Marsha Fanning
Candidate for the Position of Member-at-Large

Present Academic Position

Professor of Biology
Chair of the School of Natural Science
Lenoir-Rhyne College
Hickory, NC 28603

Academic Background

• BA in Biology from Columbia College, Columbia, SC 1968
• PhD in Zoology from University of Georgia, Athens Georgia 1973
• Area of interest: Ecology

Personal Statement

I was first introduced to ABLE in 1984 when I learned of an upcoming meeting in Newfoundland. The idea of going to Newfoundland and learning something new to do in lab was exciting, so I made plans to attend. I was hooked. I have gone to every conference since that time, and have found that each one has been a learning experience. Obviously the labs have been helpful, but the people are also wonderful, and the places are always special. What better way for an ecologist to visit various ecosystems than in the presence of other biologists? Many of the labs that we do at Lenoir-Rhyne have been influenced by experiences at ABLE conferences. I can’t imagine not having ABLE as a resource.

In an attempt to give something back to ABLE, I have presented four mini workshops, and have been pleased to find them well accepted. I always get a thrill when someone tells me they love my "termite lab", or are still doing the "egg lab" for osmosis. I also served for four years as the mini workshop coordinator, and as such was a part of the board during that time. I have been off of the board for a number of years now, and feel that its time for me to offer to contribute again, if so elected.

I have been a faculty member at Lenoir-Rhyne College, a four-year, co-ed, principally undergraduate institution since 1973. We have a biology department of six full time faculty and an assistant-in-instruction who is our lab coordinator. All of our courses have labs, and the faculty teach their own labs. I regularly teach majors and non-majors biology, ecology, environmental science, field biology, and occasionally things like evolution, or invertebrate zoology. I also work with students doing undergraduate research.