Indiana University’s Departments of Bacteriology, Botany, and Zoology moved into a brand new building on the south side of campus (now known as the Biology Building) in 1955. A decade later, these three departments merged to become the Division of Biological Sciences. In 1977, the graduate programs reorganized to reflect changes in the faculty and the Division of Biological Sciences became what is now the Department of Biology. The building received a major addition in 1984 and has undergone additional renovation since then. Our department has grown, and we expanded into a renovated Myers Hall in 2001, followed by a newly constructed, state-of-the-art Simon Hall in the fall of 2007.
History
Phases of Biology mural
The department commissioned famed printmaker and IU Distinguished Professor Rudolph “Rudy” Otto Pozzatti [1925–2021] to create an oil painting for the Biology Building’s newly constructed atrium in 1984. Pozzatti created Phases of Biology after a significant amount of research assistance from his son Rudy Jr. (an IU Biology alumnus and molecular biologist) and Dr. Anthony Pizzo, a local pathologist. The mural was featured in IU’s 2003 summer workshops, institutes, and short courses booklet.
The sun is the center of the image, as the sun is the center of our universe—and it is such an incredible force.
Distinguished Professor Rudy Pozzatti
The College of Arts