Professional Autobiography
Teaching
When I was a graduate student, the academic world
appeared quite dichotomous. My academic options were to
become either a research scientist or a teacher. So, I
began my academic career as a research scientist.
While at Duke University I found myself spending
increasing amounts of time writing lab manuals that
emphasized an “independent investigative approach”
to teaching science. Each lab exercise would require two
weeks. Students would learn the tools and methods used to
study a specific topic during the first week, then design
their own experiment to further explore the concept under
consideration during the second week. My years at Duke
were a time of transition in my career as I took the
first steps away from full time research.
Moving to the University of Connecticut (Storrs),
the Department of Physiology and Neurobiology offered me
an ideal blend of teaching and research. I had the
opportunity to improve undergraduate instruction, run a
small research lab, and participate in the teaching of
undergraduate and graduate courses.
During my three years at UConn, my interest in innovative
science teaching continued to grow and I became convinced
that the best undergraduate education could be found at a
small liberal arts college. Such schools offer small
classes, students are treated as individuals, and
teaching is the faculty’s raison d’être.
In 1994 I moved to CVC, now known as UVa-Wise. Here, I
have realized professional contentment, working in an
environment that strives for academic excellence. Research
I am a physiologist by training. My specialty is
invertebrate neuroendocrinology. Just as the same
principles that govern the operation of a jet aircraft
engine also govern the operation of a lawnmower engine, I
study the regulation of growth and reproduction in
molluscs. The principles learned studying molluscs are
the same as those that govern growth and reproduction in
humans.
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease of humans.
The infective stage of this blood fluke leaves its
aquatic snail intermediate host to penetrate the skin of
wading humans. The freshwater snail, Helisoma is
functionally similar to Biomphalaria, yet cannot
support S. mansoni development. My research on Helisoma
seeks the regulation of its growth and reproduction and
is aimed at the control of the intermediate host.
Another facet of my research investigates the
movement of calcium ions across plasma membranes. The
terrestrial snail, Helix aspersa, produces eggs
with calcified shells. The elucidation of principles that
govern transuterine calcium translocation in molluscs
have direct bearing on our understanding of human
osteoporosis.
The marine snail, Melongena corona is the
newest addition to my research menagerie. Melongena
will complete my comparative survey of freshwater,
terrestrial, and saltwater snail neuroendocrinology. This
research has been designed to involve UVa-Wise
undergraduates.
Epilogue
Twenty-six years have passed since I earned my
baccalaureate degree. Many times during these years I
have mentally wrestled with the quandary whether “I
am a researcher who likes to teach” or “Am I a
teacher who likes to conduct research?”
Fortunately, the academic dichotomy that initiated this
quandary no longer exists! Today, undergraduate research
has become the national trend in science education. I am
proud to be a member of an undergraduate institution and
an academic department that endorses this trend.
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