President 
Melissa Haswell
Delta College

  Melissa Haswell is currently the Associate Dean of Science and Mathematics at Delta College in University Center, Michigan.  Her primary responsibilities as Associate Dean are to support academic management and operations of the Science and Mathematics Divisions and support the Academic Deans in furthering the academic mission and direction of the College to help ensure student success in degree completion, successful transfer to university, and/or entry-level job employment or career advancement.  From 2008-2021, Melissa was a full-time faculty member in the science department at Davenport University (Michigan). She has 17 years of experience in STEM education that emphasizes case-based teaching, the incorporation of authentic research experiences in undergraduate biology courses, and decolonizing the higher education curriculum. Melissa is also is a Higher Education Ambassador for HHMI BioInteractive (2017-present) and is involved with the Kirtland Warbler Census for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Past research projects have included winter bird-feeder use of the White-breasted Nuthatch and dominance hierarchy in Black-capped Chickadees, nesting and reproductive behavior of Eastern Bluebirds, House Wrens, and Tree Swallows, and work as a research assistant/technician on the Tittabawassee River Ecological Risk Assessment with Michigan State University.  Melissa received her Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Alma College and completed two master’s degrees (Health Promotion and Conservation Biology), as well as her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in biology education from Central Michigan University.

 Past President
Jason Wiles
Syracuse University

Jason R. Wiles is a biology professor at Syracuse University. He also has courtesy appointments in the Department of Science Teaching and the Department of Earth Sciences. His research focuses on student understanding of and attitudes toward evolution and climate change, as well as on expanding diversity among students pursuing careers in biology and other STEM disciplines.

Executive Secretary of Finance
Greg Smith
Lakeland University

Greg Smith is always working to create new ways for his students to learn. A member of the Lakeland’s faculty since 2003, Dr. Smith is co-founder of Lakeland Undergraduate Research Experience (LURE), which allows students to work alongside their faculty as peers in conducting primary research. Greg always has students in the program that he pushes to explore new avenues in science. He partnered with fellow biology faculty member Paul Pickhardt to create Lakeland’s tropical biology course in Belize, an amazing hands-on opportunity to conduct research in the rainforest. Students find in Greg a supportive mentor who’s quick with a smile. Greg also serves as the faculty advisor for the college’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

Executive Secretary of Membership and Website Editor
Christina Wills
Rockhurst University

 

   Christina Wills is an Associate Biology Professor at Rockhurst University in Kansas City Missouri. At Rockhurst she teaches General Biology I and II, Biology for Non-Majors, Anatomy and Physiology, Comparative Physiology, and the senior capstone course.  Her scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) research focuses on writing to learn physiology, democratic science classrooms, assessment, and service learning.  Christina’s other research interests include physiological ecology of invertebrates and urban ecology.  She received her B.S. in Biology from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville in 1998.  In 2007, Christina earned her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.  She has been a member of ACUBE since 2008, has served as the Executive Membership Secretary for Membership from 2012-2015, served as the ACUBE president from 2015-2017, and has now resumed her role as Membership Secretary and taken over managing the ACUBE website.



Executive Secretary
Paul Pickhardt
Lakeland University

Paul Pickhardt is a Professor of Biology at Lakeland University in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.  He teaches Ecology, Evolution, Environmental Science, Life Sciences II (Diversity of Life), Tropical Biology, Invertebrate Biology and Parasitology, Botany, Forestry, Scientific Analysis and Writing, and an Environment and Consumption course. Paul’s research program focuses on the ecotoxicology of mercury at the base of aquatic food webs and he’s particularly interested in how sub-lethal concentrations of mercury accumulate, are transferred, and impact primary producers and their invertebrate consumers in freshwater habitats.  He has been a member of ACUBE since 2007. For more about Paul, see his website. 



Social Media Chair
Ryan Dunk
Syracuse University

Ryan Dunk is a PhD candidate at Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY. He has taught majors and nonmajors introductory biology and a nonmajors plant biology course, as well as worked as an HHMI-supported fellow focused on increasing the use of active learning in large-enrollment biology courses such as ecology and evolution. Ryan’s research focuses on educational, social, and other factors related to acceptance of evolution, as well as increasing diversity in STEM education through equitable teaching practices.



Historian
Conrad Toepfer
Brescia University

Conrad is an Associate Professor at Brescia University in Owensboro, KY. He is an aquatic ecologist by training but, given Brescia’s size, is expected to cover everything from protists to ecosystems. He has taught nonmajors biology, ecology and evolution (and upper-level versions of both), biological diversity, applied environmental science, conservation biology, marine biology, animal behavior, vertebrate biology, advanced physiology, deep time biology, and statistics. Conrad joined ACUBE around 2000 and has been unsuccessfully avoiding governance duties for the past decade.  While he greatly appreciates receiving the 2013 Honorary Life Membership, he will probably contribute another decade’s worth of service before he feels like he earned it.

 

Editor of Bioscene
Robert Yost (No picture)
Indiana University – Purdue University

 

Steering Committee Member
Holly Nance
College of Coastal Georgia

Holly Nance is an Assistant Professor of Biology at the College of Coastal Georgia. She earned a Master’s in Geological Sciences from The University of Texas at Austin, and a PhD in Biological Sciences from Clemson University. Her research background is in population genetics, and she currently mentors undergraduate students whose research focuses on epigenetics, eDNA, and seafood mislabeling. She teaches intro biology courses, cell and molecular biology, and genetics.  She loves teaching and continues to work toward being an engaging and innovative instructor.

 

Steering Committee Member
Ashley Driver
University of Scranton

Ashley Driver is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Scranton where she teaches Cellular Biology and Developmental Biology. Her research focuses on the role cholesterol biosynthesis plays during early neural development. Additionally, she has interest in finding ways to improve student metacognition in upper-level Biology courses.  She joined ACUBE in 2018 and hopes to gain insight on how to improve inclusivity and critical thinking in both lecture and laboratory settings.

 

 

 

 

Steering Committee Member

Rebecca Burton

Alverno College

Rebecca Burton teaches animal behavior, ecology, zoology, environmental science, human anatomy & physiology, science methods, and introductory biology for majors and non-majors at Alverno College in Milwaukee, WI. Her primary interests are in behavioral ecology, but she has also worked in plant restoration ecology, immunology, and neurobiology. Her current research is on how language use influences the effectiveness of college biology textbooks.  Becky received her B.S. from The Evergreen State College, her M.A. in zoology from the University of Montana, and her doctorate in ecology from Kansas State University. Her postdoc was at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis.

 

Steering Committee Member
Cassandra Korte (No Picture)

Lynn University

Steering Committee Member
George Todd 

University of Missouri-St. Louis

George Todd is a PhD student and graduate teaching assistant at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.  He earned his Bachelor of Science in biology at Purdue University and his Master of Science in biology at Georgia Southern University.  His research background is in ecology with a focus on animal behavior.  He was a teaching assistant at Georgia Southern University for an introductory biology lab course for non-majors.  He taught general biology and microbiology to dual enrollment and traditional students at Coastal Pines Technical College for five years.  He joined ACUBE in 2017 and hopes to use the networking opportunities to become a more effective instructor.  Outside the classroom, George enjoys playing trombone in various ensembles including brass quintets, jazz bands, and orchestras. 



2021 Program/Local Arrangements Chair
Tara Prestholdt (no picture)
University of Portland