SUSAN J. STAMLER

Professor of Biology

Health and Sciences Division
The College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Who am I?	Courses Taught	Biology at College of DuPage
Majoring in Biology?	My Education	Teaching Schedule

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Who Am I?

I was born and raised in Chicago, moving to the suburbs (Northern variety) when I was in graduate school. I love reading, travel (just ask me about my trip to great Britain - I have about 600 slides I would love to show you!), cooking and eating (is there a better reason for a love of cooking than a love of eating?). If you want to get on my good side ask me about my cats! I love dogs but seem to be owned by two cats. You can click on the picture to see a good cat adoption site!

I received all of my degrees from the University of Illinois, Chicago (I actually went there when they were still at Navy Pier! No, the ferris wheel wasn't there then.) My research was in developmental biology, using a protozoan (single-celled cute little organism) to study a change from a peaceful life spent eating bacteria to a predatory life hunting and eating other protozoa. I focused on some of the events happening at the biochemical (protein and RNA) level. After I received my Ph.D. I took a position as a Research Associate at Northwestern University. While there I studied molecular events (this time at the DNA level) of blood cell formation in chickens. (Among the important things I learned was that baby chicks are cute and adult chickens are not). Nine years later, I was ready to change and as education is my true passion, I found myself here at the College of DuPage. I have been teaching at the College of DuPage since 1992.

Educational Philosophy


It is my feeling that education should be useful in every aspect of your life, not just when taking an exam! I believe that education is not merely the memorizing of facts, but the understanding of ideas. I therefore tend to stress concepts and ideas in my courses. My goals are accomplished when students can USE the ideas and information from a class to better understand issues important in their lives; when they can incorporate that knowledge. To help to accomplish that I tend to use several essay-style questions on each exam (prospective students be fore-warned!)


What courses do I teach and when?

My main focus is cell and molecular biology. My Microbiology 1420 course allows us (teacher and students alike) to study topics regarding bacteria, viruses and molecular genetics more in depth. We discuss such current "hot" topics as antibiotic resistance, genetic engineering, biological warfare, vaccinations and topics such as microorganism-caused diseases. (For some interesting information you can go to such sites as Microbe World and The American Society For Microbiology).

When I teach Biology 1151 we investigate the cell and molecular phenomena. These include such topics as cellular reactions and energy flow, genetics (as I like to say - "why you are you while the rest of your relatives are so different!") as well as cloning, DNA fingerprinting, and the cellular and molecular bases for those ideas.

In addition, during Biology 1151 I get to indulge my love for, and fascination with, the diversity of animals on earth. I manage to give special consideration to such VERY important animals as sea slugs (Honest - they're absolutely beautiful!),
octopus (just click on picture for a live cam!), and
pandas (click on picture)!
For an idea of my course syllabus you can click on the course title in the "Courses Taught" box.

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Guide to Biology Courses at College of DuPage

The College of DuPage Catalog offers a description of all courses offered by the college. Click on this button to see them.
You might also be interested in viewing some of our natural areas on the campus. We have spent considerable time and effort into re-creating and/or maintaining these areas and you can judge for yourself if we are justifiably proud by clicking on the picture below! back to top

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Interested in Majoring in Biology?

If you are interested in finding out what your interests are, or need help in determining your interests, try the Counseling Transfer and Advising Office. If you are interested in majoring in Biology, the College has a good resource for you to study in its Biology Transfer Guide or I suggest you look at Dr. Chris Petersen's web site.
.Click on picture
Another good source of information, particularly for those interested in Ecology, is Lynda Randa's website
Click on picture
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My Educational Background




B.S. (Biology) University of Illinois, Chicago
I majored in Biology and minored in Chemistry. My area of specialization was cell biology.


M.S. (Biology) University of Illinois, Chicago
My thesis was a study of the changes in several enzymes during a developmental shift in the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena vorax.


Ph.D. (Biology) University of Illinois, Chicago
My thesis studied changing patterns of RNA synthesis during a developmental change in the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena vorax


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Courses Taught

Course Title	Course Number
Microbiology	1420
Biology	1151

Teaching Schedule

Fall	Micro 1420	Bio 1151
Spring	Micro 1420	Bio 1151
Summer	Micro 1420	Micro 1420-night

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Copyright © 2003 College of DuPage
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stamler@cdnet.cod.edu
Updated 24 April 2003
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