I am originally from Wisconsin. I went to graduate school in Idaho, where I researched behavior genetics in mammals. After a postdoc at the University of Florida Medical School, I landed a job teaching at Dixie State College of Utah. I love the outdoors, so St. George is the perfect place for me.
Faculty at our college are given great latitude in how they teach. I try to be very creative in the classroom, making the information easy to understand (but still plentiful).
My main research interest since 2008 has been studying canyon tree frogs in Zion National Park during the summers. My students and I discovered that some populations of these frogs have the usually deadly chytrid fungus, but these populations appear to be immune to it, likely due to their lifestyle. During the summer of 2019 I may begin a new project seeking to learn more about the canyon tree frogs in habitats outside of the national park.