Increased Heat and Biology Department - Thomas McNairn

​Climate change will impact academic programs and departments within the College of Natural Sciences (or University). The department of biology is going to be impacted directly. Along from prolonged periods of extreme heat, Cal-adapt predicts an overall increase in annual temperature from a historical average of 75.0 degrees Fahrenheit to 78.8 degrees Fahrenheit by 2037. This near 4-degree increase comes with higher average temperatures in the summer as well as the winter, and higher overall temperatures during the day and night. This increase will affect the habitats of many species of plants and animals, forcing them to adapt quickly to the changing environment, migrate fast enough to stay comfortable, or become extinct (1).
​Research of the biology department will be largely affected, as these habitats that were once bountiful will be made meager by climate change. The Chico State Biology Department will be hindered by the increase in heat in the sense that most of their studies are focused around local plants and animals. Specialist species will have a more difficult time adjusting to the abrupt warming weather, which makes up for a large portion of local species. (2) Research of the biology department will be largely affected as the habitats that were once bountiful will be altered by climate change. Curriculum of local fauna and flora will likely become obsolete. Restructuring the biology department on campus to gear more towards biodiversity and extinction research could propel Chico State to a top school of research. An interdisciplinary program focusing on conservation, adaptation, and planning would interest students and position Chico State as a leader in the field. 
1. Travis, J. M. J. “Climate Change and Habitat Destruction: A Deadly Anthropogenic Cocktail.” Proceedings: Biological Sciences, vol. 270, no. 1514, 2003, pp. 467–473. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3558886.
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2. Beckrich, Amanda. “The Green Room: When Climate Change Causes Extinction.” The Science Teacher, vol. 83, no. 6, 2016, pp. 14–14., www.jstor.org/stable/44160004.