Environmental Monitoring, Molecular Biology, Science Writing
Michael Windelspecht
Associate Professor
General Biology Coordinator
Ph.D., University of South Florida
COURSES AND MORE RESEARCH INFORMATION
The prime focus of my research is the enhancement of scientific communication. As a science writer and editor, I am involved in a number of projects that work to promote scientific literacy in the general public. I have a special interest in the history of science. In addition, I work with a variety of national publishers in developing texts and ancillary publications.
A second area of interest is in environmental education, specifically water quality monitoring. Prior to coming to Appalachian State I was actively involved in the Coosa River Basin Initiative, a grassroots environmental organization in NW Georgia. There I served as the director of the Floyd College Wetland Preserve and conducted numerous workshops for K-12 educators on the importance of wetlands and water. Here in our area I am currently working for the National Committee for the New River to establish a citizen-based water monitoring network on the North and South Forks for the New River . We currently have a network established on the North Fork near Creston , NC and are working to place monitors in the Boone/Blowing Rock area. Interested parties (students, community groups, etc) should contact me for more information. My graduate students are actively researching how environmental degradation, primarily due to sedimentation, is influencing water quality.
I am also currently collaborating with the lab of Dr Ken Shull at ASU to examine the differences in mating behavior between laboratory and local populations of D. simulans . Specifically this is examining the biochemical differences of pheromone production in lab and field populations. Opportunities exist in this area for bot undergraduate and graduate research projects.
 
Selected Publications
Windelspecht, M., Richmond , R.C., and Cochrane, B.J. (1998) Survey of Malathion Resistance and Avermectin Susceptibility in Field Populations of Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and D. simulans. Journal of Economic Entomology 91(6): 1245-1252.
Cochrane, B.J., Windelspecht, M., Brandon, S.B., Morrow, M., and Dryden, L. (1998) Use of recombinant inbred lines for the investigation of insecticide resistance and cross resistance in Drosophila simulans. Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology 61: 95-114.
Windelspecht, M. 2001. Technology and Biology - Breaking the Dual Learning Curve. American Biology Teacher 63(2):1-6.
Windelspecht, M. Groundbreaking Scientific Experiments, Inventions and Discoveries of the 17th Century. Westport , CT ; Greenwood Publishing. November 2001
Windelspecht, M. Groundbreaking Scientific Experiments, Inventions and Discoveries of the 19th Century. Westport , CT ; Greenwood Publishing. November 2001
Windelspecht, M. The Digestive System. Westport , CT ; Greenwood Publishing. August 2004
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