Meet the Biology Faculty
Meet the Biology Faculty
Enjoying the new fountain behind Main Hall are the members of the Salem Biology Department. Front row, left to right: Kathy Duckett and Traci Porter; Back Row: Louise Allen, Steve Nohlgren, Rebecca Dunn and Dane Kuppinger.
Professor Stephen R. Nohlgren serves as the premedical and predental advisor for the biology department and focuses primarily on biomedical sciences. His courses include Anatomy & Physiology I and II, Microbiology, and Parasitology. His special-topics courses have included Immunology and Medical Microbiology, and in January Term he has several times taught Monkey Business - Primatology and the Role of Nonhuman Primates in Biological Research. He came to the College in 1966 and is currently the longest serving faculty member at Salem. He serves as our Faculty Marshal during important college events. He received his B.A. in Biology from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1965, his M.S.P.H. in Parasitology and Laboratory Practice from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1966, and his Ph.D. in Comparative and Experimental Pathology from the Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University in 1981. Dr. Nohlgren has served on the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine for the past 23 years, making him the longest continuously serving member in the history of the medical school. The IRB oversees the rights, safety, and privacy protection of the subjects in all human research being conducted at the medical center. He also has been a member of Sertoma Club West of Winston-Salem since 1981, and has served as the District Governor, State Director, and an International Director of Sertoma International, a North American civic service organization with sponsorship interests in the areas of hearing and speech. He was recognized as the International Sertoman of the Year in 1989.
Associate Professor Rebecca Dunn primarily addresses issues of inheritance and teaches such courses as Cell and Molecular Biology, Genetics and Evolution. She is also interested in how science affects society and has taught the Dimensions of Prejudice, Taste of Science, and Issues in Biology for Women. She joined the full-time faculty of Salem College in 1996. She has served the college in many ways since she came to Salem including Co-Chairing the Quality Enhancement Plan for Salem’s re-accreditation, directing the Women in Science and Mathematics Program for ten years and has been elected twice by the faculty as Coordinating Committee Chair. Although she has no rhythm, one of her favorite current duties is as advisor to Salem College’s step team, the Ghost Ryders. She received an A.B. in biology from the University of Chicago in 1986 and a Ph.D. in genetics in the Zoology Department, from Duke University in 1994.
Associate Professor Traci Porter, Department Chair for 2010-2013, primarily addresses organismal aspects of zoology and teaches such courses as Biodiversity, Biometry and Issues in Environmental Science. Her research interests include animal behavior and reproduction, with a focus on bats and their conservation. She joined the full-time faculty of Salem College in 2002. She received a B.A. in psychology from Carleton College in 1989 and a Ph.D. in Biopsychology, with a concentration in animal behavior, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1994.
Laboratory Coordinator Kathy S. Duckett specializes in clinical laboratory science. She instructs the Principles of Biology Laboratory, coordinates the Clinical Laboratory Science major, manages the laboratory facilities and supervises the teaching assistants and student-workers for the department. She joined Salem College in 2005. She received her B.S. in chemistry from Mars Hill College and her medical technology certification from the Bowman Gray School of Medical Technology at Wake Forest university.
Assistant Professor Dane Kuppinger is a plant ecologist with a focus on invasive exotic species and disturbances, particularly wildfires. He is also interested in environmental issues, particularly those tied to our use of coal. His courses include Introductory Biology, Environmental Issues, The Role of Coal in our Society, Ecology, Conservation Biology, and Botany. His research is on the post-fire invasion of the exotic Paulownia tomontosa, and post-disturbance vegetation dynamics. He is also the curator of Salem’s herbarium; the oldest botanical collection of plants in the United States. He joined the Salem faculty in 2010. He earned his B.S. in Biology from Emory University in 1996, an M.S. in Environmental Education from the Audubon Expedition Institute at Lesley College in 1999, and his Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2008.
