Westminster College Associate Professor to Discuss Paddlefish at Faculty Forum
Posted on Thursday, October 18, 2012
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - Dr. John Robertson, Westminster associate professor of biology, will present "The Scoop on the Spoonbill: Structure, Function and Morphogenesis" at the Faires Faculty Forum Wednesday, Oct. 24, at 11:40 a.m. in the Sebastian Mueller Theater of the McKelvey Campus Center.
The paddlefish, also known as the spoonbill, is native to a number of large North American rivers, including the Ohio River. One remarkable feature of this species is the prominent rostrum or paddle, an extension of the skull that grows rapidly soon after the fish hatches.
Robertson will describe his collaborative research into the functional morphology and growth of the rostrum, including capstone projects and course-based studies examining developmental dynamics and emphasizing revealing approaches to imaging and analyzing the structure of the rostrum.
Robertson, who has been with Westminster since 2000, earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts, a master's from the University of Rhode Island, and Ph.D. from Arizona State University.
The Faculty Forum was established in 1990 by Dr. Barbara Faires, Westminster professor of mathematics emerita, during her term as dean of the college and vice president for academic affairs. Faculty members from all disciplines volunteer to present lectures on their current research, artistic productions, and scholarship of teaching and learning. Each forum presents new ideas with innovative lecture techniques.
Podcasts of the forums are available here.
Contact Robertson at (724) 946-7044 or email for additional information.
Contact Charlene Klassen Endrizzi, faculty development officer, at (724) 946-7189 for more information on the Faires Faculty Forum or click here.
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