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Advising Area of Expertise: Ecology – all degree Options (specific expertise in fisheries, aquatic ecology, entomology, conservation, fish & game warden/conservation officer careers)

Advising Bio:

I enjoy being an advisor and helping students. While my primary job as an advisor is to assist students in making academic plans and registering for classes, I also frequently help students: 1) find answers to questions about science careers, 2) participate in campus club events, study abroad, volunteer opportunities, and conferences, 3) engage in professional networking opportunities, 4) complete applications for graduate schools, academy trainings, and professional certification programs, 5) edit job and internship cover letters and resumes, 6) practice presentations and mock interviews, and 7) by writing letters of recommendation (as long as I am asked weeks or months in advance of application due dates)!

I am happy to meet with students for advising appointments face-to-face in my office or on Teams/Zoom. Appointments are typically 30 minutes, but shorter or longer meetings are available as needed. We can occasionally work through email, but face-to-face or Zoom is usually faster and more efficient. I post available 30-minute appointment times each block through my email Bookings page.

I am a biochemist with an interest in the field of parasitology/vector biology. I earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Biological sciences and a minor in chemistry from California State University, Chico where I conducted research on parasitic helminthes and the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. I went on to get my Ph.D. at The University of Â鶹ƵµÀ, Missoula where my dissertation research and one year of postdoctoral experience focused on Myxobolus cerebralis, the myxozoan parasite responsible for whirling disease in salmonid fish. I then did a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Diego where I studied Giardia lamblia, a human intestinal parasite. While at UCSD, I was involved in the functional annotation of the Giardia genome and an active participant in the G. lamblia transcriptome project using serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE). I then returned to The University of Â鶹ƵµÀ, Missoula where I began research on Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, which is the most common arthropod-borne disease in the United States and Europe. Shortly before coming to Â鶹ƵµÀ in 2007, I developed the first inducible promoter system available for use in B. burgdorferi, which allowed researchers to artificially regulate gene expression in this pathogenic spirochete. I am currently working to optimize this system in order to regulate B. burgdorferi genes, in vivo, in an experimental tick-mouse infectious cycle. I teach introductory biology classes and general chemistry, as well as biochemistry, genetics and parasitology.

Dr. Michael Morrow obtained his Ph.D. in Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Biology from the University of Pittsburgh (2001) where he studied protein secretion in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. At Â鶹ƵµÀ Western, Dr. Morrow and his undergraduate student researchers are studying some of the proteins that play roles in the early secretory pathway of the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. Since protein secretion is important for this organism to cause infection, a better understanding of the machinery involved in protein secretion could lead to the identification of future drug targets to prevent and treat Candida infections. In addition to this research focus, Dr. Morrow is also interested in applied microbiology projects including a new project that is investigating the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in E. coli strains isolated from local streams and rivers in an effort to determine if wild E. coli populations could act as a reservoir for antibiotic resistance in bacterial populations. Dr. Morrow regularly teaches Discover Biology (BIOB101), Principles of Living Systems (BIOB160), Cellular and Molecular Biology (BIOB260), General Microbiology (BIOM260) and Advanced Cellular and Molecular Biology (BIOB425). Using Â鶹ƵµÀ Western’s unique block scheduling allows Dr. Morrow to utilize many block-long research projects in his classes to provide students with hands on practical experience with many modern cell/molecular and microbiological techniques. Outside of school, Dr. Morrow enjoys backpacking, hiking, hunting and ice hockey (Let’s Go Pens!).