About

• Education
  • Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, Ph.D. 1999 Biological Sciences
  • Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, M.S. 1995 Biological Sciences
  • Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA, B.S. 1991 Biological Sciences
• Papers in Preparation

  • Hunt, M. McElroy, T.C. Profiling Bat Activity and Species Presence in Managed Longleaf Pine. Submitting to Southeastern Naturalist.

    Smith, J., Greipsson, S., Koether, M., McElroy, T.C. Bacterial Community Structure and Diversity in Different Levels of Lead (Pb) Contaminated Soil. .

    Whitney, S., McElroy, T.C. Bacterial Flora and Insects Detected in Guano from Several Local Species of Bats.

    McElroy, T.C., Greipsson, S. Diversity of soil microbes associated with the dune building grass Leymus arenarius on reclamation sites in Iceland. Submitting to FEMS Microbiology Ecology or Restoration Ecology

• GenBank Submissions

  2003 McElroy TC, SV Diehl, ML Prewitt. Development of a molecular database for select wood decay fungi.

  • Trametes hirsuta ITS1, 5.8S rRNA, ITS2 # AY494980
  • Trametes versicolor ITS1, 5.8S rRNA, ITS2 # AY504663
  • Phanerochaete sanguinea ITS1, 5.8S rRNA, ITS2
  • Gloeophyllum sepiarium ITS1, 5.8S rRNA, ITS2 # AY497555
  • Gloeophyllum trabeum ITS1, 5.8S rRNA, ITS2
  • Arthrographis cuboidea ITS1, 5.8S rRNA, ITS2 # AY557369

  2004 McElroy TC, SV Diehl, ML Prewitt. Molecular identification of potential bio-control fungi for the Formosan termite.

  • Beauveria bassiana ITS1, 5.8S rRNA, ITS2 # AY510068
  • Exophiala jeanselmi ITS1, 5.8S rRNA, ITS2
• Community and University Service
  • Organizer of sub-Regional High School Science Bowl
  • College T&P, CSM Awards Committee
• Invited Seminars
  • 2013 - Georgia Gwinnett College. Wood frog population genetics.
  • 2011 - Joint meeting of the Churchill Northern Studies Centre and Parks Canada. Wood Frog genetics at a northern edge of distribution.
  • 2003 - University of South Carolina, Spartanburg. Aquatic ecology and restoration of the Florida Everglades.
  • 2001 - Shorter College (Rome, GA). Aquatic ecology of the Florida Everglades.
• Statement of Teaching Philosophy and Interests

  Teaching demands an interaction of teacher and student that advances the academic and social education of the student. I feel it is important to get undergraduate students directly involved in research projects because education is incomplete when students are little more than spectators in a classroom. I have taught in a variety of different situations over the past 12 years, including outdoor experiential education, laboratory assistant, and classroom lecturer.

  Academic education has two important components, memorization and critical thinking. Both of these components must be satisfied in order for academic education to be successful. Memorization is important because it provides the raw material or language for thought in a particular subject. A teacher should build the students vocabulary and stimulate the students to use that vocabulary to understand and construct concepts. Social education is accomplished when learning is a process in which students and teachers are partners. A college should be a learning community that challenges and encourages students to continually evaluate their goals and direction, and to develop a sense of ethical responsibility.

  There are many student research projects that can be done for relatively low cost and can be completed in a short time. Ideally, the student should be responsible for the development, execution, analysis and written summary of the project. I consider myself first as a teacher, but research activities can be of great value in prompting students to break away from the routine practice of repeating memorized facts and ideas. In my experience, undergraduates that have been involved in independent research projects become more self-confident people and are often better able to communicate, think, and work independently.

  One rewarding teaching experience was the supervision of an undergraduate senior thesis for Janette Garcia, a recent graduate of Florida International University, in the spring of 2001. The project was presented by Ms. Garcia at the 2001 Evolution meetings at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN. I was the Instructor-of-Record for Animal Biology (120 students) at Mississippi State University in the fall of 1998, and I was a laboratory instructor for a variety of different courses. I am currently supervising four undergraduate student projects which will be presented at the 2006 Association of Southeastern Biologist meeting in Gatlinburg. I enjoy teaching and feel that I have been quite effective in presenting material in both a clear and challenging manner.

  I have had productive partnerships with students. I have received very good reviews of my teaching performance from student evaluations administered by Mississippi State University and at Kennesaw State University. Because of this I was awarded the Mississippi State University, Department of Biological Sciences Student Teacher of the Year in 1999. I have a very broad-based education in the Biological Sciences, and am prepared to teach a wide spectrum of courses. I am confident that I can establish an energetic and challenging program that will promote academic excellence and foster the growth of the student. I have extensive teaching experience and am dedicated to research and education.