Faculty

Assistant Professor of Biology and Chair of Department
Office location: 206 Lassiter Hall
Office phone: 864-833-8405
Office email: sggordon@presby.edu
B.A., College of Wooster (Biology)
Ph.D., Ohio State University (Crop Breeding and Genetics)
Post Doctoral Education, Ohio State University (Plant Pathology)

Areas of Specialty

Microbial genomics
Genetics of host-plant resistance

Courses Taught

Introductory Biology (Bio 101-102)
Genetics

Selected Publications

R. Pratt, S. Gordon, P. Lipps, G. Asea, G. Bigirwa and K. Pixley. 2003. Use of IPM in the control of multiple diseases in maize: strategies for selection of host resistance. African Crop Sci. J. 11:189-198.

Gordon, S. G., Bartsch M., Matthies, I., Lipps, P.E., Gevers, H.O. and Pratt, R.C. 2004. Linkage of molecular markers to Cercospora zeae-maydis resistance in maize via selective genotyping. Crop Science 44:628-636.

Pratt, R. C. and Gordon, S. G. 2005. Breeding for resistance to maize foliar pathogens. Plant Breeding Rev. 27:119-174.

G. Asea, P.E. Lipps, R.C. Pratt, S.G. Gordon and E. Adipala. 2005. Development of Greenhouse Inoculation Procedures for Evaluation of Partial Resistance to Cercospora zeae-maydis in Maize Inbreds. J. of Phytopathology 153:647-653.

Gordon, S. G., S. K. St. Martin and A. E. Dorrance. 2005. Rps8 maps to a R-gene rich region on soybean linkage group F. Crop Sci. 46:168-173.

Gordon, S. G., Lipps, P. E. and Pratt, R. C. 2006. Components of resistance to Cercospora zeae-maydis inherited from the maize inbred VO613Y. Phytopathology 96:593-598.

Brett M. Tyler, Sucheta Tripathy, Xuemin Zhang, Paramvir Dehal, Rays H.Y. Jiang, Andrea Aerts, Felipe D. Arredondo, Laura Baxter, Douda Bensasson, Jim L. Beynon, Jarrod Chapman, Cynthia M.B. Damasceno, Anne E. Dorrance, Daolong Dou, Allan W. Dickerman, Inna L. Dubchak, Matteo Garbelotto, Mark Gijzen, Stuart G. Gordon, Francine Govers, Niklaus J. Grunwald, et al. 2006. Phytophthora Genome Sequences Uncover Evolutionary Origins and Mechanisms of Pathogenesis. Science 313:1261-1266.

Gordon, S. G., S. A. Berry, S. K. St. Martin and A. E. Dorrance. 2007. Genetic analysis of soybean plant introductions with resistance to Phytophthora sojae. Phytopathology 97:106-112.

Gordon, S. G., K. Kowitwanich, W. Pipatpongpinyo, S. K. St. Martin and A. E. Dorrance. 2007. Molecular marker analysis of soybean plant introductions with resistance to Phytophthora sojae. Phytopathology 97:113-118.

Professor of Biology
Office location: 106 Lassiter Hall
Office phone: 864-833-8403
Office email: miker@presby.edu
B.S., University of Washington (Botany)
M.S., Western Illinois University (Biology)
Ph.D., University of South Carolina (Geology)

My Research Interests

Paleoecology of Carboniferous Coal Swamp floras in the midwestern and southeastern USA.
Palynology of the Pleistocene of South Carolina.
Biostratigraphy of Eocene/Oligocene mammals of the badlands near Douglas, Wyoming.

Courses I Teach

Biological Concepts (Biology 1150–Fall)
Organismal Biology (Biology 1151–Spring)
Seminar in Primary Biological Literature (Biology 2002–Fall)
Senior Seminar (Biology 4010–Fall or Spring)
Evolution (Biology 212–Spring Semester)
Paleontology (Biology 320–Fall Semesters)
Botany (Biology 203–Spring Semester)
Plant Systematics (Biology 206–Fall Semester)
Maymester ( Biology 4580–Natural History of the Galapagos Islands)

Research

My primary focus at this point is to involve students in the research process. My particular area of interest has been the Carboniferous paleoflora of the southeast. I have been actively collecting fossils from Virginia south through Georgia and west to Alabama. With student help, I have been attempting to reconstruct the change in plant communities in the southeast through geologic time. Along the way, students have been learning how to curate and maintain a paleobotanical collection, and how to manage a fossil database.

This past year, I was exceptionally lucky to stumble upon an amazing private collection of plant fossils while in Birmingham, Alabama, now called “The John Cooke Collection”. I have been actively involved over the past several months in getting the material curated, and have transported part of the collection to the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History, where these fossils will be used for research and display.

Another exciting line of research biology students and I have been involved in is the study of the palynology of the 450,000-year-old Pleistocene deposits from Harleyville, South Carolina. Three Honors Projects (Delaney and Hayne [2004], and Beaty [2005], and Sheppard [2006]) have focused on the environmental interpretation made possible by the extensive palynoflora present in these sediments. In an interesting twist on this research, I decided to test the working hypothesis of these paleoecosystem reconstructions by having students work on a modern pond ecosystem to see if the pollen and spores that were being deposited in the sediments of the pond reflected accurately the plants growing adjacent to the pond. Three Honor’s Research projects were the result of this idea: Carly Eargle, and Heather Hawkins [2008] worked on the palynology, and Nicholas Blake [2008] worked on the plant component of the surrounding pond environment.

Over the last four years, I have also been pursuing, along with a number of students, another line of research that centers around the Eocene and Oligocene mammals of the Badlands of Wyoming. I had the opportunity in 2007 to attend the TATE Conference in Casper, Wyoming, where I met Dr. Kent Sundell of Capser College. He leases approximately 10,000 acres of land near Douglas, Wyoming, which is right in the heart of the Badlands. The ‘badlands” are amazing topographic features that result from the actions of modern erosional forces cutting the mudstones deposited by the ancient Platte River, and is loaded with fossils, including oreodonts, horses, camels, nimravid “cats”, the huge suidArchaeotherium , and a myriad of smaller rodents. I returned with Dr. Inman and eight PC students in May 2008, and we spent several days collecting fossils in an untouched corner of Kent’s land which is controlled by the Bureau of Land Management (I had obtained a permit to do this!). Many of these fossils, encased in their mudstone tomb, are now being worked by students at PC. Allison Serdah completed a Honor’s project in 2008. Nick Plaisted also learned the techniques associated with preparing these fossils. More recently (2011), James Wilson completed a semester-long Internship learning how to use the airscribe to free fossils from the matrix. The ability to use the airscribe requiring fine-touch motor skills was especially useful to James in his aspirations of becoming a dentist after his 4 years at PC.

One other really interesting line of research that I began with Becca Miller two years ago, and will be continuing with Sydney Fontenot in the Fall of 2015 is the use of tree-ring analysis in understanding the nature of climate variability throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene Epochs. I am following the same approach as I did with the pollen and spore proxy data; we have been and will continue to take core samples from local trees to see if the tree ring measurements match the rainfall and temperature patterns recorded for this area. One interesting outcome of this research came from a pine tree I took a core from right next to Neville Hall. This tree turned out to be over 150 years old…predating the actual opening of Presbyterian College!!

Tree Campus USA-Arbor Day Foundation Interns

2022-2023 Eva Marie Hinkleman
2021-2022 Isabella Badon
2020-2021 Melinda Moore
2019-20 Andrew Whitney
2018-19  Paris Rizzo
2017-18  Danielle Gibson
2016-17  Morgan Morris

Summer Fellows Program Research Fellows

2022. Kenedie Conaway
2021. Jaden Yam
2020. Jaden Yam
2019. Adrianna Cody
2019. Sharmila Samuel
2018. Lexy Clark
2017. Victoria Cannon
2016. Sydney Fontenot
2014. Cassie Walker
2011. Caitlin Basnight
2011. Kaitlyn O’Gorman

Student Research (* Honors Research)

Awards & Honors

2022-2023 Robert H. Freymeyer Award for Meritorious Scholarship

Professor of the Year Award presentation at the SCICU meetings in April, 2018

Associate Professor of Biology
Office: 205 Lassiter Hall
Phone: (864) 833-8401
E-Mail: ayshull@presby.edu
B.S., Presbyterian College
Ph.D., Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University

The Pulaski L. Bealy Smith Professor of Biology
Joined PC in 1990
Office location: 202 Lassiter
Office phone: 864-833-8412
Office email: jwetzel@presby.edu
B.S., Point Park College
M.A., California State University
Ph.D., Clemson University

Areas of Specialty

Vertebrate reproduction and embryonic development, biology of seahorses, ichthyology, electron microscopy.

Courses Taught

Introductory Biology
Developmental Biology
Comparative Anatomy
Human Anatomy and Embryology
Electron Microscopy

Professional Activities

Electron Microscopy Society of America
American Society of Ichthyologists & Herpetologists
Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology
South Carolina Academy of Sciences

Honors and Recognition

First place, Polaroid Corporation International Scientific
Photographic Competition: Electron microscopy category (1994)
“Biologist At Large,” Appalachian Region EM Society (1995)
“Visiting Scholar” at Belle Baruch Institute, SC (Summer 2001)

Publications and Articles

Wetzel, J., Wourms, J.P., and Friel, J. Comparative morphology of cotylephores in Platystacus and Solenostomus; modifications of the integument for egg attachment in skin-brooding fishes. Envir. Biol. Fish. 50(1). (1996)

Wetzel, J. and Wourms, J.P. Adaptations for reproduction and development in the skin-brooding ghost pipefishes, Solenostomus. Envir. Biol. Fish. 44:363-384. (1995)

Bartsch, J., Ergle, S., Kokkala, I., and Wetzel, J. Development of the lateral line in embryos of the the dwarf seahorse, Hippocampus zosterae. ASB Bull. 41 (2):82. (1994)

Wourms, J. and Wetzel, J. Evolutionary morphology of cotylephores: egg attachment sites in skin-brooding fishes. Amer. Zool. 32 (5): 160A. (1992)

Wetzel, J., Wourms, J.P., and Poss, S.G. Cotylephores of the ghost pipefish: sites of egg attachment and maternal-embryonic exchange. Amer. Zool. 32 (5): 154A. (1992)

Wetzel, J. and Wourms, J.P. Paternal-embryonic relationships in seahorses and pipefishes (Syngnathidae). Amer. Zool. 31:83A. (1991)

Presentations

“Evolution and function of the seahorse brood pouch.” South Carolina Marine Education Association (1996)

“The evolution of the paternal brood sac in Syngnathid fishes.” Winthrop University (1993)

“Paternal-embryonic relations “Species diversity in the eastern and western pacific.” Bodega Marine Laboratory (1986); Tokai University, Kumamoto, Japan (1987); Amucksa Aquarium, Amucksa, Japan (1987)

Professor of Biology
Joined PC in 1991
Office location: 208 Lassiter
Office phone: 864-833-8418
Office email: rzim@presby.edu
B.A., Goshen College
Ph.D., Vanderbilt University

Areas of Specialty

Cell Biology
Immunology
Biochemistry

Courses taught

Cell Biology(Fall Semester)
Immunology (Spring Semesters)
DNA Fingerprinting (Freshman Semester, Fall 2005)
The Ecology and Natural History of the Colorado Plateau (Fleximester 2003)
Serengeti Safari (Maymester 2010)

Publications and Articles

Caitlin Rinz, Ron Zimmerman, Tim Wood (2009), Screening for Medium Chain Acyl-Coenzyme A Dehydrogenase Deficiency in Adults in South Carolina. Proceedings of the National Conference of Undergraduate Research.

Matt Madden, Ron Michaelis, Ron Zimmerman (2003), The Involvement of Mutations in G Protein Receptor 50 (GPR50) in X-Linked Mental Retardation (XLMR). Bulletin of the South Carolina Academy of Science.

Jenny Bell, Sarah Plank, Ron Michaelis, Ron Zimmerman (2000), Methyl-CpG-Binding Protein 2 and Its Link to Autism. Bulletin of the South Carolina Academy of Science.

Sarah Plank, Jenny Bell, Ron Michaelis, Ron Zimmerman (2000), Neurofibromatosis Type 1 Gene and Its Link to Autism. Bulletin of the South Carolina Academy of Science.

R.C. Zimmerman and C.E. Carter (1995), In Vitro Culture of Schistosoma japonicum Eggs: Synthesis and Release of a 140 Kilodalton Glycoprotein with Leucine Aminopeptidase Activity. Acta Medica Philippina 31 (3): 87-102.

J.D. Liberatos, R.C. Zimmerman, C.E. Carter (1992), In Vitro Culture of Schistosoma japonicum Eggs: Synthesis of a 70 kilodalton Heat Shock Protein. Proceedings of the Lousiana Academy of Sciences.

J.D.Liberatos, R.C. Zimmerman, C.E. Carter (1989), In Vitro Culture of Schistosoma japonicum Eggs: Synthesis of an Immunogenic 70 Kilodalton Heat Shock Protein (HSP-70). FASEB Journal 3 (4):1340.

Honors Research Projects

Caitlin Rinz (2009-2010) Screening for Medium Chain Acyl-Coenzyme A Dehydrogenase Deficiency in Adults in South Carolina.

Sean Foley (2008), Do Mutations in the MAGT1 Gene Cause Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation?

Vidya Fleetwood (2007), Do Mutations in SLC35A Cause Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation?

Thomas Knackstedt (2007) Genetic Mutations of Cohen’s Syndrome.

Katie Thomas (2006), Genetic Mutations in C.H.A.R.G.E. Syndrome.

Matt Madden (2003), The Involvement of Mutations in G Protein Receptor 50 (GPR50) in X-Linked Mental Retardation (XLMR).

Andrew Evans (2001), Defective Herpes Virus Expressing GAD65 Injected into the Inferior Colliculus.

Jenny Bell (2000), Methyl-CpG-Binding Protein 2 and Its Link to Autism.

Sarah Plank (2000), A Polymorphic Tetranucleotide Repeat Within the NF1 Gene and its Possible Link to Autism.

Julie Adair (1999), Sequencing of the SALL1 Gene for Mutations in Townes-Brocks Syndrome.

Meredith Koegler (1996-97), Determination of the Phylogenetic Relationship between Three Subspecies of Wild Turkey using the Sequence of the 28S Ribosomal RNA Gene D1 Region.

Craig Sanders (1996), Phylogeny of the Family Ictaluridae Based on the Nucleotide Sequence of the 28S Ribosomal RNA Gene.

David Wilkes (1996), DNA Nucleotide Sequence and Restriction Enzyme Map of the 28S Ribosomal RNA Gene of the North American Wild Turkey Meleagris gallapavo.

Hearon McCravy (1994), Determination of the Relative Phylogeny of the Seahorse (Hippocampus sp.) from the Sequence of the 28S Ribosomal RNA Gene.

Andrew Welch II (1994), Phylogeny of the Pipefish (Sygnathus floridae) from the Sequence of the 28S Ribosomal RNA Gene.