Dr. Frank Fish

Dr. Frank Fish

Professor of Biology

  • Ph.D., Zoology, Michigan State University,1980
  • M.S., Zoology, Michigan State University, 1977
  • B.A., Biology, SUNY at Oswego, 1975
  • Office:  SSL 058
  • Voice:  610-436-2460
  • Fax: 610-436-2183
  • Email Dr. Frank Fish

Courses

I am responsible for courses in General Zoology (BIO 217), Marine Biology (BIO 313), Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy (BIO 357), Marine Mammals (BIO 453), and Functional Animal Morphology (BIO 457). Specific projects open to students as thesis research in the Liquid Life Laboratory include dolphin swimming, batoid ray locomotion, morphology and kinematics of locomotion, energy conservation by formation swimming, metabolic energetics of swimming and terrestrial locomotion, biomechanics of maneuverability, jet propulsion in fish, and functional design of propulsive structures in aquatic vertebrates.

Marine Bio ScubaOne of the activities for the Marine Biology (BIO 313) class is for the students
to go SCUBA diving in the campus pool.

I am also involved with teaching at the Shoals Marine Laboratory (SML) on Appledore Island, Maine. For my first summer at SML (2007), I was part of a team that taught the course A Marine Approach to Introductory Biology. Students performed projects on motion analysis of walking in gull chicks of different ages and performed an experiment on the estimation of the force necessary to break mussel shells. For summers 2008 through 2011, I taught Anatomy and Function of Marine Vertebrates with Dr. William Bemis. In this course, students were able to dissect lampreys and sharks and necropsy phocid seals and dolphins.


SunsetThe view from SML at sunset overlooking the R/V John M. Kingsbury.

SML 2009 Class
The 2009 Anatomy and Function of Marine Vertebrates class on a whalewatch.

Female Gray Seal
A female gray seal on Duck Island.

2010 ClassThe 2010 Anatomy and Function of Marine Vertebrates class in the water off the Shoals Marine Laboratory.  In June, the water is cold around the island.

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