Biological Sciences

Faculty Directory

Casey Huckins

Casey J Huckins

  • Department Chair, Biological Sciences
  • Professor, Biological Sciences

Links of Interest

Google Scholar Profile

Research Expertise

  • Ecology of lakes, streams, and their riparian interface with terrestrial systems
  • Fish ecology, biology, functional morphology
  • effects of land use on ecological systems
  • Biomonitoring for research and restoration
  • Effects of Invasive Species
Christopher Adams

Christopher Adams

  • Adjunct Instructor, Biological Sciences

Teaching Interests

  • Introductory Biology
  • Zoology
  • Stream Ecology

Research Interests

  • Fish Ecology
  • Stream Restoration
Cindy Blake

Cindy Blake

  • Adjunct Instructor, Nursing, Biological Sciences
Claire Danielson

Claire Danielson

  • Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) Program Director
  • Assistant Teaching Professor
  • MLS Academic Advisor

Links of Interest

Teaching Interests

  • Immunohematology
  • Medical Bacteriology
  • Phlebotomy 
Rupali Datta

Rupali Datta

  • Professor, Biological Sciences

Links of Interest

Specialties

  • Plant Biochemistry
  • Environmental Remediation
  • Plant-Microbe Interactions
Paul Goetsch

Paul D. Goetsch

  • Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences

Areas of Expertise

  • Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry
  • Genomics / Bioinformatics

Links of Interest

Google Scholar Profile

Research Interests

  • Developmental Biology
  • Transcriptional Biology
  • Cancer Biology
Michael Gretz

Michael R. Gretz

  • Professor, Biological Sciences
  • Director, Chemical Advanced Resolution Methods Laboratory

Links of Interest

Research Interests

  • Algal Extracellular Polymers and Biocomposites - Regulation of Biogenesis
Erika Hersch-Green

Erika I. Hersch-Green

  • Associate Professor, Biological Sciences

Links of Interest

Current Research Interests

  • Plant Evolutionary Ecology
  • Ecological and Community Genetics
  • Genome Size and Polyploidy Evolution
  • Invasive Species Biology and Integrated Socio-Environmental Systems
Robert Larson

Robert A. Larson

  • Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences

Links of Interest

Research Interests

  • Neural Control of the Heart
  • Autonomic Function in Health and Disease
Sarah LewAllen

Sarah LewAllen

  • MLS Program Coordinator

Teaching Interests

  • Hematology & Hemostasis
  • Clinical Chemistry
  • Professionalism & Career Preparation
Amy Marcarelli

Amy M Marcarelli

  • Professor, Biological Sciences
  • Director, Ecosystem Science Center
  • Director, Aquatic Analysis (AQUA) Shared Facility

Links of Interest

Research Interests

  • Limnology
  • Ecosystem Ecology of Streams and Rivers
  • Biogeochemistry
Mark Miron

Mark Miron

  • Associate Teaching Professor, Nursing, Biological Sciences

Teaching Interests

  • Mental health/mental illness
  • Mental illness stigma
  • Substance use/abuse
  • Substance abuse stigma
  • Psychiatric pharmacology
  • Social Determinants of Health/Disease
  • Spirituality in Healthcare
Brigitte Morin

Brigitte Morin

  • Teaching Professor, Biological Sciences

Teaching Interests

  • Clinical Lab Techniques
  • Clinical Immunology and Serology
  • Human Anatomy and Physiology
  • Human Nutrition
  • Parasitology
Jill Olin

Jill A. Olin

  • Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences

Links of Interest

Google Scholar Profile

NOAA Restore Collaborative Research

Research Interests

  • Community Ecology
  • Trophic Interactions
  • Marine Ecology
  • Ecogeochemical Tracer Techniques
Gord Paterson

Gord Paterson

  • Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences

Areas of Expertise

  • Legacy and emerging pollutants
  • Ecotoxicology
  • Great Lakes fisheries
  • Multiple stressors
  • Fisheries bioenergetics

Research Interests

  • Using pollutants as ecological tracers
  • Overwintering bioaccumulation and bioamplification
  • Energy dynamics in Great Lakes food-webs
  • Energetic costs of multiple stressors
MarnieAnn Polkky

MarnieAnn M. Polkky

  • Assistant Teaching Professor, Nursing, Biological Sciences

Professional Memberships

Teaching Interests

  • Medical/Surgical Nursing
  • Clinical Instructor
Theresa Rajala-Halsey

Theresa Rajala-Halsey

  • Associate Teaching Professor, Nursing, Biological Sciences

Teaching Interests

  • Fundamentals
  • Nursing Theory
  • Leadership and Management
Irina Sergeyeva

Irina Sergeyeva

  • Associate Teaching Professor, Nursing, Biological Sciences

Research Interests

  • Teaching methodologies

  • Bloom’s Taxonomy

  • Simulation

  • International learning experience

  • Chronic Disease Management

Teaching Experience

  • Pharmacology
  • Dosage Calculations
  • Nursing Research and Statistics
  • Clinical Practice
  • Introduction to Healthcare Quality Improvement
  • Nursing Theory
  • Medical Terminology
  • Healthcare Finances
  • Chronic Disease Management through the Eyes of British Culture
Lori Sullivan

Lori Sullivan

  • Nursing Program Director
  • Nursing Program Advisor
  • Teaching Professor

Professional Memberships

Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing

National League for Nursing

Michigan Association of Colleges of Nursing

Teaching Interests

  • Professional Issues and Ethics in Nursing
  • Nursing Theory
  • Community Nursing
  • Nursing Leadership
Xiaoqing Tang

Xiaoqing Tang

  • Professor, Biological Sciences
  • Graduate Program Director, Biological Sciences

Links of Interest

Google Scholar Profile

Research Interests

  • Diabetes and Obesity
  • MicroRNA and Diabetes 
  • Islet beta-cell function and Identity
  • MicroRNA Technologies 
Guiliang Tang

Guiliang Tang

  • Professor, Biological Sciences

Links of Interest

Support Our Current Research

Specialties

  • Gene Silencing
  • RNA Interference (RNAi)
  • MicroRNA (miRNA) and miRNA Eveolution
  • RNA Silencing in Plant Germ Extract and Drosophila Embryo Lysate.
  • Fungal RNAi and microRNA
  • MicroRNA Technologies: Small Tandem Target mimic (STTM) and MicroRNA Array
  • Plant Electrophysiology in Plant microRNA STTM lines and Venus flytrap.
  • Wild Blueberry Improvement
Xiaohu (Mark) Tang

Xiaohu (Mark) Tang

  • Associate Professor
  • Dept. of Biological Sciences

Links of Interest

Google Scholar Profile

Research Interests

  • Cancer Genetics and Metabolism
  • Mechanisms of Cancer Initiation and Progression
  • Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics
  • Interactions of Diet and Nutrition with Cancer
Stephen Techtmann

Stephen Techtmann

  • Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
  • Associate Director, Great Lakes Research Center

Links of Interest

Lab Webpage

Google Scholar Profile

ResearchGate Profile

Research Interests

  • Environmental Microbiology
  • Next-generation sequencing technology and bioinformatics/computational biology
  • Microbial physiology and biochemistry
  • Microbes as sensors for the environmental impacts of oil and gas production
  • Microbially-mediated remediation of crude oil contamination
  • Sustainability and plastic biodegradation
Trista Vick-Majors

Trista Vick-Majors

  • Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences

Links of Interest:

Faculty Webpage

Google Scholar Profile

Subglacial Antarctic Lakes

Winter Network Project

Research Interests

  • Microbial Ecology
  • Biogeochemistry
  • Limnology
  • Cryosphere 
Travis Wakeham

Travis R. Wakeham

  • Assistant Teaching Professor, Biological Sciences
  • Academic Advisor

Links of Interest

Thomas Werner

Thomas Werner

  • Professor of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Biological Sciences

Links of Interest

Research Interests

  • Evolution
  • Genetics
  • Toxicology
  • Developmental Biology
Yan Zhang

Yan Zhang

  • Research Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences

Links of Interest

Google Scholar Profile

Positions Available

  • Ph.D. Research Assistantship
    • Previous experiences in molecular biology, cell biology, and animal studies are preferred
    • Send CV to yzhang49@mtu.edu