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hhadow@coe.edu
Heins-Johnson Professor of Biology, 1992
Ph.D.,1977 University of Colorado. Teaches
Organismal and Ecological Biology, Human Anatomy, Comparative Chordate
Anatomy, Comparative Vertebrate Embryology, Introduction to Ornithology,
Organic Evolution, Entomology, Natural History of Animals.
Dr. Hadow's research interests since graduate
school have focused on evolution, behavior and ecology of vertebrates.
He long ago discovered that it is just as easy -- and much more fun --
to carry out his studies in wild places. His bird studies have taken him
to Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico, Canada, Mexico, and Costa Rica.
Studies involving the responses of small mammals to fire and clearcutting
are on-going in northern Minnesota, and population studies of the endangered
Blue-spotted Salamander continue near Cedar Rapids, Iowa. These studies
often involve students, and information from them spills over into the
various courses he teaches. He feels very comfortable outdoors, and likes
to bring field study into his courses as much as makes sense pedagogically.
In addition to teaching and research, Dr. Hadow
serves as Campus Program Advisor for the A.C.M.
Tropical Field Studies Program in Costa Rica,
and the A.C.M. Wilderness Field Station.
He has taught at the field station since 1980, and directed since 1986.
He also curates the vertebrate collections at Coe College and
is Curator of Vertebrates for Coe's Bert H. Hailey Museum.
tlackner@coe.edu
Instructor 2000 M.S., 1999 Northern Arizona University
Teaches Ecology, General Botany, Organic Evolution, Organismal and Ecological
Biology, Introduction to Biology Laboratory
While teaching elementary school in remote parts of Australia's Northern
Territory for sixteen years I traveled extensively, and often took hiking
vacations in the Australian national parks. I combined vocation with avocation
at one point, writing guide books to the walking tracks in Lamington National
Park, a montane subtropical rainforest in SE Queensland. That led me back
to college to pursue biology. My interests are in ecology, with particular
emphasis on disturbance ecology, plant-animal interactions, and the influence
of elevational and latitudinal gradients on plant and arthropod communities.
I continue to explore the outdoors, with recent vacations in the Pacific
Northwest and northern Rocky Mountains, Australia, the South Island of
New Zealand and, every summer, Quetico Provincial Park and the BWCA. I
can be found early most mornings in Bever Park, censusing the squirrel
and chipmunk populations with my dog, the only extant arboreal chicken
hound.
mleonard@coe.edu
Assistant Professor of Biology,
2003. B.A. in Biology from Knox College (1987), and a M.A. and Ph.D. in
microbiology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (1990, 1993),
Teaches Cellular and Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Bacteriology, Cell
Physiology, and Environmental Microbiology.
My current research interests include studies on the physiology of the
genus Shewanella, a group of ubiquitous aquatic microorganisms; nitrate-dependent
iron oxidation by iron-reducing bacteria; bioremediation; and the regulation
of the fermentative alcohol dehydrogenase of E. coli. I have published
recently in Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta, and have manuscripts pending
in the Journal of Bacteriology and the Geomicrobiology Journal, and have
presented my findings at the American Society for Microbiology General
meeting 2003.
kredborg@coe.edu
Associate Professor of Biology, 1994
Ph.D., 1979, University of Illinois. Teaches Organismal
and Ecological Biology, Organic Evolution, Topics
in Evolution, Experimental Human Physiology, Human
Physiology, Entomology, Invertebrate Zoology.
As many of us do at a small, liberal arts college,
I wear several hats. As a generalist, I co-teach (with Harlo Hadow) Organismal
and Ecological Biology and share with several members of the Department
the important assignment of teaching our students a course in evolutionary
theory . As a physiologist, I teach two human-oriented physiology courses
(one for Biology majors, the other for those majoring in Physical Education
or Nursing). The laboratory portion of the experimental physiology class
stresses computer-assisted collection, manipulation, and analysis of data
and plays a pivotal role in providing our students with a sound basis
from which to progress to independent studies and honors projects as third
and fourth year students. In this latter capacity, I am also one of the
Biology Department's pre-medical advisor. Coe students usually perform above the national
average on the Biology portion of the MCAT and I am happy to talk with
any students about how to best prepare academically for a medical
career. Finally, as a researcher interested
in invertebrate behavior, I teach two organismal classes, Entomology and
Invertebrate Zoology, dealing with animals without backbones. My own research
centers on the ecological and evolutionary relationships between spiders
and insects that attack them. My specialty is the biology of the Neuropteran
family Mantispidae, whose adults, through convergent evolution, superficially
resemble a preying mantis and whose larvae are predators in the egg sacs
of spiders. In addition to teaching courses at Coe, I often participate
in the ACM's Wilderness Field
Station Program during the summer in northern Minnesota where I teach
courses in animal behavior and insect biology.
psanchin@coe.edu
Associate Professor of Biology, 1992
Ph.D.,1981 University of Colorado, Boulder. Teaches Environmental Analysis,
Spatial Ecology, General Botany, Field Botany, Organic Evolution, Marine
Biology and Ecology.
Like other members of the Biology Department, I teach both introductory
and advanced courses and see students gain confidence and direction as
they progress through their selected program of study. The Cellular
and Molecular Biology course is the first course that most students take.
It investigates the lives of cells and their exchanges of materials and
energy with the environment. Course concepts are learned by attending
lectures, reading textbooks, and interacting with multimedia CDs and senior
tutors as students ‘learn how to learn’ in college. The Introduction
to Biology Lab is a course in experimentation, and is centered on design
and statistical interpetation of data obtained through the use of common
laboratory instruments. By the end of this course, students are
well on their way to designing and summarizing their own independent work.
I also teach General Botany, a course that develops a deeper understanding
of plant cells and plants as organisms. The lab is a challenging
experimental course that allows students access to some of our most sophisticated
laboratory equipment as they investigate photosynthesis and environmental
signalling. In the Ecology course, junior and senior students read the
primary literature, lead discussions, and apply principles of physiological,
population and community ecology to field and laboratory experiments.
They use our most powerful computer analysis tools to interpret the results
of these studies. I teach Environmental Analysis with Dr. St. Clair,
an analytical chemist. It gives students in the Environmental Science
Collateral Major a chance to develop first-rate field, laboratory and
analytical skills as they participate in team research in a local setting.
Much of my time lately has been devoted to implementing coursework and
research in the new Spatial Ecology Lab. The lab contains the newest
tools in field ecology: global positioning (GPS) receivers and geographic
information system (GIS) software. State-of-the-art global positioning
receivers are available through the Columbus Project, a partnership between
Coe College and nearby Rockwell Collins. Analytical work is
done in a wonderful computer suite built with the help of a recent
NSF grant.
I am a coordinator of the Environmental Science Collateral Major
and often advise students who wish to pursue careers in ecology or environmental
fields. Working with students in summer research participation and
supervising Honors’ research are the teaching assignments I enjoy most.
fsandfor@coe.edu
Professor of Biology, 1986
Ph.D.,1971 University of Oklahoma. Prior to Sept 2001, I taught Diversity
of Life, Introduction to Environmental Studies, Organic Evolution, Animal
Behavior, General Genetics, Anatomy and Physiology, and Biology
of the Seashore, an off-campus course taught
on Dog Island, Florida.
As of Fall 2001, I am in phased retirement and teach
only during the winter and spring terms. I consider myself a biology generalist,
who finds many aspects of the biological sciences fascinating. As a consequence
of this, I often head off on interest tangents and into research investigations
initially outside my expertise. All 9 courses I teach are open to non-science
majors, such as Diversity of Life, Biology of the Seashore, and Introduction
to Environmental Studies. I enjoy the opportunity to teach and get to
know the variety of students who enroll in these courses. One of the courses
I enjoy teaching most is Animal Behavior, probably because this is the
area in which I specialized for both my Masters and Ph.D. degrees as well
as being an area encompassing my current research interests.
I have made annual visits to Dog Island, Florida
since 1986, and beginning in 1991, I began research
on an interesting and unusual association between hermit crabs and a certain
species of sponge, called a hermit crab sponge. Coe College, located about
1000 miles from the nearest ocean, is not the most convenient home base
for marine studies, but I always enjoy my annual trips to Dog Island,
to continue my research and also to clear my mind of the trivialities
that tend to accompany modern lifestyles.
For further research and personal interests, please
visit my personal website
ttauer@coe.edu
Assistant Professor of Biology 2001
Ph.D.,1996,
Teaches Cellular and Molecular Biology, Genetics, The Human Genome Techniques
in Molecular Biology, and Current Topics in Molecular Biology,
Education:
Cancer Research Training Program, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer
and Allied Diseases. Omaha, Nebraska: March 1992-May 1996
Ph.D., Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Specialization in Biochemistry,
Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center. Omaha,
Nebraska: May 1991-May 1996
Research Interests: (Two Listed)
Cancer Related:
Researchers have discovered that p53 is mutated in greater than 50% of
all human tumors. This gene codes for the production of a protein called
P53 which is a transcription factor-a protein that can bind to DNA and
cause the synthesis of other gene products. P53 is an integral part of
the mechanism for detection and repair of DNA damage in normal cells.
If there is no functional P53 in the cell, mutations in the DNA may go
undetected and ultimately lead to its transformation into a cancerous
cell. For this reason P53 is known as a tumor suppressor protein and has
also been referred to as the 'guardian of the genome'.
Gene therapy with p53 involves the transfer of a normal gene into
cells known to have mutated p53 genes. Once inside the cell the
normal gene can lead to the production of normal P53. With normal P53
present in the cancerous cell, the cell may kill itself in a process called
apoptosis or it can be killed more easily with common chemotherapeutic
drugs. One of the problems associated with gene therapy is the possibility
of causing additional mutations in the treated cells by introducing a
piece of foreign DNA. Protein therapy does not impose this additional
risk.
The goal of our project is to determine if therapy with P53 protein can
mimic p53 gene therapy in cells lacking functional p53 genes
growing in culture. If it can, it may be feasible to use a protein therapy
strategy for treating cancer and other genetic diseases instead of gene
therapy. While incredible effort is underway developing and testing gene
therapy strategies, relatively little effort is directed toward protein
therapy strategies. Recent deaths in clinical trials involving gene therapy
has caused many researchers to rethink the risks associated with this
treatment strategy. Protein therapy may provide an alternative method
of treatment.
Pectinaria gouldii Related:
Pectinaria gouldii, a trumpet worm, also called an ice-cream cone
worm is a marine annelid. The animal constructs a cone-shaped tube made
of sand grains, in which it lives. These sand grains have presumably been
swallowed and the organic material adhering to them removed and digested,
then the worm selects some of these grains and cements them into place
at the wide end of the cone as the worm grows. Little is known of the
"cement" this organism produces or its genetic makeup.
The goal of our project (a collaboration with Dr. Maria Dean in the Coe
College Chemistry Department) is to isolate and characterize the components
of the cement as well as identify and clone the gene(s) responsible for
the cement's production.
Cindy Leveille
cleveill@coe.edu
Biology Laboratory Preparator, 2000 B.S.,1987 Clarke College,
A.A.,1985 Mount St. Clare College
Cindy is responsible for preparing the necessary materials for all of
the biology department laboratory classes. She is also the main supervisor
for the biology undergraduate student assistants. Prior to coming to Coe,
Cindy was a laboratory manager for over 12 years in the laboratory of
Dr. Kevin Campbell at the University of Iowa in the department of physiology
and biophysics. While working at the University, she did such molecular
biology techniques as cDNA library screening, dideoxy sequencing, genomic
and plasmid preparation, total and poly A RNA preparation, Northern and
Southern blot preparation, and hybridization, PCR, sequence analysis,
and oligonucleotide design and purification. She has also performed protein
and immunological techniques including, SDS-PAGE, western hybridization,
antibody production microsomal preparation and protein purification.
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