Professor of Biology
Education
BS, Bluffton University, 1975
PHD, Ohio State University Columbus, 1980
Course Responsibilities
The courses I teach are mostly taken by nursing students, premedical students, and other students in health related tracks (pre-vet, pre-pharmacy, pre-physical therapy, etc.)
Human Anatomy & Physiology I & II
Human Pathophysiology I & II
Biological Principles II Lab Section
Developmental Vertebrate Biology
Vertebrate Physiology
Undergraduate Research
Over 40 students have worked in my research lab over the last ten years. Most of them have worked on various aspects of membrane transport, using the erythrocyte as the experimental subject. Last summer, three students worked in my lab as Maple Scholars.
I see numerous benefits for student participation in research:
1. to develop a better understanding of the research process
2. to explore research as a possible career
3. to enhance the student’s resume; it’s always good to have a variety of extracurricular activities on the resume
In addition to just plain curiosity about the physiological processes we are studying, I’m also interested in developing new and improved laboratory exercises for physiology education. Some of these interests overlap with the undergraduate research projects.
The student oriented research projects currently underway (with associated students in parenthesis) are
1. Copper inhibition of membrane transport of water and glycerol (Michael Fecher)
2. The effect of Vit. E and Vit. C on milk production and erythrocyte osmotic fragility of heat stressed cattle.
3. (just beginning) The effect of Vit. E and Vit. C on human erythrocyte osmotic fragility. (Kristen Martin and Emily Fretz)
Physiology Lab Development
In addition to general interest in the use of physiology data acquisition capabilities for educational purposes, more specific areas of interest in laboratory education development are:
1. The red blood cell as a model to study osmosis, membrane transport, and drugs that inhibit membrane transport
2. Using spirometry to collect FEVt data, and learn the importance of this kind of data for evaluating obstructive respiratory disorders. We are also using ‘home-made’ equipment to simulate obstructive respiratory disorders.
3. Implanting electrodes in crayfish in order measure the EKG and study the effect of drugs on cardiovascular function. (laboratory exercise originally developed by Dr. Dee Silverthorn)
4. Developing an image based prelab exercise to ‘jump-start’ learning the surgical techniques for removing and keeping viable the frog sciatic nerve. (Developed in association with Adjunct Professor Richard Manalis; images and basic concept originally developed by Dr. Professor Richard Manalis)
5. Synaptic Plasticity: using the neuromuscular junction as a model of learning at the cellular level (concept developed by Adjunct Professor Richard Manalis)
6. Adapting oxygen and carbon dioxide sensors for use in measuring energy production in a metabolism laboratory module. (Laboratory module developed by Professor Jody Saylor; laboratory work by student assistant Anne Lehman).
