| WORK ADDRESS | HOME ADDRESS |
| Biology Department, Saint Joseph's College | 385 W 900 North |
| Rensselaer, IN 47978 | Wheatfield, IN 46392 |
| (219) 866-6215 bobb@saintjoe.edu | (219) 956-4184 |
One of the advantages of a small liberal arts college is the one-on-one contact between students and faculty in the classroom, research and various extra-curricular activities. Getting to know students, directing research and getting involved as a club advisor or intramural sports has been one of the great rewards of teaching at a small liberal arts college. My teaching philosophy is a mixture of traditional and new teaching theory methods. The lectures are usually in a traditional lecture style using an outline format with references and down to earth examples but enhanced by ample audio visuals such as overheads, powerpoint and video. Student evaluations and feedback indicate taking accurate notes is facilitated by this lecture style. I keep up with advances by reading new issues of several journals. It is common for me to include a finding published within the most recent month during my lectures. The approach that I favor in lab and discussion involves hands-on, inquiry and discovery based activities and cooperative learning, with an emphasis on experimental design involving field studies and animal behavior. In upper level science courses, a requirement of a term paper or research project where the student must develop and test their own hypothesis helps to develop analytical skills and allows students to show some creativity.
Versatility is also a strength in teaching and research. My educational background involved a shift from biochemistry and molecular biology to zoology and ecology. This varied experience in the life sciences has made me a very well rounded biologist who looks at problems from both the holistic and reductionistic perspectives. My research interests are the interfaces between population ecology, animal behavior and community ecology of amphibians in wetland ecosystems. This primarily includes studying the effects of environmental chemistry, micro habitat choice, foraging, predator avoidance, aggression, and overall activity on population dynamics, community structure and biogeography. I have found that this versatility has enhanced my ability to teach at the introductory level and fueled my desire to teach new courses.
Research is an essential part of academic life, especially in the sciences. I find that the small college environment is conducive for conducting the long term studies that are necessary in population biology research. While at SJC, 27% of our undergraduate biology and environmental majors have done independent studies or taken my course on amphibian ecology research and 73% of these students have chosen to do this for 2 or more years. Students who have done research with me have a 91% retention rate in the biology/environmental programs compared to our overall average of 79%. I've found that inexperienced undergraduates can easily be trained to work in teams and collect data in population biology projects, while upperclassmen who have had more courses including statistics and computers can be involved in data analysis and further experimentation. Some of my undergraduate students have done research with me for 3-4 years and have presented our findings at several scholarly meetings and are publishing our results.
Ph.D.:
Biological Sciences -- Systematic and Evolutionary Ecology,
1992, Kent State University
Dissertation: The interactions
of coexisting guild members: competition and predation in two species of
Ambystoma larvae. Field studies integrating salamander behavior with population
and community ecology
M.S.
Biology -- College Teaching, 1989, Eastern Michigan University
Thesis: Correlations between
climate and the herpetofauna of Michigan. Ecology, Natural history and
biogeography of amphibians and reptiles
M.S.:
Biological Chemistry -- Molecular Biology, 1987, University
of Michigan
Research: molecular biology
of mammalian P-450 enzymes
B.A.:
Biochemistry-- Biotechnology, 1985, Rutgers University
Research: insect immunology
Additional course work: Chautauqua/Northern
Illinois University, 1995: Dinosaur Paleobiology
Associate Professor of Biology and
Environmental Science -Saint Joseph's College, IN, 1992-present
Tenured and promoted, 1996
Taught General Biology I &
II, Anatomy & Physiology I & II, Population Biology, Ecology &
Conservation, Evolution, Ichthyology & Herpetology, Ornithology
& Mammology, Environmental Systems, Junior Biology Seminar, Amphibian
Biology Research, Core science: Humanity in the Universe
Chair of Biology Department
-Saint Joseph's College, IN, 1994-present
Director of Core Science:
Humanity in the Universe II, 1996-present -- a team taught general education
science course on human evolution
Director of Environmental
Sciences Program (originated program in 1995)
Committees: Academic
Cabinet (elected as at-large faculty member, 1997-1998, 1998-1999), Admissions,
Enrollment Management, Faculty Welfare, Tenure & Promotion
Adjunct Professor, Calumet College,
1993: Taught Anatomy & Physiology
Adjunct Instructor, Kent State University,
1992: Taught General Ecology
Adjunct Instructor, University of
Michigan, 1988-1989: Taught Organism Biology, Anatomy & Physiology
Adjunct Instructor, Owens Technical
College, OH, 1987-1989: Taught Basic Chemistry, Physical Science
Graduate Teaching Assistant:
Kent State University,
1989-1992: Taught General Ecology, Invertebrate Zoology, Vertebrate Zoology,
Ornithology
Eastern Michigan University,
1987-1989: Taught General Zoology, Cell Physiology
University of Michigan, 1986-1987:
Taught Introductory Biochemistry
1999 Kaiser Faculty Scholar Award for Commendable Research
Honorary Faculty Member of Alpha
Delta Lambda (1998, and 1993), voted as most influential teacher by
student inductees, Saint Joseph's College
Teaching Excellence Award, 1998,
Teacher of the year, Saint Joseph's College
Distinguished Core Lecturer, 1996,
Saint Joseph's College
Natural Science Division Teaching
excellence Award, 1994 & 1995, Saint Joseph's College
Graduate Student Senate Best Dissertation
Award, 1992, Kent State University
Storer Award,
1991 ASIH award for Best Student Poster in Herpetology
Provost Fellowship, 1989-1991, Kent
State University
Circle of Excellence, 1989, award
for graduating with a 4.00 gpa, Eastern Michigan University
Graduate Research Assistantship,
1985-1987, University of Michigan
Educational Presentations:
Professional Development Workshops:
Peer Reviewed Papers:
Brodman, R. 2000. Ambystoma laterale, Blue-spotted Salamander.
In: The Status and Conservation Amphibians in the US. M. Lannoo (ed.). (in press). Brodman, R. 2000. Field Surveys and Monitoring Amphibian Populations as an Introduction to Investigative Research:
An Undergraduate Field-Research Course for Biology and Environmental Science Majors at Saint Joseph's College.
Journal of College Science Teachers (in press). Jaskula, J.M. and R. Brodman. 2000. Density-Dependent Effects on Microhabitat Selection and Activity of Two Species of
Larval Ambystoma Salamanders. Imperiled Midwestern Amphibians: Proceedings From a Conference on Declining
Amphibian Populations. Casper and H. Kaiser (eds). Iowa Journal of Science (in press). Brodman, R. 2000. Differences Among the Spatial Distribution of Sympatric Amphibians. Imperiled Midwestern
Amphibians: Proceedings From a Conference on Declining Amphibian Populations. Casper and H. Kaiser (eds).
Iowa Journal of Science (in press). Brodman, R. 1999. Crowding Effects on Predation and Competition in Two Species of Larval Salamanders.
J. Freshwater Ecol. 14:431-437. Brodman, R. 1999. New County Records of Amphibians and Reptiles from Northern Indiana. Herpetological Review 30:117- 118. Brodman, R. 1998.
The Biogeography of Midwest Amphibians, pp 24-30. In: The Status and Conservation
of Midwest Amphibians. M. Lannoo (ed.). Iowa University Press,
Iowa City, Iowa.
Brodman, R., and M. Kilmurry 1998.
The Status of Amphibians in Rural Northwest Indiana, pp 125-136.
In: The Status and Conservation of Midwest Amphibians. M. Lannoo
(ed.). Iowa University Press, Iowa City, Iowa.
Brodman, R. 1996. The Effects of
Intraguild Interactions on Fitness and Micro habitat Use of Larval Ambystoma
salamanders. Copeia 1996:372-378.
Brodman, R. 1995. Annual Variation
in Breeding Success of Two Synoptic Species of Ambystoma Salamanders.
Journal of Herpetology 29:111-113.
Brodman, R. 1993. The Effect of
Acidity on Interactions of Ambystoma Salamander larvae. Journal of
Freshwater Ecology 8:209-214.
Manuscripts in Review and Preparation:
Brodman, R., S. Cortwright, and A. Resetar. Historical Changes of Reptiles and Amphibians of Northwest
Indiana Fish and Wildlife Properties. American Midland Naturalist (in review) Brodman, R., M. Kolacyzk, J. Ogger, A.P. Long, R. Mahns and T. Ziemba. The Effects of Salamander Predation on
Leopard Frog and Zooplankton Assemblages, With an Emphasis on Mosquito Control. Journal of Herpetology (in review). Brodman, R. and J.M. Jaskula. The Effect of Density on the Behavioral Ecology of Larval Salamanders. Herpetologica
(in review). Brodman, R. Prey induced cannibalism in larval salamanders during intraguild predation. Ecology (in review). Brodman, R., J. Ogger, A.P. Long, T. Ziemba, R. Mahns, D. Falk, A. Kryszik.
Multivariate Analysis of Habitat on the Abundance and Distribution of Sympatric Pond-Breeding Amphibians. (in preparation). Studies in Progress:
Brodman, R., D. Koleszar, and C. Crum. The Ecology of the Lesser Siren in a disjunct population. Brodman, R. New County Records of Amphibians from Indiana. Brodman, R. Amphibians and reptiles from 23 counties of Indiana: Indiana Herp Atlas. Brodman, R. An 11 year study monitoring two populations of mole salamanders in northeast Ohio. Brodman, R. A 7 year county survey of amphibians in northwest Indiana. Brodman, R, A. Goins, and K. Riccardo. The interactions of the larvae of three species of pond-breeding salamanders. Brodman, R. Competition between the larvae of the blue-spotted salamander (Ambystoma laterale) and a unisexual relative. Technical Reports to Government Agencies:
Brodman, R. 1999. Indiana Nature Preserves Report on the Herpetofauna of Bell-Croft Woods Nature Preserve, Laketon
Bog Nature Preserve and Manitou Island Wetland Conservation Area and Nature Preserve.
Technical Report to the Indiana DNR Division of Nature Preserves, Indianapolis, IN. Brodman, R. 1998. Indiana
Nature Preserves Report on the Herpetofauna of Lowe's Prairie, Conrad Savanna,
Beaver Lake Refuge and Berns-Meyer Nature Preserve. Technical
Report to the Indiana DNR Division of Nature Preserves, Indianapolis,
IN.
Brodman, R. 1998. Invited
author of a chapter on: Amphibians and Reptiles of the Grand Prairie Natural
Region. Indiana Biodiversity Initiative Conservation and Restoration
Team. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Brodman, R. 1997. Amphibians and
Reptiles of Stoutsburg Nature Preserve and Berns-Meyer Nature Preserve.
Technical Report to the Indiana DNR Division of Nature Preserves,
Indianapolis, IN.
Brodman, R., J. Ogger, T. Ziemba,
A. Prather Long, and R. Mahns. 1997. Effects of Breeding Pond Chemistry
on Amphibian Abundance and Species Richness. Technical Report
to the Indiana DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife, Indianapolis, IN.
Brodman, R., S. Cortwright, and
A. Resetar. 1997. Status of Amphibians and Reptiles in Three Fish and
Wildlife Properties in Northwest Indiana. Technical Report
to the Indiana DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife, Indianapolis, IN.
Salamanders of Indiana. 2000. Presented an overview of the status,
distribution and conservation of Indiana’s salamanders to
wildlife biologists of the Indian Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks and Reservoirs.
Life in a Drop of Water, 1998. Hands-on
presentation of protozoan and zoo plankton to 5th graders at SJC.
Slimy Jewels of Indiana: Amphibians
of the Hoosier State. 1998. Hands-on lecture presented to children
and parents involved in an amphibian program at a children's
museum (Science Central), Ft. Wayne, IN
Amphibian Conservation. 1997-1999.
Hands-on presentation to 8th graders. Conservation Day, SJC.
Amphibian Research at Saint Joseph's
College. 1997. Presentation to the AS Jr. Academy at SJC.
Indiana Commission for Higher Education
Eisenhower Program Grant Awards sponsored project on" Twin Tandem
Science Initiative: A Celebration of Diversity". 1993-1994.
Taught an Earth & Environmental Hands-on science in service for
elementary and middle school teachers at SJC.
Faculty Development Workshops 1999,
Participated in Interdisciplinary skills (ran session on scientific method),
Writing skills, Communication Skills, and Power Point 97. 1999.
Clarifying the Christian Humanist'
World view of the Core Curriculum. 1998-99, SJC. Participated and led
a discussion group in a Lilly sponsored faculty development project.
Discovering the Ground Rules for
Interdisciplinary Study. 1997-98, SJC. Participated in a Lilly funded
faculty development project and led a faculty discussion/writing
group on "Evolution & Creation".
Faculty Development Multimedia Workshop.
1996, SJC. Participated in a Lilly sponsored program to learn
creative and technical aspects of multimedia presentations.
Curriculum Development Workshop.
1994-96, SJC. Participated and led the science faculty in a FIPSE
funded program to develop the curriculum for an environmental science
major and to enhance the structure and assessment of the biology and
Biology chemistry major.
Participated in a workshop to "Revise
and Upgrade the Lab component for the science segment of our Core
education program". 1995, SJC.
Field Surveys and Monitoring Amphibian Populations as an Introduction to Investigative Research. 2000. Paper presented to HASTI at IUPUI, Indianapolis, Guest Speaker for the Animal Behavior Seminar at Thomas Moore College, TN, and to NSTA at Orlando, FL
Prey Induced Cannibalism in Pond-Breeding Salamander Larvae. 1999-2000. Paper presented to the IAS at University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, Guest Speaker for the Animal Behavior Seminar at Thomas Moore College, TN, and to SSAR/ASIH, at La Paz, Baja Mexico.
Comparison of Techniques Used in the Indiana Herp Atlas. 1999. Paper presented for the Symposium on Monitoring Techniques for Amphibians and Reptiles, at the Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, Chicago.
The Effect of Salamander Larva Predators on an Amphibian Community in Mesocom Experiments. 1998. Paper presented to the IAS at Park Tudor, Indianapolis.
Biological Control of Mosquitos by Pond Breeding Salamander Larvae. 1998. Paper co-authored by M. Kolaczyk and presented to (SJC '98) to the IAS at Park Tudor, Indianapolis.
Differences Among the Spatial Distribution of Sympatric Amphibians. 1997-1998. Paper presented to the AS at Saint Joseph's College, DAPTF at Milwaukee, WI, and ASIH/SSAR at University of Guelph, Ontario Canada.
Density Dependent Effects on Micro habitat Selection and Activity of Two Species of Larval Ambystoma Salamanders. 1997- 1998. Paper co-authored and presented by J. Jaskula (SJC '99) to the IAS at Saint Joseph's College and DAPTF at Milwaukee, WI.
Crowding Effects on Competition Between the Larvae of Two Species of Ambystoma Salamanders. 1997. Paper presented to SSAR/ASIH at University of Washington Seattle.
Effects of Pond Chemistry on Amphibian Species Richness. 1996. Paper co-authored and presented by A. Long (SJC '97), J. Ogger (SJC '97) and T. Ziemba (SJC '97) to the IAS at Depauw, DAPTF at Indiana Dunes, and the Argonne Undergraduate Symposium in Illinois.
Crowding Effects on Competition and Activity in the Larvae of Two Species of Ambystoma Salamanders. 1996. Paper presented to IAS at Depauw University and DAPTF at Indiana Dunes.
The Use of an Anuran Breeding Call Index in a County Amphibian Survey. 1996. Invited symposium paper presented to SSAR at University of Kansas.
Amphibians of Northwest Indiana. 1996. Invited symposium paper presented at the Sherman Minton Conference at IUPUI.
The Use of Breeding Indexes in Amphibian Surveys. 1995. Paper co-authored and presented by M. Kilmurry (SJC '96) to the IAS at IUPUI.
Physical and Chemical Influences on Amphibian Populations in Northwest Indiana. 1995. Paper co-authored and presented by R. Mahns (SJC '97), J. Ogger (SJC '97) and T. Ziemba (SJC '97) to the IAS at IUPUI.
Reptile and Amphibian Surveys of Northwest Indiana Fish & Wildlife Properties. 1995. Poster presented to SSAR at Appalachian State University and ASIH at University of Alberta.
The Status of Amphibians in Rural Northwest Indiana. 1994. Paper presented to IAS at Indiana University- South Bend and DAPTF at Indiana Dunes.
The Biogeography of Midwest Amphibians. 1993-4. Paper presented to SSAR at University of Georgia (1994) and IAS at Purdue University (1993).
Egg Mortality in Pond Breeding Salamanders. 1993. Poster presented to SSAR at Indiana University.
Micro habitat Partitioning and the Behavioral Ecology of Two Synoptic Species of Ambystoma Larvae. 1992. Paper presented to NOAH in Cleveland, ASIH at University of Illinois and Kent State University Research Colloquium.
Competition and Predation in Two Species of Ambystoma Larvae. 1991-1992. Paper presented to the Ohio Academy of Science at Akron University (1992), Midwest Evolutionary Ecology Conference at University of Michigan (1992) and SSAR at Penn State University (1991).
The Interactions of Coexisting Guild Members: Competition and Predation in Two Species of Ambystoma Larvae. Poster presented to 1991 ASIH at American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
Correlations Between Climate and the Herpetofauna of Michigan. 1991. Paper presented to the Michigan Academy of Sciences at Eastern Michigan University.
IDNR Indiana Herp Atlas: Monitoring populations and determining the status of amphibians in 15 counties (1998-2001)
IDNR Special Projects Grant: Monitoring state-listed amphibian populations (1995-1997)
Reptile and amphibian surveys of Northwest Indiana Fish & Wildlife properties (1994-1995)
Sigma Xi Grants in Training (1991-1992)
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Indiana State Coordinator: Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force (DAPTF), 1997-present
Zoology Session Chair: Indiana Academy of Science (IAS), 1999
Full Member: Technical Advisory Committee on Amphibians and Reptiles to the Indiana DNR (TAC), 1999-present
Associate Advisor: Technical Advisory Committee on Amphibians and Reptiles to the Indiana DNR (TAC), 1994-1999
Advisory Board Member for the Chicago Wilderness 1998-present
Peer-Reviewer: Journal of Herpetology, Herpetological Review, Water Pollution & Toxicology, Journal of Canadian Zoology, Herpetologica, 1992-present
Member of: American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH), Herpetologists' League, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR), International Herpetology Congress, American Society of Naturalists, The Nature Conservancy, Hoosier Association of Science Teachers (HASTI), National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
Dr. Lowell Orr, Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, (216) 672-2819
Dr. William Stang, Natural Science Division Coordinator, Saint Joseph's College, Rensselaer, IN 47978, (219) 866-6216
Dr. David Chattin, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Saint Joseph's College, Rensselaer, IN 47978, (219) 866-6216
Dr. Bernard Parker, President, Anna Maria College, Paxton, MA 01612-1198, (514) 849-3300 (former VPAA at SJC)