Marnie Chapman, M.A., M.S.
Professor of Biology
Arts and Sciences - Natural Sciences

Education:
M.S. Biology University of St. Joseph (Focus: Human Biology) 2008
M.A. Biology Humboldt State University (Focus: Intertidal Biology) 1992
B.A. Zoology Humboldt State University 1983
Graduate coursework at Friday Harbor Laboratory and Bamfield Marine Station
Special Recognition:
UA President’s Award for Outstanding Distance Educator in Alaska (2001)
UAS Faculty Excellence Award Sitka Campus (2012)
Courses Taught:
BIOL 111 Human Anatomy & Physiology I
BIOL 112 Human Anatomy & Physiology II
Past Courses Taught:
Microbiology, Natural History of Alaska, Intertidal Biology, General Biology, Biology & Society,
General Zoology, Alaska Naturalist Program; Science for K-8 Teachers
Biography:
I’m originally from Northern California and lived in Bethel and Skagway before moving to Sitka in 1992. I enjoy helping students build a firm foundation in the topic that will serve them well in their careers. I am active in the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS). As part of HAPS I helped develop standards for undergraduate human anatomy and physiology courses taught in the US and Canada. I am committed to quality eLearning opportunities and developed and delivered the first distance science courses offered by UAS. As Sitka’s lab director I currently help oversee the lab support portion of UAS Sitka Distance Science courses which have grown to involve multiple faculty members and currently serve over 200 students each semester. I believe it is important to give back to my community by doing what I can to enrich science literacy, assist in community-based scientific research, and help create science-related opportunities for everyone, especially K-12 students.
Community Projects:
- Served as an invited researcher for Scientist in the Schools programs at elementary, middle, and high school levels.
- Helped establish science clubs at the local elementary and middle school that give kids a chance to interact with scientists and collect data for meaningful research projects.
- Found opportunities for K-12 students to meet and work with scientists from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, UCSF, UAF and Project Budburst.
- Assisted with marine invertebrate identification for community BioBlitzes and provided intertidal ecology expertise for many community organizations.
- Involved in a project to revisit historical work done in Sitka by Ed (Doc) Ricketts and link it to modern intertidal survey protocols.
I am particularly interested in the ecology and functional anatomy of intertidal organisms, especially with respect to predator-prey relationships. I am also very involved in marine invasive issues and research, particularly with respect to invasive tunicates. I am a member of the Alaska Marine Invasive Species subcommittee and the Didemnum vexillum Rapid Response Team.