Biology

Dr. Jim Martin is an entomologist and ecologist who curates the college's extensive insect collection and carries out water quality research. He teaches courses including Ecology, Parasitology, General Biology II, GIS and GPS, Entomology, and Senior Seminar.

Dr. Marti Morales’s research lies at the intersection of histology, neurobiology and developmental biology, focusing on the development and potential regeneration of auditory pathways. She has worked with students on the developmental pathway of Xenopus, working toward a public database of this sequence. Her classes include Histology, Neurobiology, Developmental Biology, Human Anatomy, Pathophysiology, Neuropharmacology, Junior and Senior Seminars.

Dr. Ben Pawlisch is interested in how hormones influence the brain and behavior. Primarily, he has studied birds and the seasonal regulation of their behaviors, but has become more interested in how hormones influence human and domesticated animal health and behavior. His father and grandfather were both veterinarians, graduating from Michigan State and Minnesota, and therefore, he often advises pre-vet students. He teaches General Biology I, General Biology II, Vertebrate Zoology, General Physiology, Animal Behavior and Communications, Junior and Senior Seminar.

Dr. Kristie Wrasman is a molecular geneticist and cell biologist whose research focuses on how genetic mutations change a cell's functions. She teaches courses in Genetics, Molecular Methods, Molecular Cell Biology, Immunology and others.

Dr. Malak Bazzi-Abbas is a microbiologist and molecular biologist whose research focuses on investigating changes in the microbial ecology of the gut microbiome as a result of antibiotic treatment. She earned a Science Communication Fellowship from the University of Michigan and enjoys working with undergraduate students on independent research projects. She teaches General Biology 1, Microbiology, and other courses.