John Robertson
Assistant Professor
Department of Biology
Westminster College
New Wilmington, PA 16172-0001
724-946-9911
e-mail: robertjc@westimister.edu

EDUCATION

Ph.D. Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona. 1998. Biology. Thesis: Where life boils close to the surface: structural and functional adaptation of gill membranes.

M.S. University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island. 1989. Fisheries, Aquaculture and Pathology. Thesis: Liver morphology and fine structure of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) and hepatic ultrastructure changes associated with the parr-smolt transformation.

B.S. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts. B.S. 1982. Zoology.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Comparative physiology; ecological physiology
Fish physiology; gill physiology
Cell biology
Structure/function relationships in biological membranes

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2000-          Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA

1998-99     Adjunct Faculty:     Department of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington, Tacoma, WA.
                                                Pierce College, Lakewood, WA

1992-98     Graduate Teaching/Research Assistant, Dept. of Biology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.

1989-92     Research Associate, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY.

1986-89     Graduate Research Assistant, Dept. of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences,
                   University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.

1985           Instructor, U.S. Peace Corps Fish Culture Training Program, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK.

1982-85     U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer, Fish Culture Extension Agent, Kisii, Kenya

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

American Fisheries Society
American Society for Environmental History

GRANTS AND AWARDS

1998             Scholander Award Competition, 3^rd Place; Sponsored by the Comparative Physiology Section;
                     American Physiological Society (at Experimental Biology '98).

1997, 98       Travel Grants: ASU Zoology Department and ASU Graduate College

1997             Teaching Associate of the Year, Biology Department, ASU

1997             Graduate Research Support Program Competitive Grant,
                     Associated Students of ASU and the ASU Graduate College

1994-96       Graduate Fellow: Preparing Future Faculty Program, ASU Graduate College

TEACHING AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

1999           Instructor, University of Washington, Tacoma
                            Oncorhynchus: Biology, History and Politics of Salmon in the Pacific NW
                            Organisms and Their Environment
                            Biotechnology and Society
                            Environmental Psychology (co-instructor)

                   Instructor, Pierce College, Lakewood WA
                            Anatomy and Physiology (BIO240/241 and BIO250/251)
                            Human Anatomy and Physiology (BIO118)
                            Biological Structures (DH104)
                            Anatomy of the Head and Neck (DH105)
                            Human Nutrition (HSCI161)

1992-98     Graduate Teaching Associate, Biology Department, ASU
                            Basic Physiology (ZOL360) lab [7 semesters]
                            Human Anatomy and Physiology (ZOL201/202) lab [4 semesters]

1996            Graduate Research Associate, Hughes Medical Institute and Biology Department, ASU.
                    Project: Creating a State-of-the-Art Teaching Laboratory for Human Anatomy and Physiology

1995            Reviewer: Science Teaching Reconsidered, National Science Foundation Monograph

1995            Peer Reviewer: Graduate Research Support Grant Program,
                    Associated Students of ASU and the ASU Graduate College

1995            Graduate Student Representative, Biomedical Faculty Position Search Committee,
                    Department of Biology, ASU

PUBLICATIONS

1999             Robertson, J.C. and Hazel, J.R. Influence of temperature and membrane lipid composition on the osmotic
                     water permeability of teleost gills. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. 72: 623-632.

1998             Robertson, J.C. and Hazel, J.R. 5'Nucleotidase and alkaline phosphodiesterase activities in trout gill
                     localize to endothelial (pillar) cells. Journal of Experimental Biology, 201: 2011-2019.

1997             Robertson, J.C. and Hazel, J.R. Membrane constraints to physiological function at different temperatures:
                     Does cholesterol stabilize membranes at elevated temperatures? In: Global Warming - Implications for
                     Freshwater and Marine Fish. Eds. C. Wood and G. McDonald. Society for Experimental Biology
                     Seminar Series.

1996             Robertson, J.C. and Kelley, D.B. Thyroid hormone controls the onset of androgen sensitivity in the
                     developing larynx of Xenopus laevis. Developmental Biology, 176: 108-123.

1995             Robertson, J.C. and Hazel, J.R. Cholesterol content of trout plasma membranes varies with acclimation
                     temperature. American Journal of Physiology, 269: R1113-R1119.

1994             Robertson, J., Watson, J. and Kelley, D. Androgen directs sexual differentiation of laryngeal innervation
                     in developing Xenopus laevis. Journal of Neurobiology, 25: 1625-1636.

1993             Watson, J.T., Robertson, J., Sachdev, U. and Kelley, D.B. Laryngeal muscle and motor neuron plasticity
                     in Xenopus laevis: Testicular masculinization of a developing neuromuscular system. Journal of Neurobiology,
                     24: 1615-1625.

1992             Robertson, J.C. and Bradley, T.M. Liver ultrastructure of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar ). Journal
                     of Morphology, 211: 41-54.

1991             Robertson, J.C. and Bradley, T.M. Hepatic ultrastructure changes associated with the parr-smolt
                     transformation of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar ). Journal of Experimental Zoology, 260: 135-148.

ABSTRACTS

2000     Robertson, J.C. Environmental History of Tacoma and Pierce County: A Salmon's Eye View.
             Panel session with undergraduate presenters. American Society for Environmental History Annual Meeting.
                            Kehm-Goins, C. An Environmental History of the Puyallup River.
                            Sessions, S. Running the Gauntlet: Salmon and the Puyallup Estuary.
                            Weibe, P. and Pettitt, B. Salmon in the City: Chambers Creek Watershed.

1999     Bluhm, C. and Robertson, J.C. An interdisciplinary approach to environmental psychology instruction. 107th
             Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.

1998     Robertson, J.C. and Hazel, J.R. Involvement of cholesterol in restricting water permeability of gill barrier
             membranes. FASEB Journal, 12, A332.

1997     Robertson, J.C. and Hazel, J.R. Elevated 5'nucleotidase and alkaline phosphodiesterase activites in trout gill
             localize to endothelial (pillar) cells: physiological implications. American Zoologist, 37: 86A.

1997     Robertson, J.C. and Hazel, J.R. The gill epithelial interface: contribution of lipid composition to membrane
             barrier function. Abstracts of the 127^th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, 59-60.

1997     Robertson, J.C. and Hazel, J.R. Barrier membranes of the teleost gill: characterization of plasma membrane
             ectoenzymes in trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). FASEB Journal, 11: 160.

1994     Robertson, J.C. and Hazel, J.R. Trout plasma membrane cholesterol content is correlated with acclimation
             temperature. The Physiologist: 37, A-89.

1993     Robertson, J.C. and Hazel, J.R. Trout liver plasma membrane cholesterol content varies with acclimation
             temperature. American Zoologist, 33: 37A.

1992     Robertson, J.C. and Kelley, D.B. Gonadal and laryngeal development in hypothyroid Xenopus laevis tadpoles.
             American Zoologist, 32: 86A.

1991     Robertson, J.C., Watson, J.T. and Kelley, D.B. Laryngeal nerve axon number in pre-metamorphic Xenopus
             laevis is androgen sensitive. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 17: 1320.
 

PRESENTATIONS (Abstracts Cited)

1999    APA Annual Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-24.

1998     Experimental Biology '98. San Francisco, CA, April 18-22.

1998     Annual Meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. Boston, MA, January 3-7.

1997     American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting. Monterey, CA, August 24-28.

1997     Experimental Biology '97. New Orleans, LA, April 6-9.

1994     American Physiological Society Intersociety Meeting. San Diego, CA, October 29-November 2.

1993     Annual Meeting of the American Society of Zoologists. Los Angeles, CA, December 26-30.

1992     Annual Meeting of the American Society of Zoologists. Vancouver, BC, December 26-30.

1991     Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. New Orleans, LA, November 10-15.
 

PRESENTATIONS (Abstracts Not Cited)

1997     John Robertson and Jeffrey Hazel. Studies of two enzymes in fish gill: physiological implications. First Annual
             Life Sciences Graduate Symposium, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, October 31.

1992     Kelley, D. and Robertson, J. Sexual differentiation of a laryngeal neuromuscular system in the clawed frog,
            Xenopus laevis: interaction of thyroxine and androgenic steroids. Conference on Vertebrate Reproductive
            Endocrinology, US Fisheries Commission, Chicago, IL, April.

1989     Robertson, J. and Bradley, T.M. Hepatic ultrastructure changes during the parr-smolt transformation of
            Atlantic salmon. Applied Aquaculture Workshop. Galway, Ireland, September 19-21.

1989     Robertson, J. and Bradley, T.M. Hepatic ultrastructure of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar ) during parr-smolt
             transformation. Annual Meeting of the Southern New England Chapter of the American Fisheries Society.
             Niantic, CT, June 1.

1987     Bradley, T.M., Johanning, K., and Robertson, J. Inducement of smoltification in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar )
             at atypical times of year using photoperiod manipulation. The Tenth Annual Smoltification Workshop. University
             of California, Berkeley, CA, October 15-17.