I teach the first year sequence of introductory biology (Bio-111 and Bio-112) as well as upper-level courses in Tropical Marine Biology (Bio-228) and Paleobiology (Bio-240). Every other year I also teach a First Year Seminar titled “A Dying Ocean” in which freshman learn about and discuss the many environmental problems that our world’s oceans are facing. My present research focuses on the biodiversity of marine invertebrates along the pacific coast of Central America. My summer’s plans usually include four weeks of field work on the pacific coast of Nicaragua accompanied by Gettysburg college undergraduate research assistants. I have also participated in nine international oceanographic research expeditions to deep-sea habitats in the Gulf of Mexico and the Northeast Pacific Ocean using submersibles and ROV's such as ALVIN, JASON and ROPOS. I have a longstanding love-affair with cave exploration and extremophiles.