Science Handbook

Members of the Science Division are often among those on the leading edge of the Federation's pioneering frontiers. The great unknown, not to mention advances in medicine, technology, and culture, are all made possible by the sharp, curious minds parsing all there is to see and experience in the universe.

Aboard most starships, science often has its hands in every department, supplying them with key information, research, and findings. They must balance working in the realm of the unknown and hypotheticals with that of the practical and immediate, recognizing that decisions they make could well have life-or-death consequences.

General Duties

• Advise all departments of technology and practices as they evolve
• Serve as part of landing parties, conduct general surveys, and reviewing probe information
• Assist the Medical Department in diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions and new lifeforms
• Catalogue and maintain information on new lifeforms, planets, phenomena, substances, etc.
• Work with the Engineering Department to study, analyze, and implement new or alien technology
• Assist the Security Department with forensic analysis
• Translate sensor readings and other data into actionable information

Specializations

• Astronomy (cosmology, galactic astronomy, planetary geology, planetary science, stellar astronomy, solar)
• Biology (anatomy, astrobiology, biochemistry, bioengineering, bioethics, biogeography, bioinformatics, biophysics, biopsychology, biotechnology, botany, cell biography, cryobiology, developmental biology, ecology, ethnobiology, ethnobotany, evolutionary biology, entomology, exobiology, forestry, genetics, gerontology, immunology, limology, marine biology, mathematical biology, microbiology, molecular biology, neuroscience, paleontology, parasitology, physiology, radiobiology, soil biology, biostatistics, theoretical biology, toxicology, zoology)
• Chemistry (acid based reaction theories, alchemy, analytical chemistry, astrochemistry, biochemistry, crystallography, chemical engineering, environmental chemistry, food science, geochemistry, green chemistry, inorganic chemistry, materials science, medicinal chemistry, metallurgy, molecular physics, nuclear chemistry, organic chemistry, photochemistry, physical chemistry, radiochemistry, solid-state chemistry, stereochemistry, supramolecular chemistry, surface chemistry, theoretical chemistry)
• Geosciences (atmospheric sciences, ecology, environmental sciences, geodesy, geography, geomorphology, geophysics, glaciology, hydrology, limnology, mineralogy, oceanography, paleoclimatology, palynology, physical, planetary geosciences, seismology, soil sciences, space science
• Engineering (agricultural engineering, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, genetic engineering, industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, military engineering, mining engineering, nuclear engineering, software engineering, test engineering)
• Mathematics (calculus, computational, Euclidean geometry, geometry, probability mechanics, theoretical analysis, topology, trigonometry
• Medicine (See Medical)
• Physics (applied physics, astrophysics, atomic computational physics, condensed matter physics, experimental physics, high energy physics, mechanics, particle physics, plasma physics, quantum mechanics, solid mechanics, theoretical physics, thermal dynamics, entropy, general relativity, M-theory, special relativity)
• Protosciences (dimension theory, theoreticals, computability theory, fringe, pathological science, pseudomathematics, pseudosciences, temporal sciences
• Social Sciences (anthropology, exoarchaeology, linguist, philosophy, political sciences, psychology, sociobiology, sociology, xenopaleontology, xenopsychology, xenosociology)

Sources: Adapted from the “Science Handbook” of the USS Farragut.

Updated: 06/16/2024