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Biology:
Faculty
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Rebecca Beach, associate professor, cellular and developmental biology
B.S., University of Arizona; M.S., University of Connecticut-Storrs; Ph.D., University of Texas-Austin.
Most of my training is in molecular biology, but my true passion is for developmental biology. My fascination with embryogenesis -- the process by which a fertilized egg develops into an adult -- has inspired me to study a number of different animals, including sea urchins, seq squirts and frogs. In recent years I have been studying regeneration in an aquatic worm, Lumbriculus variegatus. This "worm project" is a collaborative effort with my long-time friend Dr. Karen Crawford, a developmental biologist at St. Mary's College of Maryland, and with students at both Hollins and SMCM. Our work on this system was recently presented at the 59th Annual Meeting of the Society for Developmental Biology in Boulder, CO. I teach courses in molecular and cell biology, genetics, and developmental biology.
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Amy Fenster, lecturer, microbiology and immunology
B.S., James Madison University; M.S., The Medical College of Virginia
The intricate dance between microbes, that cause disease, and the immune system, that combats these organisms, is one that has captivated me because of its complexity and importance to human health. After completing my master’s degree, I strayed to some degree from this focus into applied toxicology. Specifically, I worked with avian and aquatic toxicity and biodegradation studies. While this work was challenging and rewarding, my true love was still microbiology and it is with delight that I am able to teach courses at Hollins in areas I find fascinating. I currently teach biological self defense, microbiology and immunology.
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Renee Godard, professor, ecology and animal behavior
B.S., Guilford College; Ph.D., University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
I'm an ecologist, so my best research ideas come when I spend time outside. After watching fish in a small stream at my house, I became interested in how fish detect predators. For the last four years, Bonnie Bowers in the psychology department and I along with many student researchers have been examining that question. This ongoing research project has resulted in one article published in the international journal Behaviour and at least one other in preparation for publication. This question has also spawned another which we are investigating this year -- How do birds, particularly those that nest in holes, detect one of their primary predators, snakes? The question of predator detection is an important as in our world of global travel predators and parasites are easily transported, potentially wreaking havoc on delicately balanced ecosystems.
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Morgan Wilson, (homepage) associate professor, physiology and anatomy
B.S., Hampden-Sydney College; M.S., Virginia Tech; Ph.D., University of Mississippi
I might be best described as a physiological ecologist, as my research interests span the fields of both physiology and ecology. My research focuses on the endocrine physiology, ecology, and behavior of birds. Specifically, I am interested in proximate mechanisms, both physiological and behavioral, associated with birds breeding under different time and energy constraints. This and related research have provided me with opportunities to work in the laboratory as well as in the field in a variety of habitats. I am currently exploring questions involving both temperate- and Arctic-breeding birds. In addition, I am part of collaborative study of amphibian breeding biology. I am very interested in involving undergraduate students with aspects of these or related studies. I offer semester courses in comparative vertebrate anatomy, human physiology, human biology (for non-majors), and invertebrate zoology, and short-term courses in vertebrate ecological physiology and Arctic biology (summer).
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Biology:
Courses & Major
Requirements
Faculty
"If you're in an environment that lets you grow daily, you accomplish things you never thought you would. And you succeed by leaps and bounds."
Jennifer Wright Cash '98
received her master's degree in physical therapy from the Medical College of Virginia, currently working for Rehabilitation Associates in the York County Schools.
"I got the job because I had enough hands-on experience with a huge variety of credits in biology and chemistry at Hollins."
Julie Zalenka ’00
Worked for one year at the Tissue Procurement Facility at the University of Virginia Cancer Center and then entered veterinary school.
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