Spring 2024
Office hours are by appointment only, in person in Merion 317, or via Zoom.
Mondays: 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM (Zoom or in-person)
Wednesdays: 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM (Zoom or in-person)
Fridays: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM (Zoom ONLY)
Book an appointment before we meet.
Link to my Zoom meeting room
BIO 111 General Biology II
- Focuses on evolutionary history of life, biodiversity, and structure and function
of plants and animals, and examines each in the context of global change. This course
is the second in a series of core general Biology courses required for Biology majors.
- Course offered: every semester, lecture & lab
BIO 453 Marine Mammal Biology
- Survey of the five mammalian taxonomic groups that have independently and successfully
transitioned to an aquatic existence in the last 50 million years: the cetaceans,
pinnipeds, sirenians, sea otter and polar bear. Students examine how different marine
mammals have adapted to life in the water, including changes in morphology, physiology,
and behavior, and learn about marine mammals within the context of historical and
modern-day interactions with humans. This course is a Biology Elective for Biology
majors.
- Course offered: even-year Spring, lecture
BIO 468 Comparative Vertebrate Physiology
- In-depth examination of the great diversity of physiological processes associated
with homeostasis across major vertebrate taxa. Students learn how different organisms
have solved the problem of maintaining the internal constancy required for all cells
and organ systems to function, as well as the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying
characteristics of whole organisms within the specific contexts of their environments.
- This course is a Biology Elective for Biology majors, but due to content overlap,
this course may not be taken for Bio Elective credit by students who have already
taken BIO 469.
- Course offered: every Spring, lecture & lab
FYE 100 First Year Experience
- Focuses on activities associated with a successful transition from high school to
college, including: choosing a major, development of a 4-year coursework plan and
e-portfolio, general education requirements, service learning, study skills and time
management strategies, information and digital literacy, professionalism in the age
of social media, e-mail etiquette, mental and physical health, stress mitigation strategies,
diversity and inclusion culture, violence and sexual assault prevention, WCU policies,
and the when/how/why of various resources and opportunities on campus. This course
is required for every student matriculating with fewer than 24 credits.
- Course offered: every semester, lecture & discussion
BIO 259 Human Anatomy & Physiology I Lab
- Practical activities associated with human structure and function. Laboratory involves
study of human development and gross anatomy of the skeletal, muscular, and nervous
systems. This course is the first in a series of Biology courses required for any
student majoring in a Health Science, and may not be taken as a Biology major elective.
- Course offered: every semester
BIO 269 Human Anatomy & Physiology II Lab
- Practical activities associated with how the human body maintains homeostasis and
some of the major problems that can occur with each of the major organ systems, including:
endocrinology, immunology, cardiovascular physiology, respiratory physiology, urinary
physiology, digestive physiology and reproductive physiology. This course is the second
in a series of Biology courses required for any student majoring in a Health Science,
and may not be taken as a Biology major elective.
- Course offered: every semester
BIO 435/535 Course Topics in Biology: Animal Conservation Biology
- Upper-level undergraduate / graduate-level course examining interesting case studies
of situations where understanding some aspect of an animal’s biology was key in conservation
efforts for that species. Emphasis is on both the biology and the human dimensions
of the original (and oftentimes continuing) problem: What is the socio-political barrier(s)
or inertia that put this species’ persistence into jeopardy in the first place? Has
the problem been solved, or is it ongoing, and why?
- Course offered: some Winter Sessions
BIO 469 Human Physiology
- Advanced-level examination of the physiological processes associated with homeostasis
in the human body. Students learn how the body meets changing demands while maintaining
the internal constancy required for all cells and organ systems to function.
- This course is required for Pharmaceutical Product Development majors and may be taken
as a Biology Elective for Chemistry-Biology, Integrative Biology, and Cell & Molecular
Biology majors. Due to content overlap, this course may not be taken for Bio Elective
credit by students who have already taken BIO 468.
- Course offered: every Fall, lecture & lab
