Dr. Bosacker is a zoologist, and her primary research interest is in the social behavior of primates. She studies a population of baboons living in Gombe National Park, Tanzania. She is particularly interested in how social circumstances influence an individual’s exposure to stress and how the negative effects of stress might influence the evolution of social behaviors. Dr. Bosacker is currently acting as the director of Carleton’s Coastal Marine Ecology program in Australia (Winter 2010).

Email: Charles@CrutchfieldDermatology.com

Dr. Crutchfield is a Carleton College graduate (’82) biology major. He is a board certified dermatologist with a clinical practice in Eagan, Minnesota. In addition to his M.D. degree, Dr. Crutchfield also has a Master’s degree in Molecular Biology from the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Crutchfield teaches the spring upper level biology seminar “Cutaneous Biology for the Pre-Medical Student”. He has co-authored the dermatology textbook ‘A Clinical Atlas of 101 Common Skin Diseases’ and authored over 100 scientific articles and publications. His research interests include psoriasis and ethnic skin disorders.

Ms. Deel is trained as an invertebrate zoologist, is interested in methods of teaching college-level introductory biology, especially those methods which encourage traditionally underrepresented groups, such as women and minorities, to continue in biology. At Carleton, she has been involved with laboratory sections of Intro Biology, Animal Physiology, and Genetics. Currently she is developing, preparing, and teaching labs for Intro Biology I: Energetics and Genetics (Biol 125). The physiology research programs she has been involved with cover a wide variety of marine invertebrates such as clams, scallops, mussels, cuttlefish, squid, octopus, and sea slugs.

Dr. Hougen-Eitzman is trained as a population geneticist and ecologist, studies ecological interaction within agricultural ecosystems. In particular, he is interested in developing biological solutions to problems that have usually been attacked with herbicides and pesticides. He teaches laboratories for the Introductory courses, Entomology, and a seminar on Sustainable Agriculture.

Dr. Henderson is a biochemist and structural biologist. Specifically, she studies cancer-causing proteins that arise from inadvertently fused genes. To understand how the expression of these protein chimeras leads to cancer, a goal of student research in her laboratory is to characterize the structure and function of relevant cellular proteins alone and within the context of the oncogenic protein chimera. Dr. Henderson teaches Biochemistry laboratory, Methods in Molecular Biophysics, Molecular Mechanisms in Drug Action, and part of the introductory Biology sequence, Energy Flow in Biological Systems.

Dr. Hernandez is an ecosystem ecologist researching the effects of disturbance on carbon and nutrient cycling in savannas and grasslands. Currently, his lab is exploring the community and ecosystem consequences of nitrogen deposition and cattle grazing on serpentine grasslands in California. He teaches Ecosystems Ecology, Global Change Biology, part of Introductory Biology, and a seminar on Grassland Ecology.

Dr. Jaramillo is a neurobiologist interested in sensory systems. His work focuses on the hair cell, the mechanosensory receptor of the auditory, vestibular, and lateral line systems. Current research interests include the study of mechanoelectrical transduction, molecular motors in the hair cell, the role of noise in sensory processing, and the physiology of synaptic transmission. He teaches Neurobiology, Cell Biology, and part of Introductory Biology.

Dr. McKone is an evolutionary ecologist, pursues research on the interactions between insects and plants. Particular interests include the pollinator community of prairie composites and the evolutionary impact of pre-dispersal seed predators of grasses. He teaches Evolution, Population Ecology, Tropical Rainforest Ecology, and part of Introductory Biology.

Dr. Mitra is a molecular and cellular biologist interested in the interactions between plants and microbes. Her lab studies bacterial pathogens of plant roots with the goal of understanding disease development and plant defense. Current lab projects involve elucidating the role of bacterial effector proteins in pathogenesis of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Dr. Mitra teaches courses in Microbial Pathology, Cell Biology, and part of Introductory Biology.

Dr. Moore is a neurobiologist interested in chronic neuroinflammation. To understand the contribution of the inflammatory process to pathology and cognitive deficits associated with normal aging and Alzheimer’s disease, her research focuses on the physiological and behavioral consequences of interleukin (IL)-1 infusion and IL-1 transgene overexpression in mouse brain. Current research interests include investigating the interaction of cyclooxgenase, the principal target of non-steriodal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and circulating sex steroid hormones in normal mnemonic behavior and associated neurochemistry. She teaches Bioethics and part of Introductory Biology.

Dr. Rand is a vertebrate reproductive biologist, studies the hormonal mediation and function of sexually dimorphic traits. Currently he uses lizards as a model system to understand neural differences that influence male and female reproductive behavior. He teaches Animal Physiology, Animal Behavior, a seminar on Behavioral Genetics, part of Introductory Biology and a seminar that explores the biological basis of human nature and sexuality and its impact on science. Dr. Rand is Chair of the Biology Department.

Dr. Singer is a plant developmental biologist, is taking a developmental genetics approach to the study of flowering in pea. Floral mutants are being characterized and genetic interactions between mutants are under investigation to elucidate the roles of different genes in the regulation of inflorescence architecture. Specific interests include the evolution of floral developmental pathways. She teaches Plant Biology, Plant Development, Developmental Genetics, and part of Introductory Biology.

Dr. Tymoczko is a biochemist, teaches Biochemistry, Oncogenes and Molecular Biology of Cancer, part of Introductory Biology, and a seminar on Exercise Biochemistry. He has recently co-authored the 5th edition of Stryer's Biochemistry, and is currently writing an introductory level biochemistry text. His research interests are in the area of signal transduction. Dr. Tymoczko is also the Pre-med advisor.

Dr. Wagenbach is trained as an invertebrate zoologist and parasitologist, is examining the population biology of freshwater mussels in regional rivers. The general goal of his research is to better understand the conservation of rare and endangered species. He taught Biology of the Invertebrate Animals, Marine Biology, Aquatic Biology, environmental studies courses, and a seminar on parasitism. He served as Director of
Environmental and Technology Studies.

Dr. Walser-Kuntz is an immunologist, is interested in the role the immune system plays in the development of autoimmune disorders and the potential impact on this process of environmental contaminants. We are testing how a common plastic component, bisphenol A, affects immune cell activation and cytokine responses. She teaches Immunology, Microbiology, part of Introductory Biology, a seminar on Topics in Virology and Methods of Teaching Science.

Dr. Zweifel is a geneticist and molecular biologist, is examining the replication and segregation of mitochrondrial DNA in the yeast S. cerevisiae. His lab is interested in identifying and characterizing the nuclear genes responsible for the proper transmission of the mitochondrial genome. He teaches Genetics, Molecular Biology, part of Introductory Biology, and a seminar on Human Genetics.

Carol has been the Administrative Assistant in the Biology Department since 1983. Check with her if you have any questions about the department. She maintains the department web page, produces the Nucleus, tracks comps progress, as well as the daily office tasks.

Alison Unger (BA, Carleton; MA, Washington University in Saint Louis) is trained as a biochemist and molecular/cell biologist. She oversees the Biology Stockroom, and, in general, the Biology teaching laboratories.