David Marcey, Ph.D.

Professor and Fletcher Jones Professor of Developmental Biology

Book this person as a speaker:

Email: marcey@callutheran.edu
Phone: (805) 493-3263

Speeches:

• The Creation Controversy: Religion and Science in Needless Conflict

• Should we use early human embryos in Biomedical Research?
  The scientific and political issues surrounding human stem cell research are positively riveting. The discoveries in embryonic development position us to uncover the means by which to direct stem cells along particluar pathways. This line of reserach holds immense promise in relieving human suffering caused by loss of tissue through disease or accident. This presentation attempts to answer some of the many scientific and ethical questions that surround the issue of stem cell research.

Dr. Marcey taught and conducted collaborative research with undergraduates at Kenyon College (1990-1999) before joining the faculty of CLU as Fletcher Jones Professor of Developmental Biology. He is a member of Project Kaleidoscope's F21 (Faculty for the 21st Century).

Marcey's research in Drosophila developmental genetics has been funded by the American Cancer Society, NSF, and the Fletcher Jones Foundation. Ongoing projects in his lab include developmental studies of tissue growth regulation, regulation of transgene expression in genetically engineered organisms, and epigenetic variation in natural populations. Marcey regularly accompanies undergraduate researchers to national and regional scientific meetings where they present their Drosophila research to scientific audiences.

Marcey has considerable pedagogical experience with molecular modeling. His website, The Online Macromolecular Museum, pioneered the use of web-based tutorials in teaching aspects of macromolecular structure. His tutorials, often co-authored with undergraduate students, have accompanied several prominent textbooks (Molecular Cell Biology, Immunology, Molecular Biology of the Gene).

Marcey co-edited a book on the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to science, 'Integrated Science -- New Approaches to Education: A Virtual Roundtable' (2008). He has served on the editorial boards of Biochemical and Molecular Biology Education (Elsevier), biomednet.com, and Project MERLOT, an online peer reviewed journal of digital learning tools. He also chaired the Committee of Examiners for the Graduate Record Examination in Biology (Educational Testing Service). Marcey was an early adopter of "flipped" classroom pedagogies that emphasizes "active learning" instead of traditional lectures. His YouTube videos on Introductory Biology and Genetics are routinely viewed by a world wide audience.

In 2012, the National Science Foundation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the National Institutes of Health selected Dr. Marcey as one of 40 PULSE Vision and Change Leadership Fellows. The Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education (PULSE) constitutes a community of scientists that are dedicated to improving how modern biology is taught in life sciences departments throughout the nation, using research-based strategies and resources to improve effectiveness and increase diverse representation in STEM majors. In addition to various PULSE activities, he has recently served on the editorial board of Life Sciences Education and on the advisory board of LIFE, an introductory Biology textbook (Sinauer Press). In 2018, Marcey and a group of his students won first place in the Mentored Undergraduate Research competition at the national meeting of NABT (the National Association of Biology Teachers). In 2020, he was elected to the rank of lifetime Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In April of 2023 two of his research students won an award for the best mentored undergraduate research project in the Genetics section of the West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference at Loyola Marymount University.