Darlene Panvini

Biography

Ecology, botany, conservation, and environmental science are the areas of biology I enjoy. I received a B.S. in Biology from Gardner-Webb University and a Ph.D. in Biology from Vanderbilt University.

I held the position of Assistant Director of the Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt University for 12 years; during this time I focused on university-level teaching pedagogies while developing and coordinating professional development programs for graduate students. Wanting to devote more time to my passion of teaching biology, I joined the Belmont Biology faculty in 2003.

My research interests center on protecting biodiversity, the ecological impacts of exotic species, and management of public green spaces. My teaching interests include using case studies and service-learning to enhance student engagement. Building the Environmental Science program,advising the Environment Club, and getting students involved in field biology are ways in which I interact with students outside of the classroom. When I am not thinking about or teaching biology, I can usually be found on a baseball field with my son Vince and husband Bob.