The Department of Zoology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences began a new school year with a new name. Effective Sept. 1, the Department of Zoology became the Department of Biology.

The name change reflects the current breadth and planned growth in department research and teaching activities, said Dr. Damian Shea, department head. The department’s broad research and teaching efforts have evolved to extend beyond the traditional areas of animal-centered zoology to include molecular, cellular, genomic and integrative approaches to the biological sciences.

Shea said the name change also reflects the inclusion within the department of the undergraduate Biological Sciences Program. With the inclusion of Biological Sciences, the department has the largest undergraduate enrollment on the North Carolina State University campus. The Biological Sciences major includes nearly 1,500 students (the second-largest major on campus behind Business Management), while the Zoology major includes 360 students. Both of these undergraduate degree options will be retained. The new Department of Biology also includes 77 graduate students majoring in Zoology or Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences

— Dave Caldwell