Courses Offered
- Ecology (Biol B220)
- Computational Methods in the Sciences (Biol B250)
- Evolutionary Ecology (SIU Zool 485)
Science progresses by competing hypotheses against one another. Some hypotheses obviously fail. It is the goal in my courses to teach students to use the available tools for hypothesis testing to further our understanding of biological systems. In particular, we will examine how modifications in an organism's physiology or behavior might be adaptive to a variety of environmental circumstances, allowing certain individuals higher fitness than others.
Above are links to the web pages for the courses that I offer. There, I will post materials for my courses including slide presentations, syllabi, lecture notes, outside readings, and any other materials that might be relevant.
Here are a few additional links that might be of interest:
- How does knowledge progress? Check out this overlooked paper for an interesting perspective.
- Every day the teaching of science is compromised by personal belief at the expense of testable hypotheses. Check out the National Center for Science Education to see how this might be happening where you live.
- To date, biological diversity is best explained by the theory of evolution. Check out the Tree of Life, a collaborative effort by biologists to document our current (but by no means final) understanding of the evolutionary history of life.