Dr. Ray Drenner

RAY DRENNER , Ph.D. PERSONAL BIO

About ten years ago, I began to explore different ways to teach science to non-science majors. I began to ask undergraduate students in my course to read magazine articles on current biological issues published in Time, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. The biological issues included hormone replacement therapy, smoking and lung cancer, AIDS, drug addiction, exotic species, the ozone hole and global warming. My lectures focused on the basic biological concepts necessary to understand the biological issues in each article and a discussion of the scientific advances presented in the articles. It was apparent from student reviews of the course that this approach seemed to capture the interest of students in biological subjects, even though they were majoring in business, fine arts, or the humanities. It was also apparent that focusing the course on contemporary issues was a way to insure that the course remained current and ever changing as scientists continue to learn more about biological systems.

The course, Contemporary Issues in Biology, was first taught in 1999 to 19 students. Today the enrollment in the course ranges from 750–800 students a year. In addition to Dr. Weinburgh and I, three faculty members have taught in the course and special thanks go to these faculty, Gail Jones, Angela Buffington and Mark Bloom, for their contributions to the course. I would also be remiss if I did not mention Ms. Pat Paulus, who taught with me at T.C.U. for about two decades, and was my mentor during my early years in the non-science majors biology course. Finally, it has been a thrill to work with Dr. Molly Weinburgh, one of our country’s finest science educators.

I received a B.A. and Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Kansas in 1972 and 1977, respectively. I am a freshwater ecologist and I teach courses in the Ecology of Lakes and Streams, Ecology of Fishes, and part of the introductory Ecology course. My research focuses on ecological factors controlling the food webs and water quality of lakes. I became Chair of the Biology Department in 2003. For more information, you may go to: