CURRICULUM VITAE
Elizabeth Sherman
OFFICE ADDRESS:
Natural Science
Bennington College
Bennington, VT 05201
(802) 440-4466
E-mail: sherman@bennington.edu
EDUCATION:
Ph.D., Zoology, University of Vermont, 1977
High Distinction
Neurobiology & Behavior, Cornell University,
1972-73
Summer Marine Biology Program, Cornell
University,
1971
On research station on
Isles of Shoals, NH and ME.
B.A., Biology, University of Rochester, 1972
High
Distinction
PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT:
Visiting Scientist, Department of Environment,
Cayman Islands, 2010
Professor of Biology, Bennington College,
1978-present
Scientist-in-residence, Long Trail School,
private
high school in Dorset, VT
Supported in part
by
grant from NSF (sabbatical, 1995-1996)
Curriculum Coordinator (Bennington Equivalent of
Chair), Natural Science Mathematics,
1984-1986; 1992-1994;
2003-2005
Bennington College
Postdoctoral Fellow, Cornell University, 1977-78
Neurobiology &
Behavior
National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow,
1974-1977
Department of Zoology,
University of Vermont
Graduate Teaching Fellow, University of Vermont,
1973-74
Department of Zoology
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Cornell University,
1972-73
Division of Biological
Science
Undergraduate Teaching Fellow, University of
Rochester, 1971
Department of Biology
AWARDS/GRANTS/FELLOWSHIPS:
Math Science Partnerships Grant, investigator.
Grant
awarded to school districts in southern Vermont, 2009-2012.
Problems in amphibian diversity: has pH served as
a
selective agent in the evolution of
newts. Grant from American Wildlife Research Foundation,
Inc. 2001
Developmental differences among newts
(Notophthalmus
viridescens) as a function of
pond pH. Grant from American Wildlife Research Foundation,
Inc. 2000
Integrating Science & Math in the Classroom
V:
Biodiversity: Organisms, Evolution, and
Interdependence. Funded through National Science Foundation,
Vermont Institute for
Science, Math, & Technology. 1997
Scientist-in residence, grant to enable me to
teach
science in middle/ high school and
collaborate with students and teachers. Supported by National
Science
Foundation,
Vermont Institute for Science, Math, & Technology. 1995-1996
Intraspecific variation in osmoregulation among
newt
populations as a function of pond pH.
National Science Foundation, VT.EPSCoR program. 1995-1996
Integrating Science & Math in the Classroom
IV:
The Science of Water. Funded through
National Science Foundation, Vermont Institute for Science, Math,
&
Technology. 1996
Integrating Science & Math in the Classroom
III:
Topics in Chemistry & Physics. Funded
through
National
Science Foundation, Vermont Institute for Science, Math, &
Technology. 1995
Integrating Science & Math in the Classroom
II:
Earth & Life Sciences. Funded through
Department of Education, Title II. 1994
Integrating Science & Math in the
Classroom: Concepts in Action. Funded through
Department of Education through Title II funding. 1993
Grass Foundation Grant, 1992-1994
National Science Foundation Grant, 1988-1989
Vt.
EPSCoR Program
Vermont Department of Education Title II Grant,
1986-1988
Principal
Investigator, Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union,
Bennington, VT.
W.K. Kellogg National Fellowship, 1983-1986.
National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship,
1974-1977
University
of Vermont
Graduated with High Distinction in Biology, 1972
University
of Rochester
Phi Beta Kappa Society, 1972
University
of Rochester
Janet Howell Clark Prize for Science, 1972
University
of Rochester
Chester A. Dewey Scholarship Prize for Biology,
1971
University
of Rochester
COURSES TAUGHT:
Field Course in Coral Reef Biology (on
Grand
Cayman)
Diversity of Coral Reef Animals
Introductory Biology
Comparative Animal Physiology
Neurophysiology
Advanced Physiological Ecology
Evolution of Animal Social Behavior
Human Evolution
Marine Biology
The Biology of the Sexes
A Picture is Worth 1000 Words, or Graphing the
Material World: An
Integrated Approach to Science
& Math
Integrating Science & Math in the Classroom
Scale, Models and Simulations in Science
&
Mathematics
Numerous seminars on physiological and behavioral
adaptations of animals
Human Nature(s)
Science and Anti-science in America
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Physiological ecology of amphibians
Diversity of coral reef animals
Evolution and sociobiology
Science/math and citizenship
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:
Herpetologists League
Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles
Phi Beta Kappa Society
National Science Teacher Association
PROFESSIONAL WORK IN K-12 SCHOOLS:
Math Science Partnerships Grant Instructor. Provide
classes in content and inquiry to K-12 math science teachers.
Grant awarded to school districts in southern Vermont, 2009-2012.
Vermont Science Initiative. Provide classes in content and inquiry
to
K-12 math science teachers. Statewide grant, 2009-2011.
Consultant, elementary, middle, and high school science education,
1979- present. Emphasis on science content and inquiry approach to
science. Experience includes science curriculum development
and
implementation, model teaching, in-service workshop presentation,
writing of grant applications, assessment. Supported by grants
from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Vermont Department of
Education,
and the National Science Foundation.
Science, Math, & Technology Assessment Design Team, Vermont
Institute for Science,
Math & Technology. Sponsored by National Science Foundation,
1995
Consultant and instructor, Vermont Institute for Science, Math, and
Technology.
Sponsored by National Science Foundation, 1993-1998
Founder and Director, Bennington College Science Student Internship
Program, 1981-1998. Bennington College science students work in
elementary school
classrooms teaching science during January and February.
ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Founder and Director, Bennington College Coral
Reef
Biology Field Studies, 2004-present
Amphibian diversity of Merck Forest.
Supported
by Merck Forest. 1998-present.
Accreditation visiting team member for NEASC,
College of the Holy Cross, 2000
Accreditation visiting team member for NCA,
Oberlin
College, 1998
Accreditation visiting team member for NEASC,
Connecticut College, 1997
Accreditation visiting team member for Vt. Dept.
of
Ed., Antioch New England, 1997
Northeast United States Working Group: Declining
Amphibian Population
Task Force, 1993-present
Accreditation visiting team member for NEASC,
College of the Atlantic, 1992
Consultant, Commission on Institutions of Higher
Education, New England Association of
Schools & Colleges,
1990. Serving as consultant on revision of Standards of
Accreditation,
and
Visiting
Team
Member.
Commissioner, Commission on Institutions of
Higher
Education, New England Association
of
Schools & Colleges, 1982-1989. One of 16 commissioners
determining accreditation
status of colleges and universities in New England.
Bennington College July Program, 1983-1988
Medical physiology program for gifted high school students
Founder and Director, Bennington College
Post-baccalaureate Pre-medical & Allied Health Sciences Program,
1979-1998
Manuscript reviewer: Comparative
Biochemistry
& Physiology, Copeia, Crustaceana, Herpetologica
PUBLICATIONS:
Sherman, E. 1976. Effects of thermal and
water
stress on heart rate in Bufo
americanus and
B.
marinus. Herp. Rev. 7:93.
Sherman, E. M. Novotny, and J. M. Camhi.
1977. A modified walking rhythm employed
during righting behavior
in the cockroach Gromphadorhina
portentosa.
J. Comp. Physiol.
113: 303-316.
Sherman, E. 1977. A cardiovascular
mechanism maintaining skin hydration in the toad Bufo
marinus.
Am. Zool. 17: 903.
Sherman, E. 1980. Ontogenetic change
in
thermal tolerance of the toad Bufo
woodhousii
fowleri. Comp.
Biochem. Physiol. 65A: 227-230.
Sherman, E. 1980. Cardiovascular
responses of the toad Bufo
marinus
to thermal stress and
water
deprivation. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 66A: 643-650.
Sherman, E. and A. Eichrodt. 1982.
The
effect of temperature on osmotic responses of the
hermit crab Pagurus
longicarpus Say. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 73A:
261-265.
Sherman, E. and S. Stadlen. 1986. The
effect of dehydration on rehydration and metabolic rate
in a lunged and
lungless salamander. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 85A: 483-487.
Sherman, E., L. Baldwin, G. Fernandez, and E.
Deurell. 1991. Fever and thermal tolerance
in the toad Bufo
marinus. J.
Therm.
Biol.
16:297-301.
Sherman, E. and A. Stephens. 1998.
Fever
and metabolic rate in the toad Bufo
marinus. J.
Therm.
Biol.
23:
49-52.
Sherman, E. and D. Levitis. 2003.
Heat
hardening as a function of developmental stage in larval
and juvenile
Bufo americanus and Xenopus laevis. J.
Therm. Biol.
28(5):373-380.
Sherman, E. 2008. Thermal biology of
newts (Notophthalmus viridescens)
chronically
infected
with a naturally occurring pathogen. J. Therm. Biol.
33:
27-31.
Sherman, E. 2009. Science and anti-science
in
America: why it matters. Skeptical
Inquirer
(March/April)
33:
32-35.
Sherman, E., K. Tock, and C.
Clarke.
2009. Fluctuating asymmetry in Ichthyophonus-sp.
infected
newts,
Notophthalmus viridescens,
from
Vermont.
Appl. Herpetol. 6:
369-378.
Sherman, E. and K. Van Munster. 2012.
Pond pH, acid tolerance and water preference
in newts of Vermont.
Northeastern
Naturalist 19:111-122.
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS:
Some Like It Hot! A predictive model of the
Law of Conservation of
Energy. Vermont Blueprints for Change II, May 1991.
Scaling the Heights with Dinosaurs. The
importance of scale in science.
Annual
meeting of the National Science Teachers Association, Boston, March
1992.
The Contingent Nature of Scientific
Knowledge.
The Freedom Forum,
Media Studies Center, Science and the Media, Columbia
University,
NY. March 1992.
Scaling: An Integrated Approach to Science and
Math. Vermont Blueprints for Change II, Stowe, VT.
May 1992.
The Biology of Gender. Sponsored by the
Women’s Issues Study Group,
Bennington College, VT. October, 1992.
Barbie Doll Biology: Can Barbie Do Math?
Presented to the Vermont Institute of Science,
Math, and Technology. Sponsored by the National Science
Foundation. Colchester,
VT.
October, 1993.
The Biology of Sex. Burr & Burton Academy
(private high school) Biology Seminar Series. Manchester, VT.
June, 1994.
Animal life of ponds. Bennington County
Conservation District. August, 1994.
The Enterprise of Science. Keynote address,
Vermont Institute for Science, Math & Technology, Summer
Institute,
sponsored
by
National
Science
Foundation,
July,
1995.
What’s so hot about fever anyway? fever as
adaptation. Colorado College, Department of Biology Seminar,
Colorado Springs, January, 1999.
Adaptations of newts to ponds of different
pH.
Johnson State College, Current Topics in Biology Series, April,
2002.
Has pH served as an agent of natural selection in
the evolution of newts? Northeast Natural History Conference
VII,
New York
State
Museum, Albany, NY, April, 2002.
Presenter, Art, Artists, & Teaching, J. Paul
Getty Trust & Bennington College, Bennington, VT, June 2002.
Physiological differences among newts from ponds
of
different pH, (with student K. Stoop). Joint Meeting of
Icthyologists and Herpetologists.
New
Orleans,
July, 2006.
Science and anti-science in America: belief and
knowing. Keynote address: plenary session, 31st Annual
Conference of the New England
Association
of
Environmental
Biologists. Mount Snow,
VT, March 15, 2007
A life of reading. Keynote address, School
Year Opening, Bennington-Rutland Supervisory Union School Teachers,
August, 2008.
Fear of flying: why science matters.
Convocation address, Bennington College, Bennington, VT. Sept.
2,
2008.
Why Darwin Matters. Northshire Bookstore,
Manchester, VT., March 2009.
What are the chances: a celebration of earth’s
atoms. Merck Forest and Farmland, VT., June 2009.
Doing science on planet earth. Keynote
address,
Science Summit, Manchester Elementary and Middle School, January
2010
What’s the big idea: using technology in the K-12
science classroom. Keynote address, Southwest Vermont
Science Partnership Summit, December, 2010
What's love got to do with it: the biology of
human
mate choice. Northshire Bookstore,
Manchester, VT., March 2011.
Science and
anti-science in America. Osher
Lifelong Learning Institute, University of
Vermont,
Rutland, VT, May 2011.
POPULAR ARTICLES:
What’s so hot about cold-blooded amphibians?
Ridgeline, Merck Forest, Winter 2002.
TECHNICAL REPORTS:
Amphibian inventory of the Merck Forest, Peru,
VT. 2000-2001.
Amphibian inventory of the Merck Forest, Peru,
VT. 1998-1999.