Faculty Profile

Carol Loeffler

Associate Professor of Biology (1988)

Contact Information

loeffler@dickinson.edu

Rector North Room 2304
717-245-1360

Bio

She teaches courses in algae, fungi, lichens, and land plants. Her research interests with students are in the biology and ecology of rare plant species and in the impact of deer and other herbivores on forest vegetation.

Education

  • B.A., Smith College, 1982
  • Ph.D., Cornell University, 1992

Awards

  • Dickinson Award for Distinguished Teaching, 2008-09

2023-2024 Academic Year

Fall 2023

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.

ENSC 550 Environmental Science Research

BIOL 560 Botanical Research

ENSC 560 Stu Faculty Collaborative Rsch

Spring 2024

BIOL 224 Plant Geography/Ecology w/Lab
Analysis of factors determining the distribution and abundance of plant species, including study of plant migration patterns today and in the distant past. Lecture includes examples and readings from classic and recent research. Field, laboratory, and greenhouse studies focus on plant demography, plant-animal interactions, plant community structure, competition, soil and water relations, and other topics. Six hours classroom a week. Prerequisites: 131 and 132 OR ENST 161 and 162.

ENSC 550 Environmental Science Research

BIOL 560 Stu/Faculty Collaborative Rsch

ENSC 560 Stu Faculty Collaborative Rsch