The Council of each School acts as a coordinating body for its group of Faculties and filters much of the academic business before transmission to the General Board.
The School of
the Biological Sciences encompasses the Faculty Board of Biology and the
Faculty Board of Veterinary Medicine and is represented on the Faculty Board of
Clinical Medicine. It has responsibilities across three Triposes (the Natural
Sciences Tripos, Medical and Veterinary Sciences Tripos and Psychological and
Behavioural Sciences Tripos).
It shares the
Graduate School of Life Sciences, Graduate Committee and Medical Education
Committee with the Clinical School. It has its own Degree Committee. It
includes nine Departments, the Psychometric Centre and Centre for Family
Studies, plus five major research Institutes and an animal hospital. The School
is a key player in the Cambridge Conservation Initiative as well as the
majority of Cambridge Strategic Initiatives. The School is associated with the
Museum of Zoology and the Botanic Garden. It also takes responsibility for the
University Biomedical Support Service (UBSS) in conjunction with the current Director
of Health and Safety. Key officers of the School plus details of relevant
Research Ethics Committees (Human Biology, Psychology) can be found on the
School's website. Various subcommittees report to the Council, as required.
Long-standing committees include the UBSG (responsible for the biofacilities
across Cambridge) and the Biocentrum Re-development Group.
Formal
representation on the Council of the School (its most senior decision-making
body) is outlined in Chapter VIII of the University's Statutes and Ordinances.
Heads of School Institutes, as well as Heads of Departments, are currently
co-opted on to the Council, together with representatives of the three Faculty
Boards. In addition, the Head of the Botanic Garden and a representative from
the School of Technology attend as observers.