Faculty Profile
Thomas Arnold
Professor of Biology; Walter E. Beach '56 Chair in Sustainability Studies (2003)
Contact Information
Rector North Room 2303
717.245.1319
http://blogs.dickinson.edu/arnoldt/
Bio
Dr. Arnold is a broadly-trained biochemist who studies natural products produced by marine organisms and terrestrial plants exposed to stress, including stress caused by changing climates, grazing, or infection. His research focuses on plant sugar metabolism and transport, polyphenolic metabolism, glucosinolate production, and the occurrence of natural epigenetic regulators which exhibit promising medical properties. He is especially interested in molecules synthesized by organisms living in coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and temperate forests. He has been awarded research grants from the National Science Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution, and NASA. His work has been published in a variety of journals, often with undergraduate co-authors. He has over 20 years of experience as a science educator and mentor of undergraduate researchers. He teaches courses in biochemistry and metabolism, physiology, and ecological physiology as well as climate science. He founded the Dickinson Global Scholar Study Abroad program, and led its first semester-long program in Brisbane, Australia. He has been awarded course innovation grants from the National Science Foundation, among others. Over one hundred students have been trained in his laboratory and through these research programs. Dr. Arnold is an avid SCUBA diver and enjoys spending time near saltwater, in Chesapeake Bay tidal marshes, and on small boats. He is an advocate for Alzheimer's disease research.
Education
- B.A., St. Mary's College of Maryland, 1993
- Ph.D., University of Delaware, 1998
2022-2023 Academic Year
Fall 2022
BIOL 131 Intro to Org, Pop & Ecosyst
This introductory course spans levels of biological organization from basic multicellular microanatomy to organismal physiology and ecology, as understood through the lens of evolution. Course content will be focused around a specific theme determined by the instructor, and will include evolutionary principles of variation, selection, competition and cooperation, and how their operation at different levels of organization accounts for form and function of organisms, communities, and ecosystems. We will investigate homeostasis, reproduction and development as physiological processes that take place within organisms, and as ecological processes that interact with the environment and generate diversity of form over evolutionary time. Finally we will take stock of the existing forms and levels of biological organization and ask how their relationships establish the biosphere in which we live. Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week. This is one of two courses required of all Biology majors before entering the upper level. It is complementary to BIOL 132 – Introduction to Molecules, Genes, and Cells, and the courses may be taken in either order.
BIOL 343 Metabolism
Cross-listed with CHEM 343-01. A survey of the metabolic processes in animals and plants, including signal transduction, aerobic and anaerobic respiration, and photosynthesis, as well as the biosynthesis of the major types of biomolecules. For each metabolic pathway, we will examine the regulation of enzymes and related genes, their energetic requirements, and the function of pathway end products. Both the normal functioning of metabolic pathways and common metabolic malfunctions, e.g., human inborn errors of metabolism, will be considered. Selected readings from the primary literature and the popular press are required. Students will complete detailed case studies focusing on human metabolism and metabolic disorders.
Three hours classroom a week. Prerequisite: CHEM 242. This course is cross-listed as CHEM 343.
CHEM 343 Metabolism
Cross-listed with BIOL 343-01. A survey of the metabolic processes in animals and plants, including signal transduction, aerobic and anaerobic respiration, and photosynthesis, as well as the biosynthesis of the major types of biomolecules. For each metabolic pathway, we will examine the regulation of enzymes and related genes, their energetic requirements, and the function of pathway end products. Both the normal functioning of metabolic pathways and common metabolic malfunctions, e.g., human inborn errors of metabolism, will be considered. Selected readings from the primary literature and the popular press are required. Students will complete detailed case studies focusing on human metabolism and metabolic disorders.
Three hours classroom per week. Prerequisite: 242. This course is cross-listed as BIOL 343.
BCMB 560 Stu/Faculty Collaborative Rsch
Student/Faculty Collaborative Research allows a student to conduct original research in close partnership with faculty collaborator(s). The project should be designed as an investigation yielding novel results that contribute to the area of study. With the faculty collaborator(s), students will develop the project and participate in all aspects fo the reasearch. It is expected that the faculty member will work closely with the student for at least half of the time the student is pursuing the research. The final project must be presented to the faculty collaborator(s) no later than one week prior to the end of the evaluation period. The course will typically earn one half or one full course credit per semester.
BIOL 560 Stu/Faculty Collaborative Rsch
Spring 2023
BIOL 343 Metabolism
Cross-listed with CHEM 343-01.
CHEM 343 Metabolism
Cross-listed with BIOL 343-01.
BIOL 560 Stu/Faculty Collaborative Rsch
