Students enjoyed the barbeque provided by the Biology Club outside of the College Green on Friday Sept. 7. It was an opportunity to socialize with peers and professors, helping freshmen better understand the biology community at Geneseo (Udeshi Seneviratne/photo editor).
The Biology Club held their annual picnic to foster student-faculty relationships and introduce biology majors to departmental opportunities on-campus. The picnic was held on Friday Sept. 7 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Integrated Science Center walkway by the College Green.
Attendees of the event included biology department faculty, Biology Club members and students interested in the major. Food was served from a grill and participants played games like KanJam or ladder golf.
Pre-biochemistry major freshmen Taylynn Tryon and pre-biology freshmen major Sara Hoefler attended the event after hearing about it in their lecture. They knew their professor would be in attendance and felt that it would be a good opportunity to meet professors and students in the club.
Both students said that their time spent interacting with fellow STEM majors and prominent voices within the department felt worthwhile.
“There are professors here and they make you feel like they want you to be a part of biology at Geneseo,” Tryon said. “I was already considering joining the Biology Club because of my major, but this really solidified it.”
Hoefler underscored the organizers’ friendliness.
“They walked right up to us when we were in line to introduce themselves,” Hoefler said. “We immediately felt welcomed.”
Biology Club treasurer junior Nikhil Reddy emphasized the importance of developing a connection with professors in the biology department.
“Relationships with professors and people are really important moving forward,” Reddy said. “Especially within the department.”
Biology Club Vice President senior Stephan Heddon also spoke about the picnic’s approach toward new students in Geneseo’s science programs.
“First-year students would benefit most from the event because they have the next four years here,” Heddon said. “They have the opportunity to make lifelong friends and meet faculty who could become their mentors.”
Heddon added that the feeling of a strongly bonded biology community on-campus is especially felt in events like the picnic, which allow its members to both socialize with colleagues in a relaxed and friendly environment.
“It’s about getting students and faculty to interact,” Heddon said. “And especially about getting freshmen students comfortable in their new environment by meeting upperclassmen and faculty.”
Heddon felt that the event’s location near the ISC was optimal because it provided students with the chance to stop by between classes.
Biology department students and faculty alike had the opportunity to take a break from work and relax near the College Green with their colleagues.
For first-year students, the event was a wonderful opportunity to connect with upperclassmen and faculty and begin to feel more comfortable in the department. For returning students, it was an opportunity to spend time with the biology community on-campus.