Note: Team roles and the number of subject directors are tentative and may change as the season is finalized.

Subject Area Hub

Biology & Life Sciences

From microscopic organelles to planetary-scale ecosystems. Explore how life functions, adapts, and evolves while building university-level study habits, laboratory skills, and clinical analytical thinking.

Tentative Leadership: 2 Subject Directors

Welcome to Bronx Science Biology

Biology in Science Olympiad is not just about memorization; it's about building deep, functional system intuition. Here, we analyze disease outbreaks like real epidemiologists, dissect biochemical pathways of genes, and investigate aquatic ecosystems with hands-on sensors. You'll learn to read scientific literature, interpret complex visualizer tools, and handle competitive stress with clinical calm.

Whether you're looking to pursue a pre-med track, molecular biochemistry, or environmental science, our biology program maps directly to standard college courses and provides the fundamental tools to carry you through invitationals, Regionals, and States.

Subject Lead Expectations

  • Provide highly detailed study binders, flashcard decks, and practice tests.
  • Be comfortable leading lessons and illustrating anatomy on whiteboards.
  • Lead lab workshops for salinometers and macroinvertebrate identification keys.
  • Establish a collaborative culture for note-sheet and study-guide sharing.

Events & Study Focus

Select tabs within each event card to explore descriptions, topic lists, textbook pathways, and practice links.

Anatomy & Physiology

Team of 2

Dive deep into the systems of the human body, tracing structure and function from microscopic histology to complex systemic interactions and clinical pathology.

What You'll Learn

  • How cellular signals organize complex organ structures.
  • Homeostatic feedback loops maintaining systemic balance.
  • Diagnostic criteria and biochemical pathways of clinical disorders.
  • Histological cross-section analysis under a microscope.

Big Questions

How does the immune system differentiate "self" from "non-self" tissues at a molecular level, and how is this breached in autoimmune diseases?
What physiological compensations occur in the respiratory and cardiovascular systems to counteract metabolic acidosis?
2025-2026 Focus

Systems Analyzed

  • Digestive System: Anatomy of GI tract, histology (villi, crypts), enzymes (amylase, pepsin, lipase), absorption of macronutrients, gastrointestinal hormones (gastrin, CCK, secretin).
  • Respiratory System: Mechanics of ventilation, alveoli gas exchange, hemoglobin-oxygen dissociation curves, Bohr/Haldane effects, respiratory center feedback loops.
  • Immune System: Innate vs. adaptive immunity, T-cell & B-cell development, lymphatic structures, major histocompatibility complexes (MHC I & II), monoclonal antibody logic.
2026-2027 Focus

Systems Analyzed

  • Nervous System: Neuron structure, action potential electrophysiology (Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equation), synaptic transmission, glial cells, CNS/PNS divisions, cranial nerves.
  • Endocrine System: Hormone classification (peptide, steroid, amine), second messenger systems (cAMP, IP3/DAG), hypothalamic-pituitary axes, pancreatic & thyroid feedbacks.
  • Special Senses: Detailed anatomy and neurophysiology of Sight (rods/cones transduction), Hearing/Balance (cochlea hair cells, vestibular system), Smell, and Taste.

Standard Textbooks

Human Anatomy & Physiology

Marieb & Hoehn

Gold Standard Reference
Principles of Anatomy & Physiology

Tortora & Derrickson

Clinical & Disease Focus

Related College Courses

Anatomy & Physiology I/II Histology Systems Neurobiology Endocrinology
Crash Course A&P

Highly visual system introductions
InnerBody Anatomy

Interactive 3D structural model explorer
GetBodySmart

Interactive quizzes and physiological animations

Designer Genes

Team of 2

Master the language of inheritance, from classical Mendelian crosses and pedigrees to cutting-edge recombinant DNA biotechnology and genomic engineering.

What You'll Learn

  • To map genomic inheritance pathways and analyze pedigrees.
  • The replication, transcription, and translation mechanics of DNA/RNA.
  • Biotechnology protocols: PCR, gel electrophoresis, and gene editing.
  • To calculate gene frequencies in populations under equilibrium.

Big Questions

How do chromatin modifications and epigenetic markers regulate gene expression without altering the underlying DNA sequence?
How can you map a novel plasmid's restriction enzyme sites using single and double digestion fragment size patterns?
Classical Genetics

Foundational Topics

  • Mendelian Inheritance: Monohybrid/dihybrid crosses, incomplete dominance, codominance, sex-linked traits, epistasis, gene mapping via recombination frequencies.
  • Population Genetics: Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium equations, genetic drift, natural selection pressures, bottleneck and founder effects.
  • Pedigree Analysis: Tracing autosomal/sex-linked dominant and recessive traits, penetrance, expressivity.
Molecular & Recombinant

Advanced Topics

  • Central Dogma: DNA replication (replication fork, enzymes), transcription, RNA processing (splicing, introns/exons), ribosomal translation, codon charts, mutations.
  • Gene Regulation: Lac operon, tryptophan operon, transcription factors, histone acetylation, DNA methylation.
  • Biotechnology: PCR primer design, Restriction Digest mapping, Sanger sequencing, microarrays, CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing mechanisms.

Standard Textbooks

Introduction to Genetic Analysis

Griffiths, Wessler, Carroll, Doebley

Standard College Genetics
Genetics: A Conceptual Approach

Benjamin A. Pierce

Excellent Conceptual Visuals

Related College Courses

General Genetics Molecular Biology Biochemistry Bioinformatics
Bozeman Genetics

Clean, fundamental walkthroughs of pedigree & molecular topics
CSHL DNA Learning Center

High-fidelity structural 3D gene animations
Amoeba Sisters

Accessible genetics basics and study worksheets

Disease Detectives

Team of 2

Synthesize data and mathematics to track outbreaks, compute risk ratios, and design interventions that protect public health as a mock epidemiologist.

What You'll Learn

  • The CDC's official steps for investigating disease outbreaks.
  • How to compute and interpret Odds Ratios and Relative Risks.
  • The mathematical differences between incidence and prevalence.
  • How to spot study design bias, confounding factors, and systemic error.

Big Questions

In a cohort study investigating a foodborne outbreak, how does an Odds Ratio of 0.3 on food item A alter your investigation parameters?
What is the mathematical threshold where a screening test's low specificity makes mass surveillance of a rare disease unviable?
Epidemiology Foundations

Core Principles

  • The Epidemiological Triad: Intersecting relationships between Agent (pathogens, toxins), Host (genetic traits, immunity), and Environment (climate, vectors).
  • Outbreak Investigations: Memorize the CDC's 10-step (or 13-step) system, from establishing diagnostic criteria to presenting final public communication reports.
  • Measures of Disease: Calculating crude/specific rates, incidence vs. prevalence, attack rates, and period prevalence indices.
Biostatistics & Studies

Advanced Quantitative Analysis

  • Study Designs: Structural dynamics of Cohort (prospective/retrospective), Case-Control, and Cross-Sectional studies.
  • 2x2 Contingency Calculations: Relative Risk (RR) for Cohort studies, Odds Ratio (OR) for Case-Control, Sensitivity, Specificity, PPV, and NPV.
  • Systemic Error: Identifying selection bias, informational recall bias, and managing confounding variables using stratification.

Standard Textbooks

Principles of Epidemiology

Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

Official Public Health Syllabus
Epidemiology

Leon Gordis

Standard University Textbook

Related College Courses

Epidemiology 101 Biostatistics Infectious Disease Biology Global Public Health
CDC Public Health 101

Official interactive learning modules on outbreak tracking
Healthcare Triage

Videos explaining healthcare research and study design methods

Botany

Team of 2

Discover the intricate mechanics of plant life, tracing evolutionary steps, tissue functions, and complex ecological adaptions across major plant families.

What You'll Learn

  • How vascular bundles transport water and nutrients against gravity.
  • The metabolic trade-offs of C3, C4, and CAM photosynthesis pathways.
  • How to read and construct specialized botanical identification keys.
  • The reproductive alternations of generations in terrestrial plant phyla.

Big Questions

How does auxin-mediated cell elongation drive plant phototropism, and what are its intracellular signaling intermediaries?
What structural modifications differentiate the roots and leaves of hydrophytic plants compared to xeric (desert) survivors?
Anatomy & Physiology

Internal Plant Dynamics

  • Tissue Systems: Meristematic (apical/lateral), Ground (parenchyma, collenchyma, sclerenchyma), Vascular (xylem tracheids/vessels, phloem sieve tubes), and Dermal stomata cells.
  • Transport Mechanics: Transpiration-Cohesion-Tension theory, root pressure, pressure-flow hypothesis for phloem source-to-sink loading.
  • Hormonal Controls: Functions of Auxins, Gibberellins, Cytokinins, Ethylene, and Abscisic Acid.
Evolutionary & Systematic Botany

Diversity & Classification

  • Phyla Transitions: Evolution from green algae (Chlorophyta) to Bryophytes (mosses), Pteridophytes (ferns), Gymnosperms (conifers), and Angiosperms (flowering monocots/dicots).
  • Reproductive Alternation: Life-cycle changes, gametophyte dominance (bryophytes) vs. sporophyte dominance (angiosperms), double fertilization.
  • Systematics: Dichotomous key mechanics, flower symmetry, fruit structures, and weed identification.

Standard Textbooks

Raven Biology of Plants

Evert & Eichhorn

Standard University Textbook
Stern's Introductory Plant Biology

Bidlack & Jansky

Accessible Structural Reference

Related College Courses

General Botany Plant Physiology Plant Ecology Dendrology
Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't

Hilarious, incredibly deep field-botany ecological guides
USDA Plants Database

Official taxonomy and identification indices

Water Quality

Team of 2

Examine aquatic environments using chemical monitoring metrics, physical dynamics, and macroinvertebrate indicator species. Build and calibrate custom salinity sensors for laboratory practical rounds.

What You'll Learn

  • To design, wire, and calibrate a physical salinometer instrument.
  • How macroinvertebrates act as bioindicators of stream health.
  • The chemical indices of water (DO, pH, nitrates, phosphates, BOD).
  • The hydrodynamic and thermohaline behaviors of lakes and estuaries.

Big Questions

How does agricultural runoff create "dead zones" in coastal systems? Trace the cycle from nutrient influx to hypoxia.
How do physical elements like temperature and altitude restrict the saturation limits of Dissolved Oxygen in freshwater?
2025-2026 Focus

Marine & Estuary Ecology

  • Estuary Mixing: Salinity gradients, density stratification, wedge dynamics, tidal cycles, and salt marshes.
  • Marine Zones: Intertidal, neritic, pelagic, and benthic environments. Marine food webs and primary trophic limits.
  • Coastal Issues: Estuarine eutrophication, oil spills, and coral bleaching dynamics.
2026-2027 Focus

Freshwater Ecology

  • Lotic & Lentic Systems: Rivers/streams (lotic - riffle, pool, run) vs. lakes/ponds (lentic - littoral, limnetic, profundal zones).
  • Lake Dynamics: Summer stratification, epilimnion, thermocline, hypolimnion, and spring/fall convective overturns.
  • Macroinvertebrate ID: Classifying species (mayfly, stonefly, caddisfly, blood midge) by tolerance classes to compute Biotic Indices.

Standard Textbooks

Limnology: Lake and River Ecosystems

Robert G. Wetzel

Standard Freshwater Text
Marine Biology

Castro & Huber

Standard Estuary & Ocean Text

Related College Courses

Limnology Freshwater Ecology Hydrology Marine Biology
Macroinvertebrates.org

Incredibly detailed 3D microscopic macroinvertebrate identification keys
EPA Water Quality Academy

Official chemical and physical water monitoring guidelines