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Christopher Himes is in the home stretch of his graduate student career. He studies the history of small mammal populations in relation to their geographic and spatial distribution and how that distribution has changed over time, specifically since the last glacial cycle ended 20,000 years ago. This field of study is known as biogeography and it combines many different disciplines, which is one of the reasons it appeals to Chris. Through the course of his study, he has drawn on population genetics, geography, and systematics to name just a few.
Chris has two study sites, one in the Pacific Northwest and one in southern Chile. He chose the Pacific Northwest as a study location with the idea that it would be easier to get undergraduates involved in his research. The Chile location was chosen at the prompting of his Ph.D. advisor, Jim Kenagy. Jim often encourages his students to work internationally for some component of their dissertation. His philosophy is that this allows students to see first hand how science is conducted in other countries and to build a larger and more diverse group of contacts. And Chris is thankful for Jim’s encouragement saying that his work in Chile has broadened both his scope and network of connections.
Aside from working on his dissertation research, Chris has actively been involved in contributing to the Biology undergraduate curriculum. For several years Chris has worked with fellow Biology graduate student Fernanda Oyarzun instructing a study skills course for students in Biology 180, the first of three courses in the introductory biology series. The course came to fruition when Chris and Fernanda each asked themselves what they could do to help students struggling in the intro series. Having been teaching assistants for Biology 180, they realized that it was not just the content that posed a problem to students, but that some students simply didn’t know how to approach studying or note taking.
It’s been a couple of years since Chris and Fernanda started the course. Recognizing its value to students, the Department of Biology now offers it as a 2-credit course and provides support to teach it. It hasn’t always been fun though. In a course like this, Chris says you typically see several over-stressed students, who are struggling to keep pace. Something every teaching assistant sees but doesn’t relish, he has “had several students cry since teaching this course,” in response to the stresses associated with course work. Both Chris and Fernanda are graduating soon, so they are now training their replacements.
Although Chris is finishing graduate school in a few months, he isn’t finished contributing to the Department. In collaboration with Biology graduate student Andreas Chavez and the Biograd Diverse Group, Chris organized a new diversity seminar the purpose of which is to expose the Department to the broader campus community. The seminar features speakers from across campus, notably people who specialize in teaching and promoting diversity. Chris’ hope is that it familiarizes people in the Department with teaching resources available to them as well as campus diversity initiatives.
Chris’ desire to give something back stems from the support he received as a student. Chris attended the University of Massachusetts in Boston for his bachelor’s degree. While there, he won a Ronald E. McNair Undergraduate Fellowship, which supports underrepresented minorities who plan to pursue a career in academia in the sciences. Likewise, Chris appreciates the support he has received from the UW Department of Biology during his graduate student career. “I try to bring new things to the Department because I’ve gotten so much from the Department,” he says. This generous attitude yielded both the Biology 180 study skills course and the new diversity seminar.
This year Chris became the inaugural recipient of the Kathryn Hahn Endowed Writing Fellowship. Kathryn is a former Department of Biology staff member and recently established an endowment to support Biology graduate students in their final quarter of school allowing them to focus on completing their dissertation and preparing manuscripts for publication in scientific journals. Receiving the fellowship is a huge honor for Chris, “It’s nice to know I have the support and only have to write during that time.” For such a deserving member of the Department of Biology, it’s nice to have the support to offer him.