Society-Wide Elections
Candidates and Biographies

Click on a candidate's name to jump to her/his biography and statement.

Candidate for Treasurer

Ronald V. Dimock, Jr. (incumbent)

Candidates for Chair of the Education Council

Robin L. Cooper

Peter H. Niewiarowski

Candidates for Member-at-Large

John H. Long, Jr.

Patrick Reynolds

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Candidate for Treasurer-elect

Ronald V. Dimock, Jr. (incumbent)

Current Position: Wake Forest Professor of Biology, Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC.

Education: BA, University of New Hampshire, MS, Florida State University, PhD, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Professional Experience: Chair, Department of Biology, Wake Forest University 1984-1990; Assistant Professor to Professor 1970-83; named Wake Forest Professor of Biology, 2002; Visiting Professor (summers, Marine Invertebrate Zoology), Duke University Marine Laboratory 17 years; Visiting Scientist, MBL, Woods Hole, 1971; Visiting Professor, University of Amsterdam, 1983, University of Sydney, 1998.

SICB Activities: Member since 1967. Currently Treasurer (2nd term) 2004-2007; Nominee, Chair, Div. Ecology, 1982; Nominee, Chair, Div. Invert. Zool., 1987; Nominee, Member-at-Large, Executive Committee, 1994; Chair, numerous paper sessions.

Other Memberships: Past-President, American Microscopical Society, Past-President and former Treasurer, NC Academy of Science; American Malacological Society; Association of Southeastern Biologists; Sigma Xi.

Research Interests: Physiology, behavior, functional morphology and development of the freshwater mussel family Unionidae, one of the largest taxa of endangered or threatened animal species in North America. We apply video-endoscopy, fluorescence/Confocal/SEM and physiological techniques to basic questions concerning this poorly studied taxon.

Goals Statement: Having been a member of ASZ/SICB since I was a beginning graduate student, I understand and appreciate the role and importance of graduate students and post-docs as the life-blood of the Society's future. The very encouraging level of participation by these groups in recent annual meetings underscores the obligation of SICB to ensure that it remains one of the most comprehensive and truly integrative professional societies, serving its membership well. The fiscally sound position of SICB must be maintained, and should facilitate on-going and innovative initiatives to insure the broadest participation of young biologists while maintaining an effective forum for seasoned scientists. I look forward to helping sustain that effort.

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Candidate for Chair of the Educational Council

Robin L. Cooper

Education: BS Chemistry & Zoology; PhD Physiology, Texas Tech Med School; 1st Postdoc 3 yrs at Univ. of Basel, Biozentrum, Basel, Switzerland; 2nd Postdoc 4 yrs at Univ. of Toronto, Dept. Physiology, Med School.

Professional Experience: 1996-2000 Assistant Prof. Univ of KY; 2000-present, Associate Prof, Univ. of Kentucky, Dept. of Biology. Related experience in science education relates to developing and founding the Central KY Regional Science and Engineering Fair, Inc. This provides an opportunity for 33 counties in KY to send K4-12 students to compete in an INTEL-ISEF recognized science fair. I am the director of the fair. This involves contact time with science teachers and their students as well as organizing many school fairs to insure their students proceed on to the Regional Fair.

SICB Activities: 1998-2001 (3 yrs) Secretary, Division of Neurobiology (DNB); 2003-2005 (2 yrs) Chair, Division of Neurobiology (DNB)

Other Memberships: Society for Neuroscience; Amer. Physiological Society; Caving groups; and various environmental conservation groups. Served Member at Large (1998-1999) and President (2002-2003) for Society for Neuroscience-Kentucky chapter. Served as Secretary (2002-2003) for the Blue Grass Grotto (BGG). This is a caving club branch of the National Speleological Society. The BGG is concerned with conservation and education of the public about caves within KY. Now serving a three year term (2004-2007) as a Director for the Blue Grass Grotto.

Research Interests: Modulation of synaptic transmission in invertebrate preparations.

Goals Statement: To help promote dissemination of biological information to the general public primarily through www based resources through SICB. To encourage participation of science teachers, high school students and undergraduates in SICB sponsored events. I plan to link the Intel science programs, Discovery channel and Science Service in D.C. with SICB events.

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Candidate for Chair of the Educational Council

Peter H. Niewiarowski

Current Position: Associate Professor, Program in Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Department of Biology, University of Akron

Education: B.S., Biology Marlboro College, Marlboro Vermont, 1984; Ph.D. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Phila. PA, 1992

Professional Experience: Asst. Prof. Biology University of Akron, Akron OH 1995-2001; Postdoctoral Research Associate, SREL, Aiken SC, University of Georgia 1993-1995; Software Developer, Hutchinson Associates, 1992-1993

SICB Activities: Member since 1995; no committee memberships to date

Other Memberships: SSE, ASN, ESA, SSAR, ASIH

Research Interests: Ecology and Evolution of life history traits in general and in reptiles specifically (focusing much of my work on the eastern fence lizard, Sceloporus undulatus), including related fields of biophysical and physiological ecology.  Also, over the last 10 years I have studied population dynamics (pattern and process) in amphibians, particularly species in the genus Ambystoma (mole salamanders).  I have become increasingly interested in the intersection of studies of life history variation and population dynamics especially as it relates to the development and testing of theory.

Goals Statement: I am particularly interested in the ways that the education committee could continue to promote an 'integrative' approach to graduate training in biology that includes disciplinary integration but also applies more broadly.  For example, I believe there are analogies to be drawn and explored between the disciplinary integration the society strives toward and the way we view the place of graduate education within the larger framework of K-12, undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate training. Such a view could have obvious and important impacts on other work by the society (e.g., an integrated view of graduate training within the broader educational context should positively influence an understanding of evolution and how it is taught throughout the curriculum spanning K-12 through post-graduate work).

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Candidate for Member-at-Large

John H. Long, Jr.

Current Position: Professor of Biology, Cognitive Science, and Neuroscience & Behavior, Vassar College.

Education: Ph.D. Duke University; B.A. College of the Atlantic

Professional Experience: 2004 to present:  Professor, Vassar College.  1998 to 2004: Associate Professor, Vassar College.  1991 to 1998:  Assistant Professor, Vassar College.  Administrative Appointments at Vassar College:  Director, Undergraduate Research Summer Institute (2001 to 2003); Director, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior (1999 to 2000); Director, Community Works Campaign (2003 to 2004).  Member of the Executive Committee, International Society of Vertebrate Morphology (2001 to 2004).  Panelist, Cross-disciplinary Research at Undergraduate Institutions, National Science Foundation (2003).

SICB Activities: Member since 1988, with primary divisional affiliations in Vertebrate Morphology and Comparative Physiology & Biochemistry. 1998 to 2000:  Secretary, Division of Vertebrate Morphology.  1999: Organized symposium (co-organizer was Tom Koob), "The Function and Evolution of the Vertebrate Axis;" won funding from NSF for participants.  1995:  Co-organized symposium (organizer was George Lauder), " Aquatic Locomotion:  New Approaches to Invertebrate & Vertebrate Biomechanics."  1994:  Chair, Dwight Davis award committee for DVM.

Other Memberships: International Society of Vertebrate Morphology; Sigma Xi; Society of Vertebrate Paleontology; Oceanic Engineering Society (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers).

Research Interests: I'm interested in the mechanics and evolution of swimming behavior in vertebrates.  Work in my laboratory and with collaborators integrates biomechanics, physiology, morphology, computer simulation, and robotics. (Details available at faculty.vassar.edu/jolong/vertebrae.html)

Goals Statement: While our By-Laws have little to say about the exact duties of the member-at-large, I interpret the role to include, as primary responsibility, representing the interests of the membership in the executive committee.  To do so, I'll seek your feedback about how well the Society is (1) serving your needs as an individual researcher and educator, (2) creating and revising SICB's goals, (3) accomplishing SICB's mission (see our proposed mission statement at www.sicb.org/handbook/plan.php3), and (4) managing budgets, meeting logistics, web presence, and our scientific publications.

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Candidate for Member-at-Large

Patrick Reynolds

Current position: Associate Professor, Biology, Hamilton College, NY; 1998-present

Education: 1983 B.Sc.: Zoology, University College Galway, Ireland. 1991 Ph.D.: Biology, University of Victoria, Canada.

Professional Experience: Assistant Professor, Biology, Hamilton College, 1992-98; Research Associate/ Visiting Post-doc, Inst. Marine Sciences, UC Santa Cruz, 1990-92; Lecturer, Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley 1990, 1991.

SICB Activities: Member (from 1987); presentations/abstracts in several years. DIZ: Student Best Paper Award Panel (1998, 1999); Nominating Committee (2005); Editor (2004-present), Co-editor (1997-2003) of Invertebrate Biology, journal of the American Microscopical Society and DIZ/SICB. DSEB: Secretary (2004-2006); Nominating Committee (2004).

Other Memberships: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Malacological Society, American Microscopical Society, Council of Science Editors, Malacological Society of London, Society for the Study of Evolution, Society of Systematic Biologists, Willi Hennig Society.

Research Interests: Functional morphology and evolution of invertebrates, particularly the Mollusca; comparative studies addressing the evolution of organ systems and clades using morphological and molecular systematics.

Goals Statement: Having been a member of SICB since early graduate days, I would be honored to serve the society as Member-at-Large. I support SICB because of its strength in bringing biologists from diverse fields to a single organization that emphasizes their cross-disciplinary interests. As Member-at-Large, I would aim to facilitate communication between the membership and the Executive Committee, and work to maintain our strong commitment to students and symposium quality. I am also very interested in the issues confronting the society's journal, having recently addressed similar issues in the DIZ/ AMS journal Invertebrate Biology, and would look forward to contributing to the planning for Integrative and Comparative Biology in the Member-at-Large role.

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