On September 11, 2025 I attended a faculty introduction to the Biology Department at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Six Doctors of Biology introduced themselves and spoke briefly about their work. After each summary of the classes they teach and the research they are currently focused on, they each sat at a table of three to five students to answer questions and discuss their research further. They had conversations with each table of students.
Dr. Melinda Grosser was the director of the event as well as offering an overview of her own roles as professor and the research she is currently working on. She is doing extensive research on Staphylococcus Aureus because of its resistance to antibiotics. Her lab is using a control and comparing that to any mutations that may occur in their samples. She hopes to be able to design a knockdown strain. They are hoping to silence the antibiotic-resistant genes.
Dr Courtney Clark-Hachtel spoke about her study of Tardigrades and their remarkable resilience. She focuses on a particular species, Hypsibius exemplaris. Tardigrades are resilient in many ways, the most common is ability to desiccate or dry themselves out in times of drought stress. However, Dr. Clark-Hachtel is specifically focused on their ability to repair DNA after radiation exposure. Her lab is experimenting with observing how the DNA providing this ability reacts in other systems.
Dr Ted Meigs worked for the department of cancer research and pharmacology from 1996-2003. He has been a professor at UNCA for 23 years. He is currently researching how cells function and how molecules interact with cells. He has continued his research on cancer at UNCA. His lab is currently focused on the proteins involved in switched DNA that contribute to cell mutation on or off.
Dr Jonathan Horton has been a biology professor at UNCA for over 20 years. His focus is on forest mycology and ecology. His lab recently evaluated the vast amount of fallen trees due to hurricane Helene last September and their relation to possible changes in mycorrhiza. He has created a fungarium, a collection of dried fungus specimens. His collection exceeds 450 and he is working on getting a DNA bar code for each.
Dr. Camila Filgueiras teaches entomology along with other courses at UNCA. Her research focuses on how insects interact with their environment. She aims to understand the relationship of insects, plants, and microbes. One of her specific studies are on the American Chestnut and chestnut blight, Cryphonectria parasitica. Her lab also examines all pathogens affecting the majestic trees.
Dr Rebecca Hale is the director of undergraduate research. Her current research focuses on animal behavior where ecology and evolution overlap. Specifically, she is studying the parental behavior of salamanders. Not all species of salamanders have the same parental behavior. These behaviors include maternal care, paternal care and no care. One of the main species she studies is the Marble Salamander, Ambystoma opacum. The parental behavior of the Marble Salamander is that some mothers stay with her eggs and curve their body around the eggs to hold any moisture in contact with the eggs. This begins the hatching process. They do not stay for the hatching of the eggs.
Every professor had a chance to have a short chat with each student. They were all excited about their research and very engaging. They answered questions from the students and asked many questions of their own. When a student exhibited a focused interest on a particular branch of biology each professor offered to extend a conversation on the subject beyond the seminar. Many of the professors share their research with each other, for biological systems overlap.
