Dr. Maness has served as the Environmental Science Program Coordinator since 2016. Her research focuses on how organisms survive and reproduce in natural environment. She currently teaches: BISC 320 Animal Physiology, BISC 468/568 Biostatistics, BISC 496/595 Animal Behavior, BISC 509 Graduate Seminar, and BISC 535 Graduate Special Topics. Past courses: Avian Biology, Comparative Physiology, Ecology and Evolution, Ecophysiology, Genetics, Human Anatomy and Physiology and Microbiology.

Dr. Teresa Maness will integrate ESRM in BISC 454/554 Microbial Ecology and Diversity course. LTU’s rural location and proximity to environmental damage due to oil spills and natural disasters will provide valuable environmental data on soil and water pollution. Students in BISC 454/554 will conduct a comparative genomic study of xenobiotic degradation genes from the ESRM collection and compare them to those identified in the literature to assess evolutionary similarities and determine if some strains in the collection harbor multiple genes for degradation. Students will compare and analyze microbial remediation data over several years, perform comparative genomic studies of xenobiotic degradation genes from the ESRM collection and compare them to those identified in the literature to assess evolutionary similarities and determine if strains in the collection harbor multiple degradation genes. Currently, BISC 454/554 is a lecture-based course, so active participation in this research experience is a new approach that should improve student learning. Incorporation of ESRM into the course will enhance LTU’s Environmental Science Program through student engagement.