Department of Multidisciplinary Sciences
Life Sciences Basic Science General Systems Studies
Life Sciences
Life Sciences is a sub-department of the Department of Multi-Disciplinary Sciences in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, but with 70 faculty members it is a large organization with a size equivalent to that of a department. Life Sciences is an advanced, transdisciplinary graduate program that transcends the traditional boundaries of the humanities and the sciences, and covers everything from molecules to individual life forms to even society. The sub-department of Life Sciences is divided into five major divisions: Biological Responses to Environmental Information, Bio-informatics, Biofunctionality, Exercise Adaptability, and Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences. However, for practical activities, the department is divided into three groups: Basic Biological Sciences, Human Movement and Fitness, and Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences. The research areas of faculty members span a wide range of fields, including cell biology, biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, sports medicine and science, training science for exercise and sport, psychology, and pedagogy, and their research subjects range from the basic building blocks of living matter such as DNA, proteins, and cells; the organization, development, and functions of cells, tissues, organs, and individual life forms; to the anatomy and functions of the human body, and the human mind. By digging deeply into their areas of expertise and by enhancing their transdisciplinary perspective through interaction with other researchers, our department's researchers aim to build the foundation of a new and improved field of life sciences. The department educates students so that they first acquire the fundamental knowledge and methods that will enable them to pursue cutting-edge research in their respective areas, and aims ultimately to develop students with a multi-directional understanding, who can approach the study of humans from the level of molecules, cells and tissues, as well as consider the life sciences from a micro perspective.
