Welcome

Welcome to my Home Page!  I have been a faculty member of the Department of Biology at IPFW for 17 years.  I teach courses at the introductory and upper level and am actively working on research projects that are collaborations with undergraduate and graduate students.  I am also the Director of the Crooked Lake Biological Station, near Columbia City.  Please check out my courses, research and other activities by following the links below.  I hope this information is helpful.  If you need more detail, please contact me by phone, e-mail or just stop by!

Courses

I currently teach Biology 117, Principles of Ecology and Evolution", Biology 349, I also teach an "Environmental Science" Biology 582 "Ecotoxicology" focuses on the effects that environmental pollutants and other perturbations have on ecosystems.  The other course, Biology 598, "Biology of Fishes" emphasizes the biological and ecological uniqueness of fishes as a taxonomic group.  The course includes several field sampling sessions and a class project on a local fish population problem.

For more information on any of these courses, please go to their individual pages.

Research Activities

My research specialty is aquatic toxicology.  My Ph.D. research focused on the effects of selenium exposure to fish in reservoirs of coal-fired power plants.  My postdoctoral research centered on the effects of exposure to aquatic toxicants on genetic variation in fishes.  I continued this area of research here at IPFW with fish and amphipods.  Shortly after arriving at IPFW, I participated in a study that developed short-term biomarker responses in brown bullhead fish to exposure from sediments contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.  More recently, I have begun studies that are investigating the effects of non-point source pollutants on aquatic organisms in streams of northeast Indiana.  For more information on these activities, please follow the links below. 

Crooked Lake Biological Station

The Crooked Lake Biological Station was constructed by Indiana University in the 1960s.  It has served both field courses and research needs.  Currently, the station is primarily used for college classes in limnology and aquatic ecology.  In addition to our own courses, the station has been used by faculty and students from Purdue University, Indiana University, Butler University, Miami University and Bowling Green State University.  The station has residence facilities and is modestly equipped for sampling aquatic biota in Crooked Lake.  Our pontoon boat and several smaller row boats provide access for sampling physical, chemical and biological parameters.  Take a look at the photos below to see what the station looks like and what resources it provides.