physical and chemical basis of life.

Academic Programs

The College of Chemical and Life Sciences provides training for
undergraduate and graduate students in a wide range of disciplines in
the biological and chemical sciences.

Undergraduate Majors

Graduate Programs

Students

  • Undergraduate enrollment (2008-9): 2,781
  • Graduate enrollment (2008-9): 699
  • Undergraduate demographics: 68% Female, 42% Male, > 50% Minority students, > 50% of freshman were selected for university honors programs
  • Graduate demographics: 60% Female, 40% Male, 25% International students

Faculty

  • Full-time tenured or tenure track faculty: 121
  • Total number of faculty: 214
  • 69% men, 31% women
  • College faculty members have programs or research activities in more than 60 countries on seven continents

Major Campus and UM System Partners

Major Government Partners