Office Hours
| Mon | Tues | Weds | Thurs | Fri |
|---|
| 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. |
9:00 - 10:00 a.m. |
|
9:00 - 10:00 a.m. |
9:00 - 10:00 a.m. |
| Fall 2024 |
Classes Taught
| Course |
Title |
Location |
Days |
Times |
| BI 315 |
CELL BIOLOGY |
NS 103 |
-M-W-F- |
1100-1150 |
| BI 315L |
LAB: CELL BIOLOGY |
NS 202 |
--T---- |
1400-1650 |
| BI 315L |
LAB: CELL BIOLOGY |
NS 202 |
--T---- |
0900-1150 |
Areas of responsibility
I currently advise Biology majors with a Molecular/Cell focus, Aquarium Science majors, Interdisciplinary Studies majors with a Biology focus area, Biology minors, and Neuroscience minors. I'm also responsible for the 100-gallon aquarium in the lobby of the Natural Sciences Building!
Education
1997 B.S. in Biology from Pennsylvania State University
2006 Ph.D. in Biology from the University of North Carolina
Professional experience
2006-08 Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of California, San Diego
2008-11 Visiting Assistant Professor at St. Mary's College of Maryland
2011-14 Assistant Professor at Western Oregon University
2014-19 Associate Professor at Western Oregon University
2018-20 Biology Department Head at WOU
2019-current Professor at WOU
2019-22 Associate Provost for Academic Effectiveness at WOU
2022-24 Director of Institutional Research for WOU
Awards and honors
2023 WOU Student Organization Advisor of the Year
Professional memberships
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
Teaching Focus
BI 211 Principles of Biology I
BI 315 Cell Biology
BI 434 Comparative Animal Physiology
BI 437 Neurobiology
BI 451 Invertebrate Zoology
For descriptions and past course syllabuses, please click here.
Research Areas
Broadly, I am interested in how nervous systems evolve to create novel behavioral patterns. I have studied locomotion in nudibranch gastropods (sea slugs) and sensory neurons in leeches. My research involves quantifying animal behavioral patterns in different species, identifying neurons that underlie those behaviors, and comparing the features of those neurons in different species. Below is a link to the current projects I am working on. If you are interested in gaining research experience studying invertebrate behavior and nervous systems, please come talk to me!
Current projects
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