Department of Biology
Faculty Research Interests
General: Aquatic and environmental microbiology.
Specific:
Microbial role in aquatic nutrient cycling; microbiological degradation
of macromolecules; bioremediation of xenobiotics; microbial decomposition
of chitin; bacterial pathogens of fish.
General: Plant Ecology and
Conservation Biology.
Specific: Applications of GIS technology to
conservation Biology. Examination of factors controlling the distribution of
rare and endangered plant species, reproductive biology of rare plants.
Assessment of the roles of competition, environmental stress, disturbance and
seed banks in determining the species composition and abundance in plant
communities.
General: Plant genetics and genome analysis.
Specific: Elucidation of the genetics, evolution, reproduction, and patterns and
mechanisms of development of Tripsacum, a distant relative of Zea mays
ssp. mays (modern maize), utilizing maize as a model system. Utilization
of Tripsacum as a genetic resource for maize disease resistance genes and
an alternative food source. Current techniques used include those of molecular
biology/genetics (RFLP, RAPD/PCR, DAMD/PCR) and classical genetics, and
comparative genome analyses.
Clare Chatot, Pre-Health
Professional Advisor, 2003 Outstanding Faculty Service
Award
General: Developmental Biology and Teratology.
Specific: 1. Development of preimplantation mouse embryos. Analysis of their energy
substrate requirements both in vivo and in vitro and analysis of the enzymes
utilized in these metabolic pathways at both the biochemical and molecular
levels.
2. Effects of anticonvulsant drugs on early mouse embryo development
both in vivo and in vitro. 3. Regulation of
the cell cycle in preimplantation mouse embryos.
General: Science
Education
Specific: Equity issues in science
teaching, reflective practice, conceptual change, science teachers' beliefs and
attitudes, preschool students learning behaviors (qualitative research), and
science teachers' science teaching efficacy beliefs.
General:
Animal behavior and ecology.
Specific:
Behavioral ecology of insects, spiders and other animals;
especially mating system theory, animal contest resolution, and the effects of
sexual selection. Conservation biology and use of invertebrates in
environmental monitoring. Evolutionary ecology of insect-induced plant galls.
Phone: 765-285-8859. E-mail:
gdodson@bsu.edu Web site:
www.bsu.edu/web/gdodson
General: Genetics and Cellular development.
Specific: Mechanisms of surface
patterningin ciliated protozoa (Oxtricha fallax) and the role of
preformed structure in non-nuclear inheritance, genetics of protozoa.
General: Ornithology, Wildlife Biology and Management,
Taxonomy
Specific: 1. Conservation of rare and
endangered species
2. Comparative field-based studies that investigate the evolution of mating
systems particularly sexually selected traits such as courtship displays and
vocalizations
3. Gamebird biology and management
4. Demographic studies
5.
Landscape ecology (habitat fragmentation)
6. Habitat selection
7. Effects
of Cowbird parasitism on neotropical migrant songbirds.
General: Science education and biology education.
Specific:
1. Development
and implementation of in-service models for enhancing the teaching of science
in grades K-12, with special interest in elementary grades and systemic reform
2. The development of PDS (Professional Development School) sites for
simultaneous renewal of public schools and university teacher education programs
3. Performance assessment of science knowledge and skills
Thomas Lauer 2003
Outstanding Junior Faculty Award
General: Aquatic
Ecology, Limnology, Fisheries, Exotic Species, Great Lakes.
Specific:
Yellow perch management; competitive interaction among sessile invertebrates with
emphasis on the zebra mussel; sponges and bryozoans; community fisheries of the
Wabash River; warmwater pond and lake management.
General: The relationships between natural and man-made
environmental stresses and tree growth, mortality, and forest structure
and composition.
Specific: Evaluating the impacts of air pollution,
climate stresses, global warming, competition, soil fertility on tree growth and
mortality. Primary research techniques involve
analysis of tree-rings and long-term monitoring of tree and forest conditions.
Susan
McDowell
General:
Molecular Toxicology
Specific:
The role of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) isoforms in human cardio-pulmonary
health and disease progression. Using site-directed mutagenesis to create
dominant-negative PI3K mutant isoforms and adenoviral expression, the functions
of specific isoforms in coronary artery endothelial cells and cardiac myocytes
are being investigated.
John L. McKillip
General:
Molecular Food Safety.
Specific: Development of DNA and RNA-based
methods for pathogen detection in foods. Conventional, multiplex, and real-time
PCR approaches to detect
Bacillus
spp. in dairy products and other foods. DNA
fingerprinting (rep-PCR), SYBR
Green-based melt curve analyses, fluorescent molecular beacons, and real-time
RNA amplification (NASBA – nucleic acid sequence-based amplification) to monitor
enterotoxin gene expression in Bacillus cereus in contaminated foods.
General: Applied
Microbiology
Specific:
-
Biology and efficacy of microbial pesticides (bioherbicides)
of weeds
-
Optimizing yields of industrial fermentations utilizing response
surface methodology
-
Biological control of plant pathogens
-
Integrated pest management (IPM) of fruit, vegetable, and
ornamental diseases.
-
Biology of mycorrihizal fungi
General: Elementary and secondary science education;
integrated curricular materials for science and mathematics; teaching the nature
of science.
Specific: Attitude change models and
cognitive response approaches to predict, explain, and influence science-related
classroom-based behavior.
Thomas Morrell 2000-01 BSU Researcher of the
Year
General: Wildlife ecology and management.
Specific:
Habitat selection and habitat characteristics of wildlife; effects of land-use practices on
abundance and diversity of wildlife populations.
General: Molecular and Cell Biology.
Specific: The effects of ectopic expression of
genes on cell populations; retroviral gene transfer, mechanisms of cell cycle
progression; mechanisms of apoptosis; mechanisms of cancer progression;
chromosome/chromatin structure; electron microscopy.
Mark Pyron
General: Aquatic
Biology
Specific: Ecology of aquatic
communities, population ecology of aquatic species, behavioral ecology (sexual
selection) and conservation of aquatic resources.
General: Biology education.
Specific: Effective strategies for
teaching nonmajors biology, the role of natural science courses in general
education programs, factors that affect student attitude toward science, the
biological connection to teaching and learning, curriculum development.
General: Cytological and
molecular taxonomy of the fungal family Pilobolaceae (Zygomycota).
Specific:
1. Comparative ultrastructural and
cytochemical analysis of spores and sporangia of the Pilobolaceae.
2. Population and phylogentic investigation of the Pilobolaceae
using AFLP analysis
3. rDNA sequencing to elucidate taxonomy within the Pilobolaceae
with the intent of producing a monograph for the family.
General: Science
Education.
Specific: Methods to increase the
participation of underrepresented students, especially Native Americans and
women, in science. Informal science education. Improvement of science
classroom instruction. Science Teacher education.
Carolyn Vann Biotechnology Program Director
General: Plant Molecular Biology.
Specific:
The application of molecular biology approaches to several studies focusing
on orchids:
-
DNA fingerprinting to determine evolutionary relationships
and population genetic variation in tropical epiphytic and native terrestrial
orchids;
-
development of a transformation system for mitigation of
viral disease symptoms in orchids using antisense technology; and
-
cloning of horticulturally important orchid genes based on
differences in phenotype between siblings.
Carl Warnes, Department Chair
Kemuel Badger
Ann Blakey
J. M. Shireen Desouza
Gary Dodson 
Dr.
R. Hammersmith
Kamal Islam
Susan Johnson
David LeBlanc
James Mitchell
Melissa Mitchell
James Olesen
William D. Rogers
Donald Ruch
Walter S. Smith 
