Faculty Mentoring
The most common reason students choose Heidelberg is the ability to develop impactful relationships with their professors. For a student in the sciences at Heidelberg, this means working directly with professors on research projects, traveling to professional conferences, and simply having the ability and familiarity to drop by a professor's office, sit down, and receive influential advice.
Heidelberg is special because the environment we have built is focused on student success in and out of the classroom. As a faculty member, I have the opportunity to get to know my students and help them develop academically, professionally, and personally in a way that mirrors my own experience as a student and was so crucial to my success.
Dr. Justin Pruneski
Associate Professor of Biology
Research & Facilities
Heidelberg's focus in on undergraduate student research. Here, you won’t compete with graduate students for lab time or resources, and we offer a unique combination of labs and facilities for your use, which includes a cadaver lab, and the National Center for Water Quality Research housed on our campus.
Our graduates constantly report that their research experience at Heidelberg helped them feel prepared for both employment and graduate school work. By being able to develop and complete the research, work directly with professors, and present at various conferences, you'll have an advantage in the workplace.
Bigger schools may have better equipment, but most students don’t get to use them. At Heidelberg I got to use every instrument we had. My professors allowed me to be independent, but were there for me when I needed help, so I was able to come to my own conclusions and run with my own ideas. This is what it’s been like in graduate school.
Dani Blum ‘17
Ph.D. candidate at Brown University
Travel Opportunities
Your hands-on experiences aren't limited to just Heidelberg classrooms.
The Science of Art - Netherlands
Led by Dr. Nate Beres & D. Aaron Roerdink
Students visit various museums and historical sites to study the chemical techniques used to produce, restore, and conserve art.
Regional Field Geology (various locations)
Led by Dr. Amy Berger
Students gain first-hand knowledge and experience with different geographical areas of the country. Past trips have been to the San Francisco bay area and the southwest.
Caribbean Biogeography - Belize
Led by Dr. Amy Berger
Our students spend a week in Belize exploring reef, shore, and jungle biological environments.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital - Memphis, TN
Led by Dr. Kylee Spencer
While not tied exclusively to our Cancer Genetics class, this trip is a mix of scientific lectures and presentations and volunteering with the patients.
Chem Club
Every year Heidelberg’s Chem Club tours a working chemical laboratory. Past sites have included the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Dr. Pepper/Snapple Research and Develop Laboratories, the Ford Research Laboratories, and the Argonne National Laboratory. They also attend the National American Chemical Society Conference.
Graduate School & Placement
Heidelberg graduates are aquatic ecologists, dentists, anesthesiologists, and forensic chemists. They are doctors, researchers, scientists, and industry leaders working at pharmaceutical companies, research labs, hospitals, and businesses. They've enrolled in graduate programs at places like Wright State, DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, University of Toledo, University of Cincinnati Medical School, and the University of Missouri.
Our pre-medical program provides you with mentoring to stay on track and helpful resources for the graduate application process. Not only have our chemistry and biochemistry majors had a 100% placement rate after six months this past year, all Heidelberg students have had an 84% placement rate into medical schools over the past ten years.
Everyone who applies to vet school is good at science – they want to see what else you do. Heidelberg could get me that. There’s not a single faculty member that I didn’t learn something from. I’ll always praise my experience here at Heidelberg.
Vicky Johnson ‘16
DVM candidate at The Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine
learn more about environmental science and sustainability