Academics
Biology Faculty
Valerie S. Banschbach
Department Chair
Professor of Biology
B.A. Pomona College; Ph.D. University of Miami
View Dr. Banschbach's Curriculum Vitae
Courses Taught: Population Ecology; Animal Behavior; Biological Reading and Writing; Biology Senior Seminar; First-Year Seminar: Solving Environmental Problems; Tropical Ecology
Areas of Expertise: Behavioral and population ecology, especially of ants, bees and other social insects; conservation biology; evolution of social behavior; pollination biology and other plant-animal interactions
Recent Scholarly Achievements: Dr. Banschbach was a co-presenter at the 2007 annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America, giving a talk on "Ants as bioindicators: Does habitat edge affect community or social structure of north temperate deciduous forest ants?" In 2005 and 2006 she was awarded faculty development grants in for work on ant research in Costa Rica, and then at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University and at Ohio State University.
On Teaching and Research: Dr. Banschbach's research in behavioral ecology and conservation biology focuses on specific questions that she can discuss in her courses, but the process of engaging in original research also informs her teaching. For example, designing ecological research studies is something she teaches students to do and that teaching is informed by her own working experience. Dr. Banschbach's discoveries also provide material for her classes. For example, she documented the function of tool use in a particular forest ant species in Vermont and she discusses this work extensively in her Animal Behavior class. Her teaching also leads her to new ideas for research. The Tropical Ecology course that Dr. Banschbach teaches in Costa Rica spurred her to spend part of her last sabbatical doing a research project on the use of ants as bioindicators in Monteverde, Costa Rica.
Outside Saint Michael's: Dr. Banschbach owns a Staffordshire bull terrier (a breed known as the "Nanny Hound" in the U.K.). She is a big fan of bull breed dogs.
Learn more about Dr. Banschbach in her faculty spotlight.
Campus Office
Cheray Science Hall 302A
Phone: 802.654.2633
Box 283
E-mail: vbanschbach@smcvt.edu
Contact Dr. Banschbach for information on the Biology major.
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Donna M. Bozzone
Professor of Biology
B.S. Manhattan College; M.A., Ph.D. Princeton University
View Dr. Bozzone's Curriculum Vitae
Courses Taught: Developmental Biology; Cell Biology; General Biology
Areas of Expertise: Development and embryogenesis; cells; cell communication; cancer; evolution; evolutionary medicine; the connection between developmental biology and ecology and evolution; the history of science
Recent Scholarly Achievements: Dr. Bozzone is the consulting editor for the Biology of Cancer book series published by Chelsea House. She wrote two books in the series and is in the midst of third. Dr. Bozzone and colleague Dr. Doug Green are in the process of writing the textbook, Biology for the Informed Citizen, to be published by Oxford University Press. Dr. Bozzone also continues to work on the development of laboratory teaching models for college and high school instruction.
On Teaching and Research: Dr. Bozzone's finds that scholarship and teaching are interconnected in a way that makes it difficult for her to tell exactly where one ends and where the other begins. Everything she reads, studies, or researches ends up in her classes. In turn, her classes always raise new questions and ideas for her to investigate.
Outside Saint Michael's: Dr. Bozzone enjoys reading (mysteries, history, and non-fiction in general), cooking, walking. and movies.
Learn more about Dr. Bozzone in her faculty spotlight.
Campus Office
Cheray Science Hall 302C
Phone: 802.654.2627
Box 283
E-mail: dbozzone@smcvt.edu
Contact Dr. Bozzone for information on health careers, including careers in the pre-medical/veterinary/dental fields as well as information on biology education.
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Douglas E. Facey
Professor of Biology
B.S. University of Maine-Orono; M.S. University of Vermont; Ph.D. University of Georgia
View Dr. Facey's Curriculum Vitae
Courses Taught: Human and Comparative Physiology; Biological Reading and Writing; Biology Senior Seminar; Biology of Exercise (for students not majoring in the sciences); General Biology
Areas of Expertise: Physiological indicators of environmental stress in fishes, fish community diversity and stability
Recent Scholarly Achievements: Dr. Facey is a co-author of the textbook, The Diversity of Fishes: Biology, Evolution, and Ecology, which was released in April 2009. He and former student Shannon O’Brien '03 recently had a research article accepted for publication in a professional journal
Dr. Facey, along with student Jeff White '08, submitted a paper on "Diet overlap between invasive yellow perch and invasive white perch in Missisquoi Bay," which detailed their research work and findings, to the Proceedings of the 30th Congress of the International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology (Montreal, Quebec - August 2007).
On Teaching and Research: Dr. Facey is the executive director of the Lake Champlain Research Consortium, an organization that facilitates research on the ecosystem of Lake Champlain. Dr. Facey finds that his research on local fishes has been significantly enhanced by the participation of students, some of whom have received funding to remain on campus through the summer to do research. He has accompanied students to professional conferences to see them present their research, and he has also had some research publications with students as co-authors.
Outside Saint Michael's: Dr. Facey enjoys traveling with his wife and two sons. They have visited some great parts of the U.S. in recent years, but they always like coming back home to Vermont. Dr. Facey also enjoys almost any activity on the water - such as kayaking, canoeing, or fishing.
Learn more about Dr. Facey in his faculty spotlight.
Campus Office
Cheray Science Hall 302B
Phone: 802.654.2625
Box 283
E-mail: dfacey@smcvt.edu
Personal Web site: http://academics.smcvt.edu/dfacey/
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Douglas S. Green
Professor of Biology
B.S. Stanford University; M.S. Worcester Polytechnic Institute; M.A., Ph.D. Princeton University
Courses Taught: General Biology; Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy; Evolutionary Biology
Areas of Expertise: Plant ecology and natural history; evolutionary biology; history of science, particularly the relationship between science and religion
Recent Scholarly Achievements: Dr. Green served on the steering commitee for the 2007 Vermont Environmental Consortium's Environmental Education Conference. He is also Saint Michael's coordinator for the Vermont Genetics Network.
On Teaching and Research: Dr. Green feels fortunate to work with students in different contexts during lecture, lab, and projects. He particularly likes to teach Evolutionary Biology. He admits it's hard to develop lab exercises for a process that can take millions of years, but says it's wonderful that the concepts behind evolution can be viewed through so many lenses. The course examines experimentation and hypothesis testing, the philosophical and historical basis of evolutionary ideas, and current political and religious issues.
Outside Saint Michael's: Dr. Green enjoys woodworking, reading science fiction, playing cards and chess, and studying natural history. He also likes building and programming computers.
Campus Office
Cheray Science Hall 313F
Phone: 802.654.2391
Box 283
E-mail: dgreen@smcvt.edu
Personal Web site: http://academics.smcvt.edu/dgreen/
Contact Dr. Green for information on the Environmental Science major.
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Malcolm Lippert
Associate Professor of Biology
B.S. Hope College; Ph.D. University of Vermont
Dr. Lippert explores why and how mutations, or alterations in DNA occur. He uses a yeast system to measure effects of transcription on mutation. Transcription is a normal cellular process that is critical for the expression of genetic information in cells. His students currently are working with yeast strains to measure quantitative differences in mutation. In addition, they perform molecular analyses on yeast mutants in order to determine what types of mutations occur. There are opportunities to engage in research projects both during the school year and during the summer.
Campus Office
Cheray Science Hall 313E
Phone: 802.654.2856
Box 283
E-mail: mlippert@smcvt.edu
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Mark Lubkowitz
Associate Professor of Biology
B.S. Washington and Lee University; Ph.D. University of Tennessee
View Dr. Lubkowitz's Curriculum Vitae
Courses Taught: General Biology; Botany; Molecular Biology
Areas of Expertise: Dr. Lubkowitz studies leaf development to better understand how genes are integrated into functional networks and how small changes in these networks can lead to evolutionary changes. He is also interested in how small proteins are transported between plant cells. The broader impact of his work has the potential to affect plant reproductive success and could enhance future breeding practices and transgenic technologies in cereal crops.
Recent Scholarly Achievements: Dr. Lubkowitz was awarded a three-year, $170,700 grant from the National Science Foundation to fund his research on oligeopeptide transporters in seed development.
On Teaching and Research: Dr. Lubkowitz says his research influences the way he teaches in two ways: first through student involvement with his projects, and secondly through incorporating his research experiments into his courses. In the last seven years, Dr. Lubkowitz has mentored 12 students in his laboratory.
Outside Saint Michael's: Dr. Lubkowitz enjoys Whitewater kayaking, making cheese and wine, and pruning his grape plants.
Learn more about Dr. Lubkowitz in his faculty spotlight.
Campus Office
Cheray Science Hall 313D
Phone: 802.654.2695
Box 283
E-mail: mlubkowitz@smcvt.edu
Personal Web site: http://academics.smcvt.edu/mlubkowitz/index.htm
Contact Dr. Lubkowitz for information on the Biochemistry major.
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Declan McCabe
Associate Professor of Biology
B.S. St. Joseph’s University; M.S. University of Pittsburgh; Ph.D. University of Vermont
View Dr. McCabe's Curriculum Vitae
Courses Taught: General Biology; Community Ecology; Biology in Elementary Schools; Biological Reading and Writing
Areas of Expertise: Dr. McCabe studies community interactions in freshwater ecosystems. His recent projects have included an examination of the effects of zebra mussels on fish foraging efficiency in sandy habitats
Recent Scholarly Achievements: Dr. McCabe is involved in an outreach program aimed at high school teachers and students who study water quality in rivers and streams. The work is funded in part by a three-year, $6.7 milion grant from the National Science Foundation. In March 2008, Dr. McCabe was awarded a grant from Vermont EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) for research work with five student interns. The research focused on determining how different land uses affect macroinvertebrate diversity in streams.
On Teaching and Research: As a community ecologist, Dr. McCabe's scholarship is based in local Vermont habitats including Lake Champlain. These same habitats make ideal classrooms for his courses. The field-based components of his Community Ecology course are typically in previous research sites. Dr. McCabe finds that this is now coming full circle as he suggests research sites to his collaborators based upon locations he has used as teaching sites.
Outside Saint Michael's: Dr. McCabe enjoys wood working and home improvement, guitar playing and folk music, camping, and working with the Cub Scouts.
Learn more about Dr. McCabe in his faculty spotlight.
Campus Office
Cheray Science Hall 314
Phone: 802.654.2626
Box 283
E-mail: dmccabe@smcvt.edu
Personal Web site: http://academics.smcvt.edu/dmccabe/
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Denise Martin
Lab Coordinator/Instructor of Biology
B.A. Wheaton College; M.S. University of Vermont
View Ms. Martin's Curriculum Vitae
Courses Taught: General Biology
Areas of Expertise: Development of laboratory experiments for introductory level courses
Recent Scholarly Achievements: Ms. Martin has co-authored publications on biology laboratory techniques, more recently a piece with colleague Dr. Donna Bozzone on "An Experimental System to Study Phagocytosis."
On Teaching and Research: Ms. Martin says that Saint Michael's biology program enables students to become directly involved in research, starting as early as their first year in the major. In her role overseeing the General Biology laboratory program, she values the opportunity to work closely with students as they become engaged in actual research projects and experience the process of science.
Outside Saint Michael's: Ms. Martin enjoys weaving, reading, snowshoeing, bicycling, kayaking, hiking and martial arts.
Campus Office
Cheray Science Hall 312
Phone: 802.654.2628
Box 283
E-mail: dmartin@smcvt.edu
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Peter Hope
Instructor of Biology
B.A. Middlebury College; M.S. University of Vermont
Courses Taught: Ecosystem Ecology; Environmental Science; General Biology labs
Areas of Expertise: Forest composition, dynamics and succession, fern systematics
On Teaching and Research: Mr. Hope's favorite class to teach is Ecosystem Ecology, which he teaches in the fall. It is a field course with labs spent outside visiting and studying many of Vermont's interesting ecosystems. The course includes some of Mr. Hope's favorite subjects including geology, ecology, and botany. Mr. Hope finds it very gradifying to introduce students to these ecosystems. He appreciates the stories his students tell him when they later took their friends or parents to one of the sites that they visited in class.
Outside Saint Michael's: Mr. Hope enjoys nature photography, hiking, canoeing, violin, and playing the guitar.
Campus Office
Cheray Science Hall 316
Phone: 802.654.2491
Box 283
E-mail: phope@smcvt.edu
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Daniel J. Bean
Professor Emeritus
Ph.D. University of Rhode Island
Dr. Bean's research interests include water quality studies of streams and ponds with emphasis on chemistry, benthos, and plankton communities; active in NSF funded programs of teacher training to improve secondary science learning.
Phone: 802.864.6187 (home)