The M.S. in Biological Sciences is a general degree and covers a diverse range of interests. All members of the Department of Biological Sciences are considered to be potential instructors and thesis advisors in the program. Thesis committees are required to have at least two faculty members from the Department of Biological Sciences, one of which is required to be the supervisor. A third member of the thesis committee can come from outside the department. It is reccomended that you contact potential faculty sponsors that match your interest before submitting any application materials. Biology faculty who frequently teach courses in the program and advise graduate students include:
Dr. Ritin Bhaduri:
Marine and estuarine ecology, invertebrate zoology. rbhaduri@csustan.edu Ph. 209-667-3485
Dr. Sarah Bissonnette:
Investigating the development of conceptual expertise in Biology. Probing biology students' molecular understanding of everyday biological phenomena. sbissonnette@csustan.edu Ph. 209-664-3499
Dr. Jennifer Cooper:
Evolution of behavior in mammals. jcooper3@csustan.edu Ph. 209-667-6694
Dr. Matthew Cover:
Freshwater ecology: temporary streams, disturbance ecology, aquatic insects. mcover@csustan.edu Ph. 209-667-3603
Dr. Michael Fleming:
Ecology (communities and populations, plant/animal interactions), science education (metacognition, identifying and correcting misconceptions in biology, learning how to learn in the sciences). mfleming1@csustan.edu Ph. 209-664-6923.
Dr. Marina Gerson:
Ecology, herpetology, behavioral ecology, evolution, desert biology, tropical biology. mgerson@csustan.edu Ph. 209-664-6547.
Dr. Mark Grobner:
Developmental biology, mammalian preimplantation embryo development. mgrobner@csustan.edu Ph. 209-667-3628.
Dr. Terry Jones:
Vertebrate functional morphology and paleobiology. tdjones@csustan.edu Ph. 209-667-3488.
Dr. Choong-Min Kang:
Developing novel brewing yeasts of various industrial yeast strains by cell fusion and CRISPR. Also, my research group is interested in developing and commercializing probiotics by using novel Lactobacillus strains. ckang@csustan.edu
Dr. Patrick Kelly:
Mammalian ecology and conservation, habitat management for endangered kangaroo rats and viability analyses for the San Joaquin kit fox and other animals. patrickk@esrp.csustan.edu Ph. 209-667-3446.
Dr. Ann Kohlhaas:
Ecology, behavior, and conservation of vertebrates, especially primates, other mammals and birds. akohlhaas@csustan.edu Ph. 209-667-3695.
Dr. Brian Sardella:
Comparative and environmental physiology, physiology of extreme environments, and ichthyology. bsardella@csustan.edu Ph. 209-667-3483
Dr. Kenneth Schoenly:
Invertebrate ecology, forensic entomology, ecological agriculture and biological control. kschoenly@csustan.edu Ph. 209-667-3949.
Dr. My Lo Thao:
Genetics and evolution of endosymbiotic bacteria-insect associations, environmental microbiology (bioremediation), and molecular biology. mthao@csustan.edu Ph. 209-667-3649.
Dr. Stuart Wooley:
Plant-herbivore interactions, interactions between above- and below-ground organisms- particularly those that are symbiotic. Improving educational practices in biology or other science teaching. swooley@csustan.edu Ph. 209-664-6926.