Department of Natural Sciences Faculty

Richard Adler, Associate Professor of Microbiology; Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University
Research Interests: Characterization of Riboflavin Binding Protein gene regulatory events and structure.
Microbiology Chair and Concentration Advisor
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Larry D. Alexander, Assistant Professor of Biology; Ph.D. Meharry Medical College
Research Interests: Signal transduction in renal epithelial cells, G protein mediated transactivating tyrosine kinase receptors.
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Angela Allen, Lecturer in Chemistry; M.S. Wayne State University
Research Interests: Development and evaluation of laboratory experiments for use in organic chemistry.
Chemistry/ Instructional Track Advisor
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Krisanu Bandyopadhyay, Assistant Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. University of Calcutta
Research Interests: Preparation and characterization of structurally well-defined organic monolayers on solid surfaces by self assembly.
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Ali Bazzi, Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. Wayne State University
Research Interests: Trace metal speciation in natural waters with electrochemical techniques. Analytical methods development with chromatographic, spectrometric and voltammetric techniques applicable to environmental and biological samples.
Chemistry Discipline Chair, Environmental Science Concentration Co-Advisor
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Donald J. Bord, Professor of Physics; Ph.D. Dartmouth College
Research Interests: Stellar spectroscopy of chemically peculiar stars, ultraviolet observations of stars, photometric measurements of long-period variable stars.
Associate Dean, College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters
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Mark DeCamp, Associate Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. Princeton University
Research Interests: Investigation of organic reaction mechanisms by deuterium labeling; organic synthesis
Preprofessional Advisor
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Yiwei Deng, Assistant Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) and Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (EAWAG)
Research Interests: Development of analytical methods for environmental and food applications and the study of pathways, mechanisms and kinetics of chemical and photochemical reactions.
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John F. Devlin, Associate Professor of Physics; Ph.D. Michigan State University
Research Interests: Theoretical solid state physics, especially structural properties of metals.
Physics Concentration Advisor
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Craig J. Donahue, Associate Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. University of Massachusetts
Research Interests: The study of eight-coordinate early transition metal complexes. Study of the chelating ability of 2-selenopyridine and related heterocyclic ligands.
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Orin Gelderloos, Professor of Biology and Environmental Science; Ph.D. Northwestern University
Research Interests: Watershed Analysis, Ecology and Science Education. Floodplain Forest Ecology; Migration, Orientation and Navigation of Birds.
Director of Natural Areas and Environmental Studies Concentration Advisor
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James M. Hetrick, Lecturer in Physics and Coordinator of Physics Laboratories; Ph.D. University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana
Research Interests: Physics instruction and computers in introductory physics laboratories.
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William P. Kovalak, Lecturer in Biology; Ph.D. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Research Interests: Freshwater biology and fisheries.
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Bette Kreuz, Lecturer in Chemistry; M.S. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Research Interests: Development and incorporation of instrumentation into the chemistry curriculum.
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Daniel Lawson, Associate Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. Michigan State University
Research Interests: Computational studies of the electronic structure and molecular properties of molecules containing transition metal atoms.
Chemistry Concentration Co-Advisor
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David C. Matzke, Lecturer in Physics; M.S. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Research Interests: Studies of Jupiter's magnetic fields at radiofrequencies, quasi-stellar objects, Seyfert galaxies, non-solar X-ray and gamma ray astronomy.
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Donald Miller, Senior Lecturer in Biology; M.S. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Research Interests: Botany.
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M. Kazem Mostafapour, Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry; Ph.D. Wayne State University
Research Interests: Cell surface glycoproteins, sialyltransferases and lens structural proteins.
Biochemistry Chair and Concentration Co-Advisor
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Kent S. Murray, Professor of Geology and Environmental Science; Ph.D. University of California-Davis
Research interests: Sources of pollution to the Great Lakes; land use impacts on groundwater and surface water quality; contaminant hydrogeology and investigation of hazardous waste sites; brownfield site assessment and redevelopment.
Geology/Earth Science Concentration Advisor and Director of the MS in Environmental Science Program
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Vaman Naik, Professor of Physics; Ph.D. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Research Interests: Experimental Condensed Matter Physics and Biophysics.
Chair, Department of Natural Sciences
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Jacob Napieralski, Assistant Professor of Geology; Ph.D. Purdue University-West Lafayette
Research interests: Glacial geology and geomorphology; surface hydrology; Geographic Information Systems.
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Judy M. Nesmith, Senior Lecturer in Biology; M.S. Michigan State University
Research Interests: Benthic macroinvertebrate community analysis. Activity patterns of terrestrial arthropods. Invertebrate zoology. Science education.
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Charlotte A. Otto, Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. University of Illinois
Research Interests: Reform of science courses for pre-service elementary education majors; science education.
Associate Provost
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Marilee Benore Parsons, Associate Professor of Biology and Biochemistry; Ph.D. University of Delaware
Research Interests: Characterization of Riboflavin Binding Protein gene regulatory events and structure.
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Philip Pokorski, Lecturer in Biology and Chemistry; Ph.D. Wayne State University
Research Interests: Heavy metal toxicology. Forensic science.
Biochemistry Concentration Co-Advisor
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Jeffrey J. Prentis, Professor of Physics; Ph.D. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Research Interests: Statistical physics, complexity, fractals, physics history and education.
Physics Discipline Chair 2006-09
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John F. Riebesell, Associate Professor of Biology; Ph.D. The University of Chicago
Research Interests: Population Biology and Plant Ecology. Phyotosynthetic adaptations in plants. Effects of environmental modification on community stability in model ecosystems.
Environmental Sciences Concentration Advisor
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Jean M. Saillant, Lecturer in Biology; M.A. Indiana University
Research Interests: Brain amines and passage of drugs across placental barrier.
Biology Concentration Advisor
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Robert L. Simpson, Professor of Biology; Ph.D. Cornell University
Research Interests: Ecology. Freshwater wetland ecology and community and ecosystem dynamics.
On leave 2006-07 Academic Year

Sheila R. Smith, Assistant Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. University of North Carolina
Research Interests: Bioinorganic Chemistry. NOx reduction by siderophore complexes. Copper and iron in biological systems.
Chemistry Concentration Co-Advisor
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Ogie Stewart, Lecturer in Chemistry; Ph.D. Wayne State University
Research Interests: Chemical vapor deposition of thin films.
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David J. Susko, Assistant Professor of Biology; Ph.D. University of Windsor, Canada
Research Interests: Maternal effects of weed seed populations and communities and plant classification based on patterns of ovule fate.
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Carrie Swift, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy; Ph.D. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Research Interests: Computational astrophysics, simulations of emission, absorption and propagation of radiation through relativistic radio jets.
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John C. Thomas, Associate Professor of Biology; Ph.D. University of Arizona
Research Interests: Plant Molecular Biology. Expression of insecticidal and anti-viral genes for plant protection. Molecular basis of responses to environmental stress and plant growth regulators.
Biology Discipline Chair
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Sonia M. Tiquia, Assistant Professor of Biology and Microbiology; Ph.D. The University of Hong Kong
Research Interests: Waste processing biology and microbiology, microbial community structure and dynamics in natural environments and the use of genomic technology in environmental microbiology and microbial ecology.
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Paul W. Zitzewitz, Professor of Physics, CASL, and Professor of Science Education, SOE; Ph.D. Harvard University
Research Interests: Use of positrons and positronium to test fundamental theories of physics. Physics education.
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Department of Natural Sciences Emeriti Faculty, 2006

Frank Garland, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. University of Maryland
Research Interests: The mechanism of myosin and actinomyosin ATPase and its relationship to energy transduction in cardiac and skeletal muscle.

Arunajallam Nadasen, Emeritus Professor of Physics; Ph.D. Indiana University
Research Interests: Experimental nuclear physics; elastic scattering, knowckout reactions, heavy-ion collisions.

Richard Norman, Emeritus Professor of Biology; Ph.D. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Research Interests: Neurobiology. Invertebrate neurophysiology, small neural systems, synaptic integration. Mathematical analysis and modeling of physiological systems.

Richard A. Potts, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. Northwestern University
Research Interests: Chemistry of mercury and gold with emphasis on their less common +1 oxidation states.

Michael J. Schneider, Emeritus Professor of Biology; Ph.D. The University of Chicago
Research Interests: Plant Physiology. Photmorphogenesis, photosensory physiology, thermal sensory physiology. The actions of phytochrome in the mediation of plant growth and development.