Faculty Profile

Scott Boback

Professor of Biology (2007)

Contact Information

bobacks@dickinson.edu

Rector North Room 1303
717-245-1799
http://users.dickinson.edu/~bobacks/

Bio

Broadly, I am an animal ecologist with a focus in herpetology (non-avian reptiles and amphibians). I teach courses in ecology, evolution, vertebrate natural history, and physiology. My students and I investigate a variety of organisms in both lab and field settings. Recent projects have included the muscular performance of snakes during constriction, the population ecology of painted turtles, and the evolutionary development of snake jaws.

Education

  • B.A., Ripon College, 1991
  • M.A., University of Northern Colorado, 1995
  • Ph.D., Auburn University, 2005

2024-2025 Academic Year

Fall 2024

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 560 The Effect of Enrichment on Bo

BIOL 560 The Kinematics of Saltatory Fe

Spring 2025

BIOL 332 Natural History of Vertebrates
An exploration into the lifestyles of vertebrates heavily focused on field biology. Natural history is strongly dependent on descriptive anatomy and systematics and therefore this course will cover the evolutionary relationships among vertebrates highlighting unique features that facilitated the success of the major groups. In field labs, students will develop observational skills such as how to identify a bird by its song, a frog by its call, a mammal by the color of its pelage, and a snake by its shed skin. Indoor labs will focus on identifying species from preserved specimens as well as providing students with the skills necessary to preserve vertebrates for future study. Preservation methods could include preparing museum-quality mammal and bird skins, formalin fixation of fish, and skeletal preparations. Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week. Prerequisites: one 200-level biology course or GEOS 307. Offered every two years.

BIOL 560 Stu/Faculty Collaborative Rsch