Biology : The Dynamic Science

Peter J. Russell received a B.Sc. in biology from the University of Sussex, England, in 1968 and a Ph.D. in genetics from Cornell University in 1972. He has been a member of the Biology faculty of Reed College since 1972, and he is currently a professor of biology. He teaches a section of the introductory biology course, a genetics course, an advanced molecular genetics course and a research literature course on molecular virology. In 1987, he received the Burlington Northern Faculty Achievement Award from Reed College in recognition of his excellence in teaching. Since 1986, he has been the author of a successful genetics textbook; current editions are "iGenetics: A Mendelian Approach, iGenetics: A Molecular Approach" and "Essential iGenetics". He wrote nine of the BioCoach Activities for The Biology Place. Peter Russell's research is in the area of molecular genetics, with a specific interest in characterizing the role of host genes in pathogenic RNA plant virus gene expression; yeast is used as the model host. His research has been funded by agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the American Cancer Society. He has published his research results in a variety of journals, including Genetics, Journal of Bacteriology, Molecular and General Genetics, Nucleic Acids Research, Plasmid, and Molecular and Cellular Biology. He has a long history of encouraging faculty research involving undergraduates, including co-founding the biology division of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) in l985. He was Principal Investigator/Program Director of an NSF Award for the Integration of Research and Education (AIRE) to Reed College, 1998–2002.

Paul E. Hertz was born and raised in New York City. He received a B.S. in Biology from Stanford University in 1972, an A.M. in Biology from Harvard University in 1973, and a Ph.D. in Biology from Harvard University in 1977. While completing field research for the doctorate, he served on the Biology faculty of the University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras. After two years as an Isaac Walton Killam Postdoctoral Fellow at Dalhousie University, Paul accepted a teaching position at Barnard College, where he has taught since 1979. He was named Ann Whitney Olin Professor of Biology in 2000, received The Barnard Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2007, and was named Claire Tow Professor of Biology in 2016. In addition to serving on numerous college committees, Paul chaired Barnard’s Biology Department for eight years and served as Acting Provost and Dean of the Faculty from 2011 to 2012. He was the founding Program Director of the Hughes Science Pipeline Project at Barnard, an undergraduate curriculum and research program that was funded continuously by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute from 1992 until 2016. The Pipeline Project included the Intercollegiate Partnership, a program for local community college students that facilitated their transfer to four-year colleges and universities. He teaches one semester of the introductory sequence for Biology majors and pre-professional students, lecture and laboratory courses in vertebrate zoology and ecology, and seminars that introduce first-year students to scientific research. Paul is an animal physiological ecologist with a specific research interest in the thermal biology of lizards. He has conducted fieldwork in the West Indies since the mid-1970s, focusing on the lizards of Cuba and Puerto Rico. His work has been funded by the NSF, and he has published his research in THE AMERICAN NATURALIST, ECOLOGY, NATURE, OECOLOGIA, and PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY.

Beverly McMillan has worked extensively in educational and commercial publishing as an author, contract science writer, project manager and multimedia content developer. In addition to her contributions to college textbooks, Bev has written or co-authored multiple popular books on the biology and natural history of sharks and the structure and functioning of the human body, as well as field guides to the flora and fauna of more than 20 U.S. states. She has also created science-based exhibition, web and print content for clients including the U.S. National Park Service, the Science Museum of Virginia, The Mariners’ Museum, the San Francisco Exploratorium, the University of California system and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science/College of William and Mary. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as a Business of Publishing certification from the University of Chicago School of Business.

Joel H. Benington received a BA in 1985 from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, and a Ph.D. in Biology in 1992 from Stanford University. He performed postdoctoral research at UCLA and Stanford University until 1996, and since then has been a member of the Biology faculty of St. Bonaventure University. He is currently professor of biology and director of programs in bioinformatics and health and society. He has twice served as chair of the department of biology. During his entire time at St. Bonaventure University, he has taught one or both semesters of the general biology sequence for first-year life-science majors. He also teaches upper-level courses in neurobiology, genomics and evolution and has led a variety of seminar courses in the university’s Honors Program. He has published his research in journals such as Progress in Neurobiology, Brain Research, the American Journal of Physiology and The Scientist. In addition to laboratory research, he has published hypotheses concerning the role of sleep in brain energy metabolism, the functional relationship between REM sleep and nonREM sleep and connections between sleep and learning. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and he has served as principal investigator of a National Grid grant to support K-12 STEM education in Cattaraugus County, New York.