Biology

Dr. Grace Ferris joins the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Department as Assistant Professor of Organic Chemistry. Dr. Ferris’s research work focuses on improving the synthesis of organic chemicals for biomedical and material sciences (Dissertation Title: Platinum-catalyzed 1,2-diboration of cis-substituted 1,3-dienes: A route to enantioenriched bifunctional allylboration reagents), as well as pedagogical research on how using just-in-time “deliberate practice” techniques in chemistry courses impact student learning.

In her most recent position as a chemistry instructor at Harvard University, Dr. Ferris worked on building community and increasing inclusion within the chemistry program. She focused on developing close mentoring relationships with first-generation and low-income college students, and directly increased their success and persistence in scientific fields. Her dedication to student success earned her one of Harvard’s top awards for Excellence in Mentorship. Dr. Ferris shows a strong passion for engaging students in research experiences and a dedication to ensuring that every student can pursue their educational goals despite any external or internal obstacles.

In her spare time, Dr. Ferris is an avid hiker, especially in the winter. She and her husband have completed 25 of the “winter 48,” peaks in the White Mountains with elevations over 4,000 feet.

Amy has long been fascinated by the underlying patterns structuring the evolution and ecology of diverse insect groups. At Lesley, she teaches the following courses: Biology with Lab, Animal Behavior, and Ecology and Natural History. 

Her current research involves investigating the diversity, ecology and structure of ant and termite communities in New England forests. This project currently engages Lesley students and community members in citizen science projects. Amy also has a background in using film and video as educational tools. She has co-produced several short documentaries through Project Documentary at CCTV, including “Ants” an award-winning short film on her favorite tiny subjects. 

Amy holds a BS from the University of Minnesota and a PhD from Boston University. 

An ecologist, conservation biologist, and animal behaviorist by training, David has studied the effects of forest fragmentation on birds in Massachusetts and is currently involved in urban bird research.

His areas of academic focus and expertise include: ecology, ornithology, conservation biology, and animal behavior. At Lesley, he teaches the following courses: Patterns in Nature, Environmental Field Research, New England Field Studies, and Field Experiences in Tropical Ecology. 

David holds a BS from Stonehill College and a MA and PhD from Boston University. 

A biogeochemist by training, Dr. Shoemaker’s work has involved studying Earth’s biological systems using geochemical approaches. Her research focuses on understanding and predicting methane emissions from wetlands and forests and their impact on global climate. Her areas of academic expertise include: earth science, climate change, and carbon and methane biogeochemistry. At Lesley she is dedicated to mentoring her students.  She holds a PhD in Biology from Harvard.

Frank holds a PhD in the Social Studies of Science from the Union Institute. In 1978, Frank co-founded the National Audubon Society Expedition Institute (AEI), creating degree programs in environmental studies. Since the summer of 1989 when he spent a year living at a Navajo trading post in Rough Rock, AZ, he has participated in the Navajo nine-night Nightway Ceremony, a traditional healing ritual.

From 1972 through 1992 he attended spring Kachina dances on the Hopi and Zuni reservations, and since 1990 he has attended Easter ceremonies in Yaqui (Tucson, AZ), Tarahumara (Chihuahua, Mexico), and Tzotzil (Chiapas, Mexico) communities. He has a particular interest in looking at science as it is applied in areas of popular culture, such as Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and the conflicts between popular and orthodox conceptions of science.

Chris Richardson received his BS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his Ph.D. from Boston University. His research interests are the physiological ecology and evolutionary physiology of small mammals. At Lesley, he teaches the following courses: Evolution and History of Life, Genetics and Ethics, Biology 2 with laboratory, Infectious Diseases, Applied Ecology, Research Experiences in the Natural Sciences Undergraduate Course, Anatomy and Physiology 1

Chris has investigated the role of intraspecific variation in hormones such as thyroid, leptin, and cortisol on intraspecific (evolutionary vs. non-evolutionary based) variation in a temperate bat species. His research has focused on addressing proximate (i.e., non-evolutionary) factors or underlying mechanisms that influence physiological traits in small mammals. He's interested in how energy use, such as metabolic rate, affects immune function, thermoregulation, and reproduction.

In the last five years, he has become interested in the energetic cost of immune function and the relationship between immune function and metabolism. Currently, he's investigating how the energetic cost of immune function in Myotis lucifugus (little brown myotis) and Eptesicus fuscus (big brown bats) affects the immune response and recovery to White Nose Syndrome (a fungal disease which has killed millions of bats in North America) in those two bat species and its impact on reproduction. This study has involved Lesley students as well as other students in the Boston area.

Additionally, he's now leading research at Mount Auburn Cemetery on the diversity and activity of bat species as part of a broader study on biodiversity involving several Lesley faculty researchers and Lesley students.