Life science, the most active discipline in the 21st century

In the early 1980s, it was predicted that "the 21st century will be the century of biology." Now, more than 30 years later, how has the discipline really developed? Has biology's century come? On this issue, there is a big difference between the understanding of professionals and the general public. To answer this question, we must first understand what the life sciences are.

Life science (biology) is a branch of natural science. According to the major categories of college entrance examination, it belongs to science. In essence, life science is a science that studies the phenomena of life, reveals the law of life activities and the nature of life. Its research objects can be biological macromolecules, such as proteins and nucleic acid molecules, cells, tissues and organs, such as plant roots and leaves or human internal organs; It can also be individual organisms, such as plants, animals, humans, etc., or even ecosystems and biospheres. Life science is an experimental subject, which is closely related to our human life. At present, a series of major problems facing mankind, such as population expansion, food shortage, energy crisis, environmental pollution and disease hazards, will largely depend on the progress and development of life science and biotechnology. The prediction that "the 21st century will be the century of biology" has gradually become a reality, and life science has developed into one of the most active disciplines in the 21st century and has become the frontier discipline of natural science. In the United States "Science" weekly magazine in recent years selected the world's top ten scientific and technological progress, more than half of the achievements are from the field of life science. Nowadays, high technology represented by computer science and information technology, life science and biotechnology is developing rapidly, which represents the forefront of modern scientific development and has become the two pillars of modern high technology. The role of life sciences in human economic, technological, political and social development will be all-round. In short, life science is a sunrise discipline with the most development potential!

The School of Life Sciences of Tsinghua University was founded in 2009, its predecessor, the Department of Biology of Tsinghua University, was founded in 1926. The Department of Biology of Tsinghua University is one of the earliest bases of biology education and scientific research in modern China, and has trained a large number of well-known biologists for our country. More than 40 academicians of the Life Sciences and Medicine Division of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Medicine and Health Division of the Chinese Academy of Engineering have studied or worked at Tsinghua University. In 1952, when the national university departments were adjusted, Tsinghua Biology Department was merged into other universities, and "life science" was once in a blank state in Qinghua Garden. After 32 years of silence, "life science" reappeared in Qinghua Garden. Tsinghua University restored and rebuilt the Department of Biology in 1984, and changed its name to "Department of Biological Science and Technology" (referred to as the Department of Biology). In 2009, in order to meet the needs of the rapid development of life sciences, Tsinghua University established the School of Life Sciences (referred to as the School of Life Sciences).

The School of Life Sciences of Tsinghua University constantly innovates the mode of personnel training and improves the program of personnel training. In the undergraduate stage, students mainly learn the basic theory, experimental skills and research methods of life sciences. There are two required professional basic courses - general biology and general biology experiments, and four required professional core courses - biochemistry, cell biology, genetics and molecular biology, as well as frontier life science and basic experiments of biochemistry. In addition, the college offers 22 specialized electives, including microbiology, immunology, physiology, and developmental biology. Students also need to participate in comprehensive experiments, scientific research training and comprehensive paper training and other practical links, comprehensive use of the knowledge and skills learned, to carry out basic research work.

More than 90% of the college's undergraduates will choose to continue their studies, or be recommended for graduate school without examination in the school, or go to the United States Harvard, Yale, MIT, Stanford, Princeton and other world-class universities to pursue graduate degrees. After master's, doctor's or post-doctoral study and research training, they are expected to work as professors or researchers in famous universities or research institutes at home and abroad, engaged in biology or basic medicine related teaching and research work; You can also engage in research and development in a biomedical technology company, becoming a project supervisor or research and development director; Or enter public administration departments, medical and health departments and other enterprises and institutions to become national civil servants; You can also enter the financial, banking, securities, consulting, Patent Office and law and other industries to work as financial securities analysts, consultants, lawyers and so on. In short, the graduates of this major have a wide range of adaptability.