School of Science, Technology and Health

Mission

The mission of the School of Science, Technology and Health is is biblically centered education, scholarship and service — equipping men and women in mind and character to impact the worlds of science, technology and health for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Vision

The vision of the School of Science, Technology and Health is to be identified among the world’s foremost Christ-centered STEM and health programs — a community abiding in truth, abounding with grace and compelled by Christ’s love to be a relevant and redemptive voice in the rapidly changing worlds of science, technology and health.

Overview

In February 2016, Biola University broke ground on the most ambitious building project in its history. The new facility, an expansive new $63 million, 91,200 square ft. science facility that serves as the home to the School of Science, Technology and Health (SSTH), is comprised of some of the University’s fastest and highest demand job opportunities. The building opened in early 2018 and tripled the amount of space devoted to science education at Biola. This has enabled students and faculty to study in state-of-the art laboratories and classrooms with cutting-edge equipment. Additional SSTH buildings include Soubirou Hall, Dorothy English Hall, and Rood Hall.

Additional Educational Opportunities and Distinctives

The rapidly evolving fields of science and medicine need scientists and clinicians who are not only prepared academically and intellectually, but also guided by a strong ethical core. Biola’s science, technology, and health programs offer several key advantages:

Integration of Science and Faith. The School of Science, Technology and Health at Biola University is dedicated to understanding how science fits into the Biblical narrative, helping equip students to thoughtfully engage the broad world of ideas and offer a morally-grounded foundation built on compassion and stewardship of all forms of life. Small class sizes and laboratory sections give students the opportunity to spend significant time in close mentorship with their professors, who remain active scientists in their respective fields.

Laboratories with State-of-the-Art Equipment for analyzing gene expression, immunohistochemistry, fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography, proton NMR, high performance liquid chromatograph, a high-speed centrifuge, atomic absorption spectrometer, infrared and fluorescence spectrometers, supercomputing cluster, and an atomic force microscope offer strong resources and rich opportunities for directed research.

Locale and A Variety of Habitats for Study are within driving distance to do field work in marine, coastal, desert, and alpine ecology. In addition, Biola’s Organic Garden and Aquaculture site allow for research projects on campus. Our close Christian partner, the Au Sable Institute, offers field classes in Michigan, Washington, Costa Rica and India.

The Speech-Language Pathology Skills Lab provides graduate students with hands-on opportunities to bridge classroom learning with clinical skill development in a supportive, simulated clinical environment. Experiences include interprofessional simulations and guided practice with cognitive evaluations, bedside swallow assessments, speaking valve (PMV) trials, and FEES assessment and interpretation.

The Nursing Simulation Lab gives students hands-on experience in a variety of different simulated hospital environments caring for a variety of patients in a safe structured setting. These may include medical/surgical, critical care, obstetrics or pediatric settings and patients.

Top Tier Hospital Training. Biola has partnered with multiple top tier, magnet hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange County as well as many other community hospitals allowing students to receive rigorous, hands-on clinical training in a real hospital environment.

Speech and Language Clinic. Biola has an on-campus speech and language clinic that is open to the public free of charge. The clinic provides speech and language services to clients ages 3 to 90+ with diagnoses such as autism, speech sound disorders, and aphasia. It has state-of-the-art equipment including a digital endoscope, Visipitch, a nasometer, and AAC devices.

The Human Performance Lab and Athletic Training Room are on-campus resources for students to practically apply skills they’ve learned in classes. Faculty facilitate opportunities for students to participate in research and students are able to volunteer and gain experience working with special populations and the local community.

Clinical Shadowing Program provides weekly opportunities to observe and interact with physicians to explore a field of interest, gain valuable clinical experience, make connections that provide a source for letters of recommendation, and witness first-hand what it means to be a Christian health professional.

Medical Missions. Students can participate in medical missions work in hospitals overseas and across the country including the Philippines, Indonesia, and Germany. They are also actively involved in the running and management of many community-based outreach clinics for the underserved locally, like the La Mirada Activity Center serving older adults, and a clinic serving the homeless in Costa Mesa. This allows them to gain invaluable cross-cultural, clinical, service learning experiences, which are beneficial for their future clinical nursing careers as well as a solid foundation for future graduate school pursuits.

All Pre-Med and Pre-Health Majors have access to individualized advising and support from the Biola Office of Health Professions Advising (BOHPA). BOHPA provides application workshops, interview prep, graduate admissions exam support, and individual curriculum planning and advising as students prepare for medical school. BOHPA also sponsors the Health Careers Club (HCC), a student-led group that educates, supports, and builds community among all our pre-med/health career students on the Biola campus. BOHPA and the HCC together help to prepare Biola students to impact the world for our Lord Jesus Christ through future careers as health professionals. With the support of Biola’s pre-med committee, recent applicants to medical school have had close to a 90% success rate across all applications in recent years. Biola graduates have been accepted into a variety of medical schools both locally and around the country, including UCLA, UCI, UC Davis, UC San Diego, Loma Linda, USC, Dartmouth, Yale, Georgetown, University of Washington, Oregon Health Sciences University, University of Wisconsin, University of Arizona, University of Texas, University of New Mexico, and St. Louis University.

Program Approvals & Accreditations

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at Biola is approved by the State of California Board of Registered Nursing (1966).

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at Biola is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (2007).

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Council for Academic Accreditation (2022)

California Teaching Credential, Speech-Language Pathology Services Credential (2018)

Program Affiliations

American College of Sports Medicine

American Public Health Association

Western Council on Higher Education for Nursing

Dean

Matthew H. Rouse, SLP.D., CCC-SLP

Associate Deans

Wendy Billock, Ph.D.; Sarah Flores, D.N.P.; Yohan Lee, Ph.D.

Emeriti Faculty

P. Coad, R. Coad, Crawford, Ebeling, Fleeger, Fuller, Gewe, Henry, Kilander, Kuld, Kurtz, A. Lin, McLaughlin, Norman, Orr, Rynd, Charles Sarver, Connie Sarver, Stangl, Thurber, Woo

Professors

Apkarian, Axe, Billock, Buzi, Chen, Gunasekera, Kobayashi, Y. Lee, Lin, Ni, Peterson, Rouse, Wilson

Associate Professors

Allen, Altamirano, Cho, N., Choi, Clemons, Curtis, DiMuro, Flores, Havoonjian, Hoffman-McCully, Johnson, W. Lee, Lu, Marks, Newport, Ng, O’ Dell, Park, Smith, Styffe, Sun, Templeton, Tresser, Uranga-Hernandez, Van Niekerk, Varamini, Walker, Welty, Wong, Yan

Assistant Professors

Callejas, Cho, H., Hultberg, Loyola, Olsen, Pichaj, Raymond, Ricciardi, Stunrod, Woo, Yang

Biological Sciences Faculty

Chair: Patrick Sun, Ph.D.
Professors: Billock
Associate Professors: Choi, Havoonjian, Lee, Ng, Sun, Tresser, Varamini
Assistant Professors: Callejas, Yang
Rosa Endowed Chair of Molecular Biology: Axe

Chemistry Faculty

Chair: Heeyeon Cho, Ph.D.
Associate Professors: Johnson, Lu
Assistant Professors: Cho, H., Pichaj
Research Professor: Gunasekera

Physics and Engineering Faculty

Chair: Grace Ni, Ph.D.
Professors: Chen, Ni
Associate Professors: Cho, N., Curtis, Wong

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty

Chair: Teri Clemons, SLP.D.
Professor: Rouse
Associate Professors: Clemons, Newport, Uranga-Hernandez, Welty
Assistant Professors: Hultberg, Olsen, Raymond
Administrative Faculty: Barbu

Math and Computer Science Faculty

Chair: Chelsie Stunrod, M.S.
Professors: Buzi, Lee, Y., Lin, Wilson
Associate Professors: DiMuro, Lee, W., Marks, Yan
Assistant Professor: Stunrod
Haque Endowed Chair of Computer Science, Mathematics and Technology: Lee

Kinesiology and Public Health Faculty

Chairs: Sarah Flores, D.N.P.
Professor: Apkarian
Associate Professors: Altamirano, Park, Peterson, Walker

Nursing Faculty

Director: Rachel Van Niekerk, M.S.N., Ph.D.
Professor: Kobayashi
Associate Professors: Allen, Flores, Hoffman-McCully, O'Dell, Smith, Styffe, Templeton, Van Niekerk
Assistant Professors: Loyola

Occupational Therapy Faculty

Director: Andre Woo, OTD
Assistant Professors: Ricciardi, Woo
Administrative Faculty: Martin