Undergraduate Studies

Biology Help Room

(Purdue West Lafayette campus: LILY 1-407, across the hall from the Biology Advising Office)

Tutors for first and second year biology coursework (tutors are NOT directly connected to the courses, they are upper class students who were successful when THEY took those courses)

**NEW HOURS FALL 2024: Note that the room housing the Biology Help Room is currently shared with the Math Resource Room. Monday-Friday MORNINGS (9am-noon) are for BIOLOGY course tutoring. If these time slots do not work for you, we have virtual tutoring available, see information below. Also, remember to check your course syllabi for additional resources.

We are currently available both in-person and virtually.

IN-PERSON: Monday-Friday 9:00am - 12:00pm (noon) **typically starting week 2 during the regular Fall/Spring semesters, when classes are in session; Finals Week schedule will be posted above around 2-3 weeks before the end of the semester.

VIRTUAL Q&A: Click HERE to join the 'Biology Help Room' Campuswire, search under "Groups", use code 3747.

Response time will vary: during daytime hours--expect a response within a few hours; late evening and overnight--response may not happen until the next morning
FIRST TIME USERS: you will need to create a free account and log in before you can search for the Biology Help Room group
- "Sign in" link in upper right corner > "Sign up" for an account

The Biology Help Room serves the academic needs of all undergraduates with particular attention paid to first and second year students. The mission of the BRC is to improve the academic performance of all students by providing excellent tutoring services and resources directed toward the following goals:

Improve learning and study skills, particularly in Biology courses
Encourage undergraduate students to pursue careers in Biology Sciences

The Biology Help Room is staffed by 8 to 10 selected Junior and Senior level Biology Students each semester. The Help Room is a great place for getting all kinds of help and just to hang out and study.

We Offer:

Tutorial assistance in introductory core courses:

110 - Fundamentals of Biology I
111 - Fundamentals of Biology II
121 – Diversity, Ecology and Behavior
131 – Development, Structure and Function of Organisms
135 – First-Year Biology Laboratory, aka “Boot Camp for Biology”
231-232 – Cell Structure and Function & Laboratory
241-242 – Genetics and Molecular Biology & Laboratory
286 – Introduction to Ecology and Evolution

Tutorial Assistance in other introductory Biology courses is also offered, depending on individual Tutor course background (examples: BIOL 203/204 Anatomy and Physiology, BIOL 221 Microbiology).

Also available in the Biology Help Room:

Core course syllabi
Course outlines, texts and other reading material
Faculty handouts
Graduate school literature
Peterson's Guide to Job Opportunities in the Engineering and Science Field
Peterson's Guide to Graduate Schools in the Biological Sciences
Research Theses from Honors Research Students
Peterson's Guide to Internships

The other spaces formerly housed within the BRC:

TA Corner: Check with your course syllabus/Brightspace to see where your course TA/TIs are holding office hours; some of them are in the 1-100 hallway (near where the large lecture hall is, LILY 1-105), in either 1-127 or 1-134.

Student Lounge: not available for the time being, we will post here if this space finds a new home

Computers: a small number will be available in the Biology Help Room space (1-407) during open times; outside of that, please see Purdue ITaP for available stations.