Research Areas and Teaching Expertise of the Biology Department

Martin Connaughton, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Biology, Chair Department of Biology

Area of Expertise: Aquatic Ecotoxicology

Research: Students in my lab examine the effects of environmental toxicants and pharmaceuticals on fish development, function of the visual system and exploratory behavior using larval or adult zebrafish.  Recent research projects have examined the effects of nicotine, alcohol, fluoxetine (active ingredient in Prozac) and some common agricultural pesticides.  In addition we have examined the effects of aflatoxin, a fungal toxin that can affect crops, on visual development and behaviors.  

Teaching: General Biology II with lab (BIO 112/113), Ecology (BIO 206), Summer travel courses: Community Ecology of Coastal Maine (BIO 210,  at Acadia National Park), & The Bermuda Environment (BIO/ENV 221, at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science), Marine and Estuarine Biology (BIO 309), Fish Behavior and Physiology (BIO 336), Estuarine Science (CRS 240, Chesapeake Semester)

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Katherine Hovanes, Ph.D.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology

Area of Expertise: Plant Ecology

Research: My research focuses on 1) processes regulating population growth and spatial pattern formation of grasses and 2) how plant species interactions influence competitive outcomes and potential for coexistence. I primarily do research in the field, but I also conduct greenhouse experiments. Students who work with me will probably spend plenty of time outdoors at RAFC exploring how fire disturbance influences grassland plant diversity, composition, and trait expression.

Teaching: Invasion Biology with lab (Current Topics, BIO 100), Plant Biology with lab (BIO 211), Community Ecology with lab (Special Topics, BIO 394)

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Aaron R. Krochmal, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Biology, Associate Chair Department of Biology

Areas of Expertise: Behavioral Ecology of Reptiles; Comparative and Evolutionary Cognition

Research: My students and I combine neuroanatomical, pharmacological, behavioral, and ecological approaches to investigate how animals perceive, interact with, and navigate their environments. Together, we apply our results to address questions of wildlife and habitat conservation, the mechanistic underpinnings of age-related loss of spatial memory, and the evolution of advanced cognition.

Teaching: General Biology I with lab (BIO 111/113), General Biology II with lab (BIO 112/114), Integrative Human Anatomy with lab (BIO 301), Integrative Human Physiology with lab (BIO 424)

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Mala Misra, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Biology

Areas of Expertise: Developmental Biology and Neurobiology

Research: I’m interested in how the cells of the nervous system grow and form functional connections with other cells as an organism develops from an embryo to an adult. My lab uses the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model to study genes that regulate this process.

Teaching: Stem Cells in the Public Eye with lab (Current Topics, BIO 100), General Biology I with lab (BIO 111/113), Stem Cell Biology with lab (Special Topics, BIO 294), Developmental Biology with lab (BIO 302), Neurobiology with lab (BIO 311), Neurodevelopment with lab (Special Topics, BIO 394)

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Mindy Reynolds, Ph.D.

Alonzo G. and Virginia Gent Decker Professor of Biology, Director Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Program

Areas of Expertise: Metals Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Research: Students working in my lab use an in vitro cell culture model to examine how co-exposure to toxic heavy metals  leads to the production of DNA damage, mutations, and cell death. Additionally, we are examining how exposure to heavy metals leads to epigenetic changes in DNA repair processes which can impact susceptibility to DNA damage and the development of cancerous phenotypes.

Teaching: Body Toxic (FYS 101), General Biology I with lab (BIO 111/113), Cell Biology with lab (BIO 205), Introduction to Toxicology with lab (BIO 350), Biochemistry with lab (BIO409/CHE309)

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Jennie Rinehimer, Ph.D

Associate Professor of Biology

Areas of Expertise: Behavior and Physiology

Research: My research examines how birds alter their behaviors with changing ecological conditions. Much of this work is done in the field with the assistance of undergraduates. Current projects focus on trade-offs between foraging and predation risk in ruby-throated hummingbirds and the effects of parent age and breeding experience on reproductive success of field sparrows.

Teaching: Diversity and Adaptation with lab (Current Topics, BIO 100), General Biology II with lab (BIO 112/114), Ecology with lab (BIO 206/216), Ornithology with lab (BIO 228), Winter travel course: Tropical Ecology (Special Topics, BIO 294), Ecophysiology with lab (BIO 315), Behavioral Ecology with lab (BIO 328), Evolution with lab (BIO 351)

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Jennifer Wanat, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Biology

Area of Expertise: Molecular Genetics and Cellular Aging

Research: Students in my lab study how telomeres, the specialized structures at the ends of linear chromosomes, affect cellular senescence and aging. We are also collaborating with ecologists on a project exploring the connection between land use (urban, agricultural, forested) surrounding salamander habitat and salamander health (infectious disease incidence and metabolism differences). 

Teaching: From Germs to GMOs with lab (Current Topics, BIO 100), General Biology I with lab (BIO 111/113), Microbiology with lab (BIO 203). Genetics with lab (BIO 209), Biotechnology and Molecular Biology with lab (BIO 314), Cellular Aging with lab (Special Topics, BIO 394)

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Suzanne Thuecks, M.A.T.

Biology Instructor and Laboratory Coordinator

Area of Expertise: Biology Laboratory Instruction

Research: My presentations and publications focus on science education. I am especially interested in how to teach writing in the science classroom, curricular and lab design, and instructional coaching practices. My areas of biological interest are molecular biology, virology, and forensic applications of biology.

Teaching: Forensic Biology with lab (Current Topics, BIO 100), General Biology I with lab (BIO 111/113), General Biology I with lab (BIO 112/114)

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