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Research facilities

At Skidmore, research starts early. You’ll work directly with faculty in the Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences (BTCIS) — a 200,000-square-foot hub for hands-on learning and discovery. This state-of-the-art facility brings all of Skidmore’s science departments together, supporting work in everything from molecular genetics and cell imaging to climate science and animal behavior. Right outside, the North Woods offers 400 acres of protected forest, provides a natural extension of the classroom for students studying ecology, plant biology, and conservation.

Biology students here don’t just study science — they do it. Many start research in their first year, land funded summer projects, and graduate with real experience and published work.

Biology research and teaching resources:

• Research and teaching labs in the Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences
• Advanced equipment for molecular biology, cell physiology, and ecological research
• Aquatics facilities, vivarium spaces, and growth chambers
• Greenhouse and North Woods access for field-based study
• Opportunities to work across disciplines (chemistry, neuroscience, environmental studies, etc.)
• Faculty-mentored summer and academic-year research
• On-campus GIS and statistical modeling tools

Our research and teaching facilities

Gene Expression Laboratory State of the art laboratory includes quantitative RealTime PCR, Storm phosphoimaging with ImageQuant analysis, vertical gel electrophoresis, Zeiss Tetrad dissection microscope, UV/Vis spectrophotometer, heating/cooling growth chambers and -80°C freezer.
Comparative Physiology Laboratory  The comparative physiology laboratory consists of a dedicated research laboratory and accompanying animal facility for the rearing and spawning of multiple fish species (including zebrafish, killifish, tilapia). A quantitative PCR machine, gel electrophoresis equipment, a fluorescent dissecting microscope, a -80°C freezer, and other equipment supports physiological analyses ranging from the molecular to organismal levels.
Molecular Ecology Laboratory The molecular ecology laboratory is equipped for analyses using single- and multi-locus probes and PCR in the investigation of parentage and population structure. The lab is supported by automated DNA sequencing capability and a dedicated ultra-low temperature freezer to maintain the specimen library.
Greenhouse Skidmore's new greenhouse was created in 2019 to support teaching and research. It includes a large display room containing a variety of plant species, as well as independent experimental modules where temperature and humidity can be altered to mimic particular climates. The greenhouse also includes Biology's Community Ecology research lab.
North Woods Skidmore's outdoor laboratory, the 400 acre North Woods, is a 2 minute walk from the classrooms of CIS. The woods includes northeastern deciduous forest, wetlands, springs, creeks, and old field succession and is major staging area for outdoor labs.  It is the site of ongoing exploration regarding landscape ecology, seed dispersal, ecology of amphibians, host-parasite interactions, as well as ecosystem phenomena such as decomposition and carbon flux.
Community Ecology Laboratory The community ecology laboratory utilizes adjacent outdoor habitats such as Adirondack forests, streams of the upper Hudson watershed, Saratoga National Historical Park, and the urban environs of Saratoga Springs to explore fundamental ecological questions.  How does landscape change and climatic variation alter the functioning of among-species interactions?  Additionally, we utilize motion-sensitive wildlife cameras placed on less accessible sites such as islands, deserts, and forests not well-represented locally (e.g., old growth, or post-fire landscapes, or forests with large-bodied apex carnivores).
Disease Ecology Laboratory The disease ecology laboratory consists of a research facility for microbiological culturing of non-zoonotic pathogens, estimating immune function in vertebrate hosts, and qPCR-based disease diagnostics from field surveys of amphibian hosts.
Plant Development Laboratory This laboratory is equipped with instruments to support research on physiology, developmental biology, and molecular biology of plants. It contains a custom-built Conviron PGR15 growth chamber for monitoring controlled-environment experiments and developmental patterns of plants (corn, tobacco, and Arabidopsis). Two independent experimental modules in the CIS greenhouse are also dedicated to plant biology research. These greenhouse modules are equipped with full-spectrum LED grow lights and optional UV-B lights to facilitate plant stress response experiments. Additionally, this research includes a chlorophyll and multipigment fluorometer, a leaf porometer, an Olympus BX61 Fluorescence Microscope, a PCR machine, gel electrophoresis units, and other instruments.
Microscopic Imaging Facilities Skidmore McGraw Microscopy Imaging Center (SMMIC) consists of five laboratories within BTCIS: the Research Light Microscopy Lab, equipped with six modern Olympus microscopes offering brightfield, darkfield, phase contrast, polarized light, DIC, and fluorescence imaging capabilities; the Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy Lab, which houses an Olympus Fluoview 1000 confocal microscope; the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) Lab, featuring a FEI Quattro S Field Emission SEM with SE, DBS, and STEM detectors. It supports high vacuum, low vacuum, and environmental (ESEM) modes, and includes an UltraDry EDS system for X-ray microanalysis; the Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) Lab, containing a Hitachi HT7800 120kV TEM with AMT BioSprint16 High-Definition Camera System; and the Sample Preparation Lab, which provides support for SEM and TEM preparation.
Microbiology Laboratory Adjustable temperature incubators in the microbiology laboratory support the isolation and culture of a variety of bacterial species. The laboratory is also equipped to genetically manipulate and analyze bacterial model organisms via PCR, transformation and electrophoresis.
Circadian Rhythm Laboratory The circadian rhythm laboratory is equipped for automated monitoring and analysis of up to 64 rodents in running wheels under controlled photoperiods for circadian rhythm analysis, has facilities for rearing and automated recording of fruit fly locomotor activity, and Actiwatches for automated recording of human activity rhythms.
Developmental Neurobiology Laboratory An 80-tank fish facility houses numerous transgenic, mutant and wild-type zebrafish. Two microinjection rigs allow injections at the one cell stage for gene knock down experiments. PCR machines, gel electrophoresis and other molecular biology equipment support mRNA expression studies through in situ hybridization. Several incubators are used to culture zebrafish embryos and raise fry to adulthood.