Biology

B.A. (Goshen College); M.S. (Central Michigan University); Ph.D. (Purdue University). I was born in Elkhart, Indiana, and am a proud native of that great state (even though I now reside in Michigan). I have been interested in the biological sciences for as long as I can remember. It probably started with a love for dinosaurs and fossils and was further enhanced while fishing with my family on Simonton Lake in Elkhart. By the age of six, I was getting up by myself at 5:00 in the morning and heading down to our pier to fish. I just liked catching and seeing the different kinds of fish. Ever since I was about eight years old, I had wanted to be a professor—originally palaeontology, then aquatic biology—now, after having completed the necessary education, I research and publish in both areas. I teach Biological Science, General Ecology, Historical Geology, Conservation Biology, Freshwater Biology, Marine Biology, and Methods in Field Biology. My hobbies include fishing, camping, Purdue football and restoring antique farm tractors.

My research centers on aquatic ecology, especially on how autogenic and allogenic factors control ecological succession. I use analysis of subfossil assemblages from lake and wetland sediments to reconstruct local palaeoenvironments both spatially and temporally. I am currently writing a book on palaeotelmatology and subfossil analysis. I am also co-authoring a textbook for my marine biology course that I teach in the Florida Keys. Although most of my research is in palaeoecology, I consider myself a “natural historian,” and therefore I occasionally conduct investigations in plant ecology, ichthyology, conservation biology, etc. For more information about my research and the research of students working in my laboratory, go to my Aquatic Ecology and Palaeoecology Research Web page at: http://www.hillsdale.edu/academics/fac0395524.asp

I don’t like to claim favorites, because comparing the various classes I teach is like comparing apples with oranges. I like them all. However, if forced to pick one, it would have to be Marine Biology because this course has the greatest overall impact on the students. The class is taught in the Florida Keys, in May, where students are immersed in marine biology for three weeks. They live and work in a facility that includes dorms and a laboratory. Here, they learn much more than marine biology. They learn about teamwork, diplomacy, conflict-resolution, the dividends of hard work, the trials and triumphs of field research—and they learn about the diversity and importance of the marine ecosystem. It’s just such a unique experience, as classes go, that the memories, lessons and friendships the students acquire in this one course last them a lifetime.

My favorite student success story is the first thesis student that I had who completed a Ph.D. I think I had some influence on his ultimate decision to go to graduate school in environmental biology. He took my Limnology (freshwater biology) and Wetland Ecology courses, and really seemed to develop a true interest in fish ecology. He studied benthic macroinvertebrates at our biological station (http://www.hillsdale.edu/academics/hcdept6761168.asp) in Luther. The experience he gained on the identification of Chironomid larvae during his research here at Hillsdale was partly instrumental in landing him a fully funded Ph.D. graduate research assistantship in fish ecology at Purdue University. I served as a member of his Ph.D. advisory and examination committee. Upon completion of his doctorate, he immediately accepted a job as an associate research scientist with the Florida Marine Research Institute in Tampa. His wife, also a former student of mine here at Hillsdale, completed a master’s degree in Entomology at Purdue and, among other things, contributed to the description of a new species of insect from South America.

I like the traditional atmosphere and philosophy of the College. I also like the fact that I have never been deprived of the facilities or equipment that I need to conduct research. Our facilities and equipment here are state-of-the-art, and any item that I did not or do not have for teaching or research I have acquired without delay. I like the national recognition that Hillsdale receives and the consequential opportunities we have to hear and meet prominent national leaders at College events such as the Center for Constructive Alternatives (CCA). I like the College’s non-discrimination policy which is older and better than that of any other academic institution and any that has been imposed on academic institutions by governmental authorities. I like the freedom to talk about faith in the classroom if it is relevant to the context of my discipline and if I so choose.

Follow your passions. If you don’t know what you are most passionate about, take every advantage of opportunities (internships, summer jobs, courses, seminars, etc.) that arise that allow you to explore your various interests in greater detail and find out which career most excites you. If you are not passionate about the career you choose, you will not only underachieve in your work, but you won’t like what you do (and therefore, you’ll spend most of the waking hours of each day in your life doing something that you dread). When selecting a college, choose the college that represents a good match for YOU (not your friend, boyfriend/girlfriend, parents, etc.). Ultimately, you are the one that will have to spend the next four years there.

Our students are intellectual, introspective, courteous and respectful, while still being “normal.” I like the fact that I come to know many of them as valued friends. It is an honor to be regularly invited to and attend their weddings and so on after they graduate, and to hear of their successes.

tony.swinehart@hillsdale.edu