CURRICULUM VITAE

1992-1999         Ph.D. in Ecology & Evolution

                            State University of New York at Stony Brook

                            Dissertation:  Physiological tradeoffs in the evolution of countergradient

                                                    somatic growth rates of the Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia

1985-1990         B.S. in Biological Sciences (Zoology emphasis)

                            University of Maryland at College Park

2000-present        Community College of Rhode Island

                               Assistant Professor of Biology

                               Courses Taught:     Introductory Biology - Organismal (BIOL 1001)

                                                                General Biology - Botany (BIOL 1030)

                                                                General Biology - Zoology (BIOL 1040)

                                                                Evolution (BIOL 2070)

                                                                Biology Seminar (BIOL 2110)

Summer 1999       Long Island University - Southampton College

                                Adjunct Assistant Professor

                                Course Taught:    Oceans (MS 110)

1998-1999            State University of New York at Stony Brook

                               GAANN Teaching Fellow

                               Courses Taught:    Principles of Biology I: Organisms to Ecosystems (BIO 201)

Spring 1998         State University of New York at Stony Brook

                               Laboratory Teaching Assistant

                               Course Taught:    Principles of Biology II: Molecules to Organisms (BIO 152)

Fall 1996               State University of New York at Stony Brook

                               Lecture Teaching Assistant

                               Course Taught:    Principles of Biology I: Organisms to Ecosystems (BIO 151)

1990-1995             University of Miami - RSMAS

                                Laboratory Instructor

                                Bimini Biological Field Station, Bahamas

                                Course Taught:    Tropical Marine Biology

Spring 2001         Peer-Led Team Learning Workshop Project Conference

                              Community College Initiative

                              Sierra College, California

Summer 2000     Undergraduate Faculty Development Workshop

                              Developing Curricular Resources & Strategies for Introductory Biology

                              BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium

                              Beloit College, WI

Summer 1999      Workshop on Undergraduate Evolution Education

                               Society for the Study of Evolution

                               University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

Fall 1998               Strategies for Success Science Workshop

                               Benjamin-Cummings Science

                               Kingsborough Community College, Brooklyn, New York

Summer 1999       Program: Ward & Dorothy Melville Fellowship, SUNY

                                Student: Elizabeth Remily, Southampton College undergraduate

                                Project:  Swimming endurance in Atlantic silversides

1998-1999             Program: Undergraduate Honors Research, SUNY

                                Student: Peter Sakaris

                                Project:  Acute hypoxia response in Atlantic silversides

Summer 1996       Program: Westinghouse Science Talent Search

                                Student: Whitney Bowe, National Finalist

                                Project:  The inducement of a symbiotic relationship between Cassiopea

                                                 xamanchana and Chlorella

Summer 1995       Program: Ward & Dorothy Melville Fellowship, SUNY

                                Student: Jana Davis, Yale University undergraduate

                                Project: Assimilation efficiencies of Atlantic silversides

2000               Author, CCRI Zoology Laboratory Manual

                        Pacific Crest Software, Inc.

                        875 NW Grant Avenue, Corvallis, OR 97330

1998-1999     Freelance Editor, Pacific Crest Software, Inc.

                        875 NW Grant Avenue, Corvallis, OR 97330

                        Foundations of Biology: Molecules to Organisms, a laboratory manual

                        Foundations of Biology: Organisms to Ecosystems, a laboratory manual

2001         Workshop Project Associate Grant

                  National Science Foundation, Community College Initiative

1999         Sally Leonard Richardson Award - Outstanding Student Presentation

                  American Fisheries Society (ELH): 23rd Larval Fish Conference

1998         Graduate Assistant in Areas of National Need (GAANN) Teaching Fellowship

                  U.S. Department of Education

1997         Stoye Award - Outstanding Presentation in Physiology

                  American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting

1997         Cedar Brook Award- Outstanding Departmental Retreat Talk

                  Department of Ecology & Evolution, SUNY

1997         Outstanding Student Presentation- Departmental Seminar Series

                  Department of Ecology & Evolution, SUNY

Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE)

National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST)

National Science Teacher Association (NSTA)

National Center for Science Education (NCSE)

Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE)

Evolutionary biology and ecology of fishes

Natural selection and life-history evolution in aquatic environments

Intraspecific variation and population genetic structure of aquatic organisms

Systematics and the comparative method

Conservation biology

1995-1998         State University of New York at Stony Brook

                            Marine Sciences Research Center

                            Flax Pond Marine Laboratory

                            Research Assistant to Dr. David O. Conover

                            Life history and evolutionary physiology of fishes:

                                        • Lab culture of silversides, striped bass, and bluefish

                                        • Critical and burst swimming speeds of silversides

                                        • Response of silversides to acute hypoxia

                                        • Growth, consumption, and efficiency of silversides

                                        • Metabolism of silversides and striped bass (respirometry)

                                        • Meristic variation in silversides (radiography)

1992-1994         State University of New York at Stony Brook

                            Department of Ecology & Evolution

                            Research Assistant to Dr. Axel Meyer

                            Molecular systematics and population genetics of fishes:

                                        • PCR, gel electrophoresis, DNA sequencing, PCR primer design

                                        • Data analysis (Clustal, PAUP, NJBoot, MEGA, MacClade)

                                        • Phylogeny of Xiphophorus fishes  (D-loop, Cyt b, X-Src)

                                        • Population structure of blue marlin (D-loop)

                                        • Phylogeny of Syngnathidae (16S, 12S)

Summer 1989   Earthwatch Institute

                            Field Research Assistant to Dr. S. Gruber & Dr. J. F. Morrissey

                            University of Miami - RSMAS

                            Bimini Biological Field Station, Bahamas

                            Home range and activity space of lemon sharks:

                                        • Ultrasonic, PIT, NMFS tagging

                                        • Longline and gill netting

                                        • PIT and Casey (NMFS) tagging programs

                                        • Data entry and computer analysis (ACAD)

Billerbeck, J.M., T. Lankford, and D.O. Conover. 2001. Evolution of intrinsic growth and energy acquisition rates. I. Trade-offs with swimming performance in Menidia menidia. Evolution 55(9): 1863-1872.

Lankford, T., J.M. Billerbeck, and D.O. Conover. 2001. Evolution of intrinsic growth and energy acquisition rates. II. Trade-offs with vulnerability to predation in Menidia menidia. Evolution 55(9): 1873-1881. 

Billerbeck, J.M., E.T. Schultz, and D.O. Conover. 2000.  Adaptive variation in energy acquisition and allocation among latitudinal populations of the Atlantic silverside. Oecologia 122:210-219.

Billerbeck, J.M., G. Ortí, and D.O. Conover. 1997. Latitudinal variation in vertebral number has a genetic basis in the Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 54: 1796-1801.

Meyer, A., J.M. Morrissey (Billerbeck), and M. Schartl. 1994. Recurrent origin of a sexually selected trait in Xiphophorus fishes inferred from a molecular phylogeny. Nature 368: 539-542.

Billerbeck, J.M. and D.O. Conover. 1999. Countergradient variation and the evolution of growth rate in fishes: trade-offs in growth, consumption, and swimming performance. ASN/SSE/SSB Annual Meeting. Madison, WI.

Billerbeck, J.M. and D.O. Conover. 1999. Big problems for little fish: energetic conflicts in Atlantic silversides. American Fisheries Society (AFS) 23rd Larval Fish Conference. Beaufort, NC.

Billerbeck, J.M. and D.O. Conover. 1998. Growth rate and food consumption trade off against swimming performance in YOY fish. American Fisheries Society (AFS) Annual Meeting. Hartford, CT.

Billerbeck, J.M. and D.O. Conover. 1997. Swimming performance of Atlantic silversides: effects of food consumption and growth rate on critical swimming speeds. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH). Seattle, WA.

Morrissey, J.M., G. Ortí, and D.O. Conover. 1996. Jordan's rule has a genetic basis in the Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH). New Orleans, LA.

Morrissey, J.M., E.T. Schultz, D.O. Conover, and A. Ehtisham. 1995.  Physiological basis of countergradient variation in growth in the Atlantic silverside (Menidia menidia). American Fisheries Society (AFS). Tampa, FL.

last updated: 9/1/02