The 2021-22 school year finds lots of activity on the third floor of the science building. Indeed, between Dr. Ortell, Mrs. Rellinger, and Dr. Domangue, we see over 50% of the student body in our biology courses fall term. Present fall offerings include Marine Biology (Ortell and Rellinger), Vet Med (Rellinger), Evolution (Rellinger), Classical Genetics (Ortell), Honors Bio and Anatomy & Physiology (Domangue). Each of your instructors brings a unique perspective to classes with Mrs. Rellinger stemming from a polar biochemistry background, Dr. Ortell with coastal microbial diversity, and Dr. Domangue stable isotope biogeochemistry. The years of collective science research your instructors have support student inquiry for their own research projects either through class projects or the Research Fellows Program. You’ll find biology students applying scientific methodology weekly during labs and term long like the A&P term project cumulating in a class symposium.
Your instructors are passionate about the subjects they teach. Mrs. Rellinger appreciates “the flexibility at ASMS to add new elective courses like Vet Med that allows for instructors to host alumni like 2015 graduate Madison Sharp, now at Auburn University vet school, to engage with the students about their careers and passions.” Dr. Ortell loves teaching microbial ecology because she gets to share her microbial passion with students and watch them become interested in microbes. Dr. Domangue was recently asked what the best part about her week was and it was being able to see all her students in person every day, enjoying the learning process.
Synergy among biology faculty means students can expect cohesion between class sections of the same course taught by different instructors. It also means students are synthesizing content into a weekly portfolio and this concept is used across classes.
If you like science, we encourage you to come have fun with some biology electives and your amazing biology instructors!
Dr. Rebecca Domangue
ASMS Biology Instructor
