Discover Biology: Core Topics

Michael L. Cain taught introductory biology and a broad range of other biology courses at New Mexico State University and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology for thirteen years. He is now writing full time and is affiliated with Bowdoin College in Maine. Dr. Cain has published dozens of scientific articles on topics such as genetic variation in plants, insect foraging behavior, long-distance seed dispersal, and factors that promote speciation in crickets. Dr. Cain is the recipient of numerous fellowships, grants, and awards, including the Pew Charitable Trust Teacher-Scholar Fellowship and research grants from the National Science Foundation.

Carol Kaesuk Yoon received her Ph.D. PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology from Cornell University and has been writing about biology for The New York Times since 1992. Her articles have also appeared in Science, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. Dr. Yoon has taught writing as a Visiting Scholar at Cornell University’s John S. Knight Writing Program, working with professors to help teach critical thinking in biology classes. She has also served as a science education consultant to Microsoft. She lives in Bellingham, Washington.

Anu Singh-Cundy received her PhD from Cornell University and did post-doctoral research in cell and molecular biology at Penn State. She is an associate professor at Western Washington University, where she teaches a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses, including organismal biology, cell biology, plant developmental biology, and plant biochemistry. She has taught introductory biology to non-majors for over 15 years and is recognized for pedagogical innovations that communicate biological principles in a manner that engages the non-science student and emphasizes the relevance of biology in everyday life. Her research focuses on cell-cell communication in plants, especially self-incompatibility and other pollen-pistil interactions. She has published over a dozen research articles and has received several awards and grants, including a grant from the National Science Foundation.