Teaching Interests

BSC 103 Principles of Biological Sciences I
BSC 381 Microorganisms in Health and Disease (381 Lab Syllabus)
BSC 380 General Microbiology (380 Lab Syllabus)

Research Interests

I teach microbiology and introductory biology courses as well as coordinate the microbiology laboratories. My areas of research interest include environmental science, stress physiology and microbial ecology. My Master’s research focused on the effects of a photodynamic dye on the freshwater protozoan Tetrahymena pyriformis. The objective of the study was to determine the effects of a sub-lethal dose of the potential pesticide, phloxine B, on a non-target species. Exposure of cells to phloxine B and low level light intensity caused cell stress in the form of increased oxygen consumption rates. Prolonged exposure to low-level light increased the effect. At high light intensity, visible cell damage occurred.