Biology faculty receive Plumeri Awards
Twenty William and Mary faculty received the award for Faculty Excellence in recognition of their exemplary achievements in regard to teaching, research and service. Three of these faculty are in the Biology Department. A feature article on the awards and all of this year's recipients contains the following excerpted descriptions of the work and contributions of Drs. Chambers, Heideman, and Swaddle:
R
andy M. Chambers
Cornelia B. Talbot Term Distinguished
Professor of Biology
Director of the Keck Environmental Field
Laboratory since arriving at William & Mary in 2001, Professor
Chambers is a wetlands ecology specialist who is perhaps best known in
the College community (and beyond) for his expertise on diamondback
terrapins. He teaches and researches across multiple disciplines (marine
science, geology, environmental science and biology), and has
co-authored many published journal articles - primarily in nutrient
dynamics, invasive species, and turtle ecology in wetlands - with the
numerous undergraduate and graduate students he has mentored. During his
Watershed Dynamics, Wetland Ecosystems, and ever-popular Introduction
to Environmental Science and Policy (ENSP) courses, Chambers is known to
move students back and forth between the classroom and Lake Matoaka in
an effort to bring lessons to life. He has served on the ENSP program's
executive committee since its launch and is currently its acting
director. He is active in the local community, where he has consulted
with planners and regulators, served on committees, and taught programs
to school-age children. Chambers holds a doctorate in environmental
sciences from the University of Virginia.
Paul D. Heideman
Professor of Biology
Professor
Heideman is internationally known for his work on the seasonality of
reproduction in mammals, which combines evolutionary theories and
reproductive biology and has implications for understanding brain
function and the evolution of brain pathways. Praised as a "talented
synthesizer and integrator," effective teacher, and devoted mentor, his
courses range from introductory-level biology to Animal Physiology to
graduate colloquia. He directs the ALSAM Foundation Scholars Program at
the College, served as department chair from 2004 to 2009, and is
currently the lead investigator and co-lead on National Science
Foundation and Department of Education grants (respectively) that focus
on recruiting, developing and preparing science and mathematics teachers
for high-needs schools. In his 15-plus years at William & Mary,
Heideman has developed two novel learning tools to improve student
performance called "minute sketches" and "folded lists"; he is currently
preparing descriptions of these tools for publication and notes that
students often utilize them the rest of their educational careers.
Heideman holds a doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology from the
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
John P. Swaddle
Arts & Sciences Term Distinguished
Associate Professor of Biology
Professor Swaddle is an
enthusiastic scholar and devoted mentor who often oversees research of
nearly 20 students (primarily undergraduates) every semester. An expert
in evolutionary behavioral ecology, many of his experiments and
professional publications focus on the behavior of birds and their
importance to ecological and evolutionary processes, as well as to human
health, economics and culture. Co-author of Asymmetry, Developmental
Stability and Evolution (Oxford, 1997), he has helped secure significant
outside funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for the College's
Environmental Science and Policy program, which Swaddle directs, and the
National Science Foundation (NSF). A 2004 NSF grant helped him and
colleagues form the Institute for Integrative Bird Behavior Studies at
William & Mary. Swaddle has provided key leadership for the
College's biomathematics program, summertime Research Experience for
Undergraduates, and biomathematics internship program with Thomas Nelson
Community College. Swaddle currently holds his second term
professorship at William & Mary and has received international
honors for his work. He earned his doctorate in behavioral ecology from
the University of Bristol, United Kingdom, where he previously taught.
