Archives

Robin Forbes-Lorman

• Postdoctoral Scholar, biology education research
• Ph.D. in behavioral neuroendocrinology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• B.A. in Biology, Earlham College

Hi! I teach biology, primarily Anatomy and Physiology. I carry out behavioral neuroendocrinology research (hormones on the brain and behavior) in rats. I am particularly interested in the role of steroid hormones in social and sexual behaviors, as well as the neuropeptides vasopressin and oxytocin in social behaviors. I also carry out pedagogy research on how students learn. I grew up in Madison, WI and got my B.A. from Earlham College, a school about the same size as Ripon. I got my MS and PhD from UW-Madison in behavioral neuroendocrinology, did a postdoc in biology education research, then taught for two years at Evergreen College in Olympia, Washington. I currently live in Ripon with my husband, two kids, two dogs, and chickens. I am a runner and hope to get back into triathlons soon (I am a 2x Ironman).

Julia Manor

• Ph.D., University of Minnesota
• B.A., Macalester College

I study animal cognition and neuroscience. My courses focus around these two areas as well and include: Learning and Behavior, Behavioral Neuroscience, Sensation and Perception, Drugs and Society, and Inside the Animal Mind. My lab tests a number of species including rats and dogs. We love trying to understand what animals are thinking! Outside of the college, I spend time with my own animals and enjoy performing in community theater.

Kristine Kovack-Lesh

• Ph.D., University of Iowa
• B.A., Valparaiso University

I have been teaching at Ripon College since January 2008. My area of specialization is developmental psychology and within that area I teach classes on PSC 234: Infant Development, PSC 235: Child Development, and PSC 242: Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood. I also regularly teach PSC 339: Cognitive Processes and PSC 212: Research Design and Statistics II. My other course offerings during my time at Ripon include other courses in the PSC department and courses in our Catalyst curriculum (e.g., CTL 120 and 300).

I am also the Director of the Infant Cognition Lab. Over the years, I have been able to work with about 20 different Ripon College students on research projects in my lab. Early in my career at Ripon, my research focused on infant categorization and memory. More recently, I have begun working with younger and older children (e.g., 2.5-10 years of age) to study aspects of attention with collaborators at other universities.

Memuna Khan

• Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic & State University , Blacksburg, Virginia (biology)
• B.A., University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (biology with honors)

I joined the faculty as an avian ecologist in 2006. My education started in Brooklyn, New York reading Ranger Rick, watching urban wildlife, and learning about the outdoors as a Girl Scout. I landed in Wisconsin after earning an undergraduate degree at the University of Chicago (B.A. Biology 1992), a doctorate at Virginia Tech (Ph.D. 1999), and a post-doctoral position at Princeton University. As an undergraduate, courses in Field Ecology and Animal Behavior introduced me to the wonderful world of birds and I haven’t gotten bored yet.

At Ripon my students and I study the behavior and ecology of a local population of Eastern Bluebirds. Since 2007, we have individually color-marked adult and nestling bluebirds and tracked their histories of movement and reproduction. My students have examined the impact of mealworm supplementation on nestling growth rates, double brooding, and overwintering behavior. These students have presented their work at undergraduate research symposia held by Sigma Xi and Beta Beta Beta, national science and biological honor societies. My current research interests include a study of the movement of overwintering bluebirds at feeders in Ripon, and the efficacy of wren guards in preventing House Wren predation on bluebird nests.

At Ripon I teach Vertebrate Zoology, Biology of Birds, Animal Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, Scientific Writing, Environmental Studies, and Catalyst 120. I also take students on In Focus courses on Conservation and Biodiveristy in Costa Rica.