I strongly believe that it is important to interact and teach at three levels within the University:

• undergraduate, non-majors whose only knowledge and tools for dealing with the biological world in which they live may come from a single class

• upper division majors who need first rate training and tools to be competitive in the major after graduation, be it employment or post-graduate education

• the graduate level where if I do it right, I will get as much or more out of the experience as the students do

I am excited about what I think I know about my organisms and their history, and I want to convey that excitement and my methods of discovery to students. I also want them to know how and why I think what I do. And lastly, I want them to always attempt to falsify what they think they know, not support it.

I regularly teach three courses:

Marine Mammals IB 41 - 2 units Fall A survey of marine mammal evolution, biology, behavior, ecology and politics with a concentration on those species found in the North Pacific. Coverage includes: origin and evolution of cetaceans, pinnipeds, sirenians, and sea otters; basic biology and anatomy of marine mammals groups, and North Pacific species in particular; ecological interactions and role in nearshore and pelagic marine mammals.

Invertebrate Biology IB 103 - 5 units Spring (w\D. Penry) An introductory survey of the biology of invertebrates, stressing comparative functional morphology, phylogeny, natural history, and aspects of physiology and development. Laboratory study focuses on invertebrate diversity and functional morphology with field study of the natural history of local marine invertebrates.

Principles of Phylogenetics IB 200 - 4 units Spring (w\B. Mishler) Principals and methodologies of phylogenetic analysis with emphases on both morphology and molecules, and living and fossil organisms. Related topics include phylogenetic approaches to classification, biogeography, speciation, conservation, ecology and behavior. Laboratory provides instruction in data acquisition, computer-assisted phylogenetic reconstruction, and the application of comparative methods to other biological disciplines.

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