Giancarlo Cuadra Associate Professor, Biology |
Education
Teaching Interests
I teach BIO 160, Foundations in Biological Inquiry, because it is a crucial course that provides every student the basics to be well prepared, regardless of their high school experiences, for majors in the natural sciences. This course allows me to impact the college career of students from underserved backgrounds within their first year at Muhlenberg. My goal is to increase retention of underrepresented groups in the sciences.
I teach BIO 175, From Organisms to Molecules, because this course provides an excellent foundation in molecular biology for upper-level courses. My goal is to make this beautiful science as understandable and enjoyable as possible so that students move on to upper-level courses well prepared.
I teach BIO 225, Microbiology, because this course allows me to share so many aspects of microbial life with students. One of my main goals in this course is to change the reputation of bacteria away from "bad organisms" to a cool group of living things to learn about.
I teach BIO 334, Immunology, because this course allows me to share with students all the intricate ways in which the immune system takes care of us and also, sometimes revolts against us.
Research, Scholarship or Creative/Artistic Interests
I am interested in the effects of electronic cigarettes (vaping) on the oral environment. In the mouth, we have a lot of different good bacteria, and also some bad ones. They interact with each other and with us in a way that we remain healthy (homeostasis). However, if we bring random chemicals into the oral microenvironment, these interactions can be disrupted, away from homeostasis. Therefore, vaping could lead to potential scenarios for disease. Little knowledge on this important topic is available to date, and my laboratory is mostly attentive to this area of research.