Elizabeth Thomas

Senior Lecturer

M.S. 1985, Clemson University

E-mail: thomasb@wvu.edu

I have been teaching in West Virginia University’s Biology Department since 1999. I primarily teach sections of Biology 101 and 102, which are the General Biology classes for non-majors. However, I have also taught Human Physiology and special topics classes for Honors students. I have a very diverse background in biological sciences ranging from ultrastructural studies of marine polychaetes to the analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences of blue crabs. My research experience includes several years monitoring desertification and global climate change as a research assistant at Duke University. After moving to Morgantown in 1995, I worked on a breast cancer research project at WVU’s Cancer Center and cultured and identified mycorrhizal fungi in WVU’s Department of Soil Sciences. My diverse background explains how I can be equally thrilled explaining photosynthesis or the human circulatory system. I am extremely fortunate to be teaching a subject that I have loved all my life - a subject that is both fascinating and incredibly relevant to everyone’s life. As I focus on being the best instructor that I can be, I devote my time, energy and experience to students as they learn about the beauty of living things.