Natural Science and Engineering Faculty

• David Davis, Ph. D., Chair
• Judy Freeney
• Trinika Addison
• Donna Balding, Ph. D.
• Gerry Buffone, Ph. D.
• Jeff Burne, Ph. D.
• Whitney Elmore, Ph. D.
• Victoria Guarisco, Ph. D.
• Christopher Hornung, Ph. D.
• Jim McNeil, Ph. D.
• Jeffrey Mohr, Ph. D.
• Kimberly Pickens, Ph. D.
• Jaya Rao, Ph. D.
• Christine Rigsby, Ph. D.
• Thomas Sawicki, Ph. D.
• Malav Shah, M.S.
• Dawn Sherry, Ph. D.
• Michael Torbett, Ph. D.
• Jeffrey Wiles, M.S.
• Jeffrey Williams, Ph. D.
• Pushpa Yadav, Ph. D.
• Nick Yang, Ph. D.

DR. DAVID DAVIS

Chair of Natural Science and Engineering, and Professor of Biology

B.A. Emory University (1970)
M.S. Georgia State College (1976)
Ph.D Texas A&M (1981)

Field: Entomology

Research Interest: Insect Ecology

Courses Taught: Anatomy and Physiology, Scientific Thought and Theory

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JUDY ("the Queen") FREENEY

Administrative Assistant

Specialty: Specialty: Answering all the questions that no one else has the answers to, being the hinge-pin without which the whole operation would collapse.

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MS. TRINIKA ADDISON

Assistant Professor of Biology

B.S. Georgia Southern University (2002)
M.S. Georgia College & State University (2008)

Field: Anatomy

Research Interest: Insect Ecology

Courses Taught: Anatomy & Physiology, Introductory Biology, Perspectives on the Human Body, and Research Methods

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DR. DONNA BALDING

Associate Professor of Biology

B.A. Agnes Scott College (1992)
Ph. D. Emory University (2001)

Field: Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

Research Interest: DNA transposition and site-specific recombination in bacteria; iron acquisition mechanisms of pathogenic bacteria.

Courses Taught: Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology,
Ethical Issues in Science and Senior Seminar.

Personal website

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DR. GERALD BUFFONE

Assistant Professor of Chemistry

B.S. Indiana University of Pennsylvania (1998)
Ph. D. University of Delaware (2006)

Field: Chemistry and Biochemistry

Research Interest: Catalysis (Organometallic Chemistry); Natural Product Synthesis (Organic Chemistry); Synthesis of Transition Metal Complexes (Inorganic Chemistry)

Courses Taught: Biochemistry, Principles of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry,
Survey of Chemistry

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DR. JEFF BURNE

Professor of Biology

B.S. Clemson University (1978) Zoology
M.S. Clemson University (1980) Entomology
Ph. D. University of Arizona (1985) Entomology

Field: Entomology

Research Interest: Taxonomy and systematics of Coleoptera

Courses Taught: Microbiology, Introductory Biology, Invertebrate Biology and
Integrated Math & Science.

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DR. WHITNEY ELMORE

Assistant Professor of Biology

A.S. Western Kentucky University (1997), Turfgrass Science
B.S. Western Kentucky University (1998), Agriculture
M.S. Western Kentucky University (2011), Agriculture
Ph. D. University of Florida (2006), Plant Pathology

Field: Plant sciences and pedagogical research

Research Interest: Native plant species of the middle Georgia and pedagogical
strategies to improve science and non-science major classroom success.

Courses Taught: Plant Biology, Genetics, Research Methods, Critical Thinking
about the Environment, Freshman Year Experience, and Non-majors Biology.

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DR. VICTORIA GUARISCO

Associate Professor of Chemistry

B.S. Spring Hill College (1988), Chemistry
Ph. D. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1994)

Field: Analytical Chemistry

Research Interest: Chemicals and Everyday Usage; Langmuir-Blodgett Films

Courses Taught: Fundamental Chemistry, Principles of Chemistry, Organic
Chemistry and Research Methods

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DR. CHRIS HORNUNG

Assistant Professor of Engineering

B.S. SUNY at Buffalo, NY (1990) Aerospace Engineering
Ph. D. SUNY at Buffalo, NY (1999) Mechanical Engineering

Field: Mechanical Engineering

Research Interest: Computational fluid dynamics and turbulence modeling

Courses Taught: Introduction to Engineering, Statics, Dynamics, Strength
and Materials, Thermodynamics, Circuit Analysis, Physical Science, Math Modeling,
Principles of Physics and College Algebra.

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DR. JAMES MCNEIL

Assistant Professor of Chemistry

B.S. University of Louisville (1980), Chemistry
Ph. D. Purdue University (1986), Nuclear Chemistry
Ph. D. University of Louisville (1996), Chemical Engineering

Field: Nuclear Structure and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Research Interest: Kinetic Theory of Gases and Liquids, Relativistic Quantum
Mechanics, and the General Theory of Relativity that applies Tensor Calculus
and Differential Geometry

Courses Taught: Introductory Chemistry, General Chemistry, and Physical Science

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DR. JEFFREY MOHR

Assistant Professor of Biology

B.S. Furman University (1999), Biology
M.S. Oklahoma State University (2003), Zoology
Ph. D. Clemson University (2010), Wildlife and Fisheries Biology

Field: Herpetology, Ecology, Wildlife Services

Research Interest: Population ecology of reptiles and amphibians of the southeast in relation to ecosystem and habitat variance.

Courses Taught: Introductory Biology

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DR. JOHN PATTILLO

Associate Professor of Biology

B.S. University of Georgia (1995)
M.S. University of Pittsburg (1998)
Ph. D. University of Pittsburg (2002)

Field: Neuroscience

Research Interest: Synaptic Physiology; Development of Open Source Hardware Teaching Tools

Courses Taught: Anatomy and Physiology, Animal Physiology, Senior Seminar

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DR. KIM PICKENS

Associate Professor of Biology

B.S. University of Georgia (1996) Botany
M.S. University of Georgia (2000) Horticulture
Ph.D. University of Tennessee (2004) Plant Sciences

Field: Plant Genetics

Research Interest: Plant/pollinator interactions; in vitro propagation; plant bioengineering.

Courses Taught: Genetics, Plant Biology, Senior Seminar, Perspectives on the Environment, Introductory Biology and Principles of Biology.

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DR. JAYA RAO

Instructor of Biology

B.S. Osmania University (1975)
M.S. Osmania University (1977)
Ph. D. Osmania University (1981)

Field: Immunology

Research Interest: Atherosclerosis and the effects of growth factors on smooth muscle.

Courses Taught: Perspectives on the Human Body and Introductory Biology

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DR. CHRISTINE RIGSBY

Assistant Professor of Biology

B.S. Georgia College and State University (2002), Biology
Ph. D. Medical College of Georgia (2007), Physiology

Field: Cardiovascular and Endocrine Physiology

Research Interest: Ischemic stroke, hypertension, endocrine modulators of vascular
structure/function (aldosterone, estrogen), adrenal gland anatomy
and physiology

Courses Taught: Anatomy and Physiology

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DR. TOM SAWICKI

Assistant Professor of Biology

B.S. Eastern Connecticut State University (1998)
Ph. D. Old Dominion University (2004)

Field: Evolutionary Biology

Research Interest: Phylogenetics of subterranean crustaceans

Courses Taught: Introductory Biology, Principles of Biology, Evolution, Senior Seminar

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MR. MALAV SHAH

Assistant Professor of Physics

B.S. Gujarat University (1980)
M.S. University of Georgia (1984)

Field: Physics and Astrophysics

Research Interest: Active Galactic Nuclei, Super massive Black Holes, Cosmology

Courses Taught: Physics, Astronomy, Physical Science and Integrated Science

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DR. DAWN SHERRY

Associate Professor of Biology

B.S. Indiana University of Pennsylvania (1990)
M.S. Indiana University of Pennsylvania (1996)
Ph. D. Texas A&M University (2006)

Field: Avian Ecology

Research Interest: Foraging behavior and habitat use of wading birds; plant-animal interactions

Courses Taught: Introductory Biology, Principles of Biology, Ecology, Vertebrate Zoology, Senior Seminar

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DR. MICHAEL TORBETT

Associate Professor of Physics

B.S. University of Tennessee (1972), Physics
M.S. University of Tennessee (1977), Physics
Ph. D. University of Texas (1982), Astrophysics

Field: Numerical Celestial Mechanics

Research Interest: Orbital Resonances, Asteroid Evolution, Chaotic Evolution
of Cometary Orbits

Courses Taught: Astronomy, Physics, and Physical Science

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MR. JEFFREY WILES

Assistant Professor of Biology

B.S. Belmont University (1993)
M.S. University of Tennessee Knoxville (1999)

Field: Microbiology

Courses Taught: Microbiology for the Health Sciences, Introductory Biology

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DR. JEFFREY WILLIAMS

Assistant Professor of Biology

B.A. Brigham Young University (1995)
Louisiana State Univ. Medical Center (1998-2000)
Ph. D. University of Texas at Austin (2006)

Field: Biology/Photochemistry

Research Interest: Chemical extraction of triglycosidic flavanoids
from the genus Silphium

Courses Taught: Anatomy and Physiology, Cell Biology, Senior Seminar,
and Perspectives in Biology

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DR. PUSHPA YADAV

Assistant Professor of Biology

M.S. Meerut University (1988)
Ph. D. Meerut University (1994)

Field: Cytogenetics

Research Interest: Heavy metal toxicity in plants; in vitro regeneration and
genetic transformation of medicinal plants.

Courses Taught: Critical thinking about the Human Body and
Introductory Biology Sequence.

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DR. NICK YANG

Professor of Chemistry

B.S. National Taiwan Normal University (1965) Chemistry
M.S. University of Idaho (1973) Physical Chemistry
Ph. D. University of Idaho (1978) Organic Chemistry

Field: Organic Chemistry

Research Interest: Metal benzenes and non-naturally occurring amino acids

Courses Taught: General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Biochemistry.

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