Mr. Maxey's Biology Blog: August 2013

Greatings CBGS Bio Community!

Now that you have successfully found your way to this blog bookmark the page for quick reference in the future.

A bit about our class:

The biology curriculum at CBGS is rigorous. You will be expected deeply involve yourselves into the subject matter. As a reward you will be better thinkers, writers, and speakers. You will learn what science is and how Biology fits into the larger scientific body of study.
We will not meet everyday. Depending on the week we may meet 3 days (one 2.5 hour session and 2, 1 hour and 15 min sessions) or 4 days (4, 1 hour and 15min sessions) per week. This type of scheduling will oblige you to stay organized. I have found that the students who manage to keep a calender, well-kept notebook, and read ahead of the subject matter tend to make the A's.
I highly advise you to open a Khan Academy Account and subscribe to my coach account (coach ID - UNXZKK, daniel@vims.edu)

A bit about me:

My interest in the marine sciences was spurred by some early SCUBA experiences on shipwrecks around North Carolina, my home state. Fascinated with the underwater realm I applied to the best Marine Biology program my home state had to offer, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. While there I focused my study on marine fishes until I discovered the world of biogeochemistry. Working in several labs studying an array of subjects from wetland ecology, shallow coastal estuarine microbial ecology, and salt marsh biogeochemistry I developed a solid background for my future graduate work.

After graduating from UNCW in 2008 I entered the Virginia Institute of Marine Science School of Marine Science to further my study of microbial ecology. There I worked on a collaborative project between my graduate advisor’s lab group and the USA Department of Defense. Our overarching objective was to determine the short and long term environmental impacts of a military base on a surrounding body of water. I gained extensive small boat operating experience transporting personnel and equipment in the field. This experience required me to work with a team of several larger scientific and government groups within the context of a larger project. While in Graduate School I was the president of the Sail and Paddle club, a recreational sailing, kayaking, and canoeing club where I often taught sailing basics to new students.

I consider myself a scientists first, and only an amateur educator. My goal for this class is to help you realize your academic potential and unveil your confidence as a scholar.

Fun Stuff:

We discussed travel today and many of you shared some very interesting locations. Here I will share some pictures of my 1st trip to Malaysia back in 2009. Enjoy!