Sue Simon-Westendorf

Education

Ph.D., Ohio University

Courses

• BIOS 1100 Learning Communities
• BIOS 1090 Genetic and Hormonal Control of Gender
• BIOS 2050 Human Sex and Reproduction

Research Interests

As teaching faculty, I have the good fortune to train students in biology at many levels. I teach Human Sex and Reproduction (Bios 2050) and freshman seminar in the Genetic and Hormonal Control of Gender (Bios 1090). I am also the Director of Biological Sciences Learning Communities. I develop, coordinate and train student mentors to teach the Learning Communities (Bios 1100) that accompany the Introductory lecture that I teach. I also coordinate our program with the University Residential Learning Communities program. I have a strong interest in how students learn science and incorporate proven techniques into my teaching, as well as devise and test new techniques in my courses. My dissertation work was describing the environmental and hormonal control of the oviduct of a seasonally reproducing organism, the slider turtle. I chose this area because it combined my fascination with reptiles, reproduction and conservation. However, my biological interests run from molecular biology to conservation biology and include everything in between and around. I am particularly interested in sex and reproductive issues, in wildlife as well as humans. It is reproduction that provides new individuals for populations, thereby preserving species, and it is reproduction that provides the fabulous diversity we see in nature and ourselves. As a species, we don't do a very good job of keeping ourselves informed. My course provides the reproductive biological information that each human should have. And, it's fun to talk about sex!

• BIOS 1100 Learning Communities
• BIOS 1090 Genetic and Hormonal Control of Gender
• BIOS 2050 Human Sex and Reproduction