Core Facilities and Centers

Department of Biology Core Facilities

Various flowers

Greenhouse

Located just north of Hensill Hall, the Greenhouse at SF State is a modern, computer-controlled greenhouse that supports research and teaching in the Department of Biology. Due to COVID-9 and the changing public health guidelines, access may be limited.

SW room

Seawater Room

The seawater facility in Room 233 in Hensill Hall houses marine animals and plants used in teaching and research. This facility is associated with an adjacent classroom where our marine science labs are taught, allowing students to gain hands-on experiences with marine organisms.

Harry D Thiers Herbarium

Harry D. Thiers Herbarium

The Harry D. Thiers Herbarium at San Francisco State University maintains over 113,000 specimens. Located in Hensill Hall Room 429, the Harry D. Thiers Herbarium began with in the 1960s with mycologist, Dr. Harry D. Thiers' research in California that led to the publication of over 150 new species of fungi.

SF State molecular biology core facility

GTAC

Led by Director Dr. Colleen Ingram, The Genomics/Transcriptomics Analysis Core (GTAC) provides molecular genetics equipment, computer analysis facilities and training in how to use GTAC equipment to undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, faculty and visiting researchers. 

SF State full color square logo

Stockroom

The Biology Stockroom provides a variety of services to the Department of Biology faculty, staff and students. Laboratory, field materials and equipment are available. General laboratory supplies are available for classroom use and can be purchased on a recharge basis for research laboratories.

Two persons tying a buoy to a boat.

Estuary & Ocean Science Center

Estuary & Ocean Science Center (EOS Center) is an off-campus research and teaching facility operated year-round and is the only academic research facility on the San Francisco Bay. The center's educational mission is to provide undergraduate and graduate courses in biology, geography, and geology.

Science Education Partnership and Assessment Laboratory San Francisco State University

Science Education Partnership and Assessment Lab (SEPAL)

The SEPAL Resource Center houses hands-on, minds-on science education materials that are available for checkout.

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Sierra Nevada Field Campus

The Sierra Nevada Field Campus (SNFC) is in Sierra County at 1900 meters in elevation. It is an ideal location for researchers studying montane organisms. In summer it offers a rich curriculum of courses. 

Zeiss LSM 710 Confocal Microscope

Cell & Molecular Imaging Center

The Cell and Molecular Imaging Center (CMIC) is a core facility that supports both biological and materials science research by providing state-of-the-art equipment and training in contemporary light microscopy and imaging techniques, such as confocal microscopy, deconvolution microscopy, and flow cytometry.

College-wide and off-campus facilities