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Herman L. Mays

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Herman L. Mays

Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences

    Personal profile

    About

    I have a PhD in evolutionary ecology from the University of Kentucky and studied the mating system of the Yellow-breasted chat (Icteria virens) for my thesis research. I've been a postdoctoral fellow, assistant professor and a museum curator in zoology at Cincinnati Museum Center. While at the Cincinnati Museum Center I maintained concurrent adjunct appointments at several local colleges and universities, including Thomas More College, Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati. As of 2014 I am an assistant professor in genetics in the Department of Biological Sciences at Marshall University. Go herd!

    With funding from the National Science Foundation I established the Molecular Ecology and Systematics Laboratory (MolES Lab) at Cincinnati Museum Center where research and training in DNA technology is done in a museum setting and molecular tools are brought to bear on basic questions in evolutionary biology. Community users of the lab have included the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, Xavier University, Thomas More College, Marshall University and the Ohio River Sanitation Commission. During my tenure as director of the MolES Lab we have hosted numerous visiting researchers and trained nearly two dozen undergraduates, 1 graduate student, 1 visiting postdoctoral researcher and 8 high school students as well as staff from the Cincinnati Zoo, faculty from Xavier University and area high school educators. Now that my research program has moved to Marshall University we are bringing on new students and collaborators, establishing new projects and moving in new and exciting directions while still maintaining ties to the Cincinnati Museum Center as a research associate. 

    I also like trying my hand at some science writing and public speaking and, to the best of my abilities, conveying the complexities of evolutionary biology to the general public. I've participated in the inaugural 2010 TEDxCincinnati event as an invited speaker and have delivered informal public talks at the Cincinnati Museum Center and numerous regional science and nature organizations. I also share my interests in science through blogs and social media, including twitter. Check back here occasionally for updates and please send your feedback. Please contact me with questions or if you are interested in collaborative research, undergraduate research opportunities if you are a Marshall University student or masters level graduate opportunities.

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    Disciplines

    • Biology
    • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology