Astronomy is study of the universe and the objects in it, including stars, planets, nebulae, and galaxies. Astronomy deals with the position, size, motion, composition, energy, and evolution of celestial objects.
Astrophysics the branch of astronomy concerned with the physical nature of stars and other celestial bodies, and the application of the laws and theories of physics to the interpretation of astronomical observations.
Atmospheric sciences is an umbrella term for the study of the Earth’s atmosphere, its processes, the effects other systems have on the atmosphere, and the effects of the atmosphere on these other systems. Meteorology includes atmospheric chemistry and atmospheric physics with a major focus on weather forecasting.
Biochemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. By controlling information flow through biochemical signaling and the flow of chemical energy through metabolism, biochemical processes give rise to the complexity of life. Over the last decades of the 20th century, biochemistry has become so successful at explaining living processes that now almost all areas of the life sciences from botany to medicine to genetics are engaged in biochemical research. Today, the main focus of pure biochemistry is on understanding how biological molecules give rise to the processes that occur within living cells, which in turn relates greatly to the study and understanding of tissues, organs, and whole organisms.
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, evolution, distribution, identification and taxonomy. Modern biology is a vast field, composed of many branches and sub-disciplines (some listed below).
Chemistry is a branch of physical science that studies the composition, structure, properties and change of matter. Chemistry includes topics such as the properties of individual atoms, how atoms form chemical bonds to create chemical compounds, the interactions of substances through intermolecular forces that give matter its general properties, and the interactions between substances through chemical reactions to form different substances.
Computer Science deals with the theory and methods of processing information in digital computers, the design of computer hardware and software, and the applications of computers.
Earth Science and Geosciences are widely embraced terms for the fields of science related to the planet Earth. Earth science can be considered to be a branch of planetary science, but with a much older history. These fields of inquiry can include the study of geology, the lithosphere, and the large-scale structure of the Earth’s interior, as well as the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. Typically, Earth scientists use tools from geography, chronology, physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics to build a quantitative understanding of how the Earth system works and evolves.
Engineering is the application of mathematics and scientific, economic, social, and practical knowledge in order to invent, innovate, design, build, maintain, research, and improve structures, machines, tools, systems, components, materials, processes, solutions, and organizations. The discipline of engineering is extremely broad encompassing a range of more specialized fields of engineering, each with a more specific emphasis on particular areas of applied science, technology and types of application.
Fisheries science is a multidisciplinary science, which draws on the disciplines of limnology, oceanography, freshwater biology, marine biology, conservation, ecology, population dynamics, economics and management to attempt to provide an integrated picture of fisheries.
General Science is a subject or course of study in school or college in which the elements of several sciences are studied.
Marine biology is the study of life in the oceans and other saltwater environments such as estuaries and wetlands. All plant and animal life forms are included from the microscopic picoplankton all the way to the majestic blue whale. Marine biology includes a wide variety of disciplines such as astronomy, biological oceanography, cellular biology, chemistry, ecology, geology, meteorology, molecular biology, physical oceanography and zoology and the new science of marine conservation biology draws on many longstanding scientific disciplines such as marine ecology, biogeography, zoology, botany, genetics, fisheries biology, anthropology, economics and law.
Marine science is a multidisciplinary field of study and research of ocean life and physics. Overlap areas between the different marine science disciplines are increasingly targeted as it seems necessary to investigate these areas in order to fully understand the workings of the marine environment.
Mathematics the abstract science of number, quantity, and space. Mathematics may be studied in its own right (pure mathematics), or as it is applied to other disciplines such as physics and engineering (applied math).
Natural resource management refers to the management of renewable and nonrenewable natural resources such as land, water, minerals, soil, plants and animals, with a particular focus on how management affects the quality of life for both present and future generations (stewardship). There are many resources - a few are listed here:
Pre-professional is an educational track that students pursue prior to becoming medical, pharmacy, nursing, veterinary, PA, PT, dental, ophthalmological, paramedic, chiropractic or other health specialty students. It involves activities that prepare a student such as prerequisite coursework, volunteer activities, clinical experience, research, and the application process.
Oceanography also known as oceanology, is the study of the physical and the biological aspects of the ocean. It is an Earth science covering a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamics; plate tectonics and the geology of the sea floor; and fluxes of various chemical substances and physical properties within the ocean and across its boundaries. These diverse topics reflect multiple disciplines that oceanographers blend to further knowledge of the world ocean and understanding of processes within: astronomy, biology, chemistry, climatology, geography, geology, hydrology, meteorology and physics. Paleoceanography studies the history of the oceans in the geologic past.
Physics is the natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion and behavior through space and time, along with related concepts such as energy and force. One of the most fundamental scientific disciplines, the main goal of physics is to understand how the universe behaves. Physics is one of the oldest academic disciplines, perhaps the oldest through its inclusion of astronomy. Over the last two millennia, physics was a part of natural philosophy along with chemistry, biology, and certain branches of mathematics, but during the scientific revolution in the 17th century, the natural sciences emerged as unique research programs in their own right. Physics intersects with many interdisciplinary areas of research, such as biophysics and quantum chemistry, and the boundaries of physics are not rigidly defined. New ideas in physics often explain the fundamental mechanisms of other sciences while opening new avenues of research in areas such as mathematics and philosophy.
Science Education Whether it’s a specific topic or math and science in general, think about sharing your excitement and knowledge as a teacher. Quality teachers are in high demand and this field can be a very rewarding career. From kindergarten to post-secondary, there may be a classroom waiting for you!
Space physics is the study of plasmas as they occur naturally in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. As such, it encompasses a far-ranging number of topics, such as heliophysics which includes the solar physics of the sun: the solar wind, planetary magnetospheres and ionospheres, auroras, cosmic rays, and synchrotron radiation. Space physics is a fundamental part of the study of space weather and has important implications not only to understanding the universe, but also to practical everyday life, including the operation of communications and weather satellites. Space physics is distinct from other fields of astrophysics which study similar phenomena, in that space physics utilizes in situ measurements from high altitude rockets and spacecraft.
Statistics is the study of the collection, analysis, interpretation, presentation, and organization of data. In applying statistics to, e.g., a scientific, industrial, or social problem, it is conventional to begin with a statistical population or a statistical model process to be studied.
Wildlife biologists are scientists that observe and study the behaviors of animals. They frequently observe the features of certain wildlife and determine the creatures’ role in specific ecosystems and/or how they interact with human beings. In addition, they will often perform various experiments to either increase our knowledge about a certain species or see how humans influence the ecosystem in question. Many Wildlife Biologists will eventually specialize into a particular area of study defined by ecosystem or species. Some of these fields include: Entomology, Ornithology, Marine Biology, or Limnology.