Courses

Saint Mary's College Courses

Please contact me for current syllabi or class activities.

BIOL 202: Introductory Biology for Majors: Organisms and Evolution

Undergraduate lower division course that systematically introduces the form, function, evolutionary origins and phylogenetic relationships of all forms of life. Through the comparative study of the molecular evidence, morphology, physiology, development, and behavior of organisms the course provides a broad understanding of how life on Earth evolved. 

BIOL 302: General Ecology

Undergraduate upper division survey of all major disciplines of ecology with a focus on California ecosystems, scientific writing and quantitative reasoning. The course is designed to encourage students to think about general ecological concepts and processes and their application to real  situations. 

BIOL 330: General Botany

Undergraduate upper division survey of plant diversity, anatomy and and physiology. The course includes hands-on lab activities and a final research project on the phenology of California buckeye trees on SMC campus.

BIOL 353: Macrosystems Biology

Undergraduate upper division course that studies the biosphere from regional to continental scales. Lecture and seminars focus on the field of biogeography from a modern and historical perspective. Computational lab activities and research prepare students for further study in data-intensive fields, such as bioinformatics or ecoinformatics.

Former Courses

Stanford University

BIO 46: Research in Ecology with Lichens

Undergraduate students studied microorganisms living in two common California lichens (Ramalina menziesii and Evernia prunastri) and examined relationships between the abiotic environment, lichen physical traits, algal symbionts, endolichenic fungi and a lichenicolous (parasitic) fungus (Unguiculariopsis lettaui).

BIO 202: Ecological Statistics

Graduate seminar on modern statistical tools and data analysis R. See course website.