Advising:
Transfer Advisor for Biology Majors
Program Coordinator, Environmental Studies Concentration
Summer
office hours are by appointment only
(phone or e-mail for an appointment )
The New Jersey Pine Barrens
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Sphagnum
pulchrum |
Chamaecyparis
thyoides Swamp
|
Gentiana
autumnalis |
Pine Barrens "Savanna" (a
poor fen) |
New Transfer Students to the B. S. in Biological Sciences program
Prospective Transfer Students to the B. S.
in Biological Sciences program
If you are a new transfer student, I
will be your academic advisor during your first year of
studies.
Click here
for a Powerpoint presentation on important resources and information
you should know about as you begin your studies at Rowan.
If you are a prospective transfer
student and have questions or need assistance with the transfer
process, I can also help you.
For more information about the major --- including course requirements:
visit this
link,
visit my office during office hours, contact me by phone (ext.
3587),
or send me an e-mail
(obrien@rowan.edu).
Environmental Studies Concentration with a
B. S. in Biological Sciences:
I am the Program
Coordinator for the Environmental
Studies Concentration. For more information about the
concentration, visit this link,
contact me by phone (ext. 3587), visit my office during office hours
(posted above on this page), or send me an e-mail
(obrien@rowan.edu).
Advisees:
No appointment is necessary if you visit
me during my office hours (listed above).
Appointments are available for other times. Call me (ext. 3587),
or send me an e-mail (obrien@rowan.edu) to arrange an
appointment. In your message, please include several times
from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. weekdays that you are available.
Fall
2009 and Spring 2010 Research Opportunity for Biology Majors:
I am currently taking no
new students for the 2009-2010 academic year.
My current project involves production and analysis of DNA
sequences from the moss Aulacomnium
palustre.
Although the overall objective of the project is to determine the
evolutionary pattern of the moss in relation to its geogrpahic
distribution, this project involves learning molecular techniques used
in a range of fields of biology (for example: biotechnology, medicine,
conservation biology, and evolutionary biology).
Participants receive 3 hours credit of Lab/Field Research for each
semester. A minimum commitment of two semesters is expected,
as well as a professional presentation of the research during the
Spring or Summer of 2010. Biology majors who will be
sophomores, juniors or seniors next year are welcome to apply.
To apply: write a letter of interest to me, at obrien@rowan.edu, or see
me in person. (Again, I am
currently taking no new students for 2009-2010.)
Employment and Volunteer
Opportunities for Biology Majors:
Please contact me if you are interested in working or volunteering in
the greenhouse during the 2009-2020 academic
year. To apply: contact Dr. O'Brien, at obrien@rowan.edu, or by
phone at
856-256-4500 ext. 3587.
| Courses: |
Introductory Botany
(BIOL 02.200; open to both biology majors and nonmajors) |
Plant
Diversity
(BIOL 02.201; open to both biology majors and nonmajors)
Web access
is via
Blackboard-CE: http://cp.rowan.edu/cp
|
| General Biology: Plants and
People (BIOL 01.115; approved general education course for
nonmajors) |
| Flora
of New Jersey (BIOL 02.350;
open to both biology majors and nonmajors) |
| Special
Topics in Biological Sciences: Genetically Modified Organisms
(BIOL 01.445, for biology majors) |
Biology 2: Concepts in
Genetics (BIOL 01.106; primarily for freshman science majors)
Web access is via
Blackboard-CE: http://cp.rowan.edu/cp
|
|
Natural Resources (BIOL 20.100;
for nonbiology majors)
Web access
is via
Blackboard-CE: http://cp.rowan.edu/cp
Biometry (STAT 02.280; for biology majors)
Web access is via
Blackboard-CE: http://cp.rowan.edu/cp
|
| Tentative Teaching Schedule: |
Summer
2010 |
| Natural Resources (1 section) |
| Fall
2009 |
Plant Diversity (1 section)
Biometry (1 section)
|
Spring
2010
|
| Biology
2: Concepts in
Genetics (2 sections) |
Facilities:
Science Hall became
the department's home in the 2003-2004
academic year. Facilities in the building include six 1150
sq.ft. research labs with student writing stations and computers, and
ten 1250 sq. ft. teaching laboratories fully equipped for computer and
audiovideo technologies. Facilities and new equipment supporting
plant research include:
- 1000 sq. ft. rooftop greenhouse with three climate-controlled
rooms
- 4°C seed storage system with vacuum desiccators
- Lane herbarium cabinets and plant dryer
- Leica DM LB 2 compound microscopes with both brightfield imaging
and differential interference contrast imaging
- Leica DCF300 digital camera for microscopes
- Meiji dissecting microscopes with boom stand
- Canon EOS 10D digital camera with both macro and standard zoom
lenses
- Li-Cor datalogger, light meter, and sensors for measuring
temperature, humidity and photosynthetically active radiation
- Plant growth chambers
- A laboratory for molecular data, including a thermocycler with
two sample blocks, microcentrifuges, vertical and horizontal
electrophoresis
systems, 4°C refrigeration storage, -20°C and -80°C freezer
storage, a gel imaging system, and Sequencher analysis software
Personal:
|
Born:
Seattle, Washington
|
Raised in Iowa City, Iowa
|
Graduate of City High School,
Iowa City
|
| Research Interests: |
Bryology |
| Plant and Molecular Systematics |
| Plant Population Ecology |
Plants and Human Nutrition
|
| Native and Cultivated Plants of
North America |
Conservation Biology
|
Lab Alumni:
|
2008 - Kristine Matacchiera
|
| 2007 - Rachael Hopko |
2006 - Tammy
Egner
|
| 2005 - Katiana
Christophe, Alexis Draper,
Alanna Jones, Linda Oppong |
| 2004 - Jason Kelsey, Amber
Peterson, Jenna
Smaniotto, Laura Tuminello |
2003 - Jessica
Cornish, Jennifer Harker and Sarah Martin
|
| 2002 -
Carla Bass, Jessica DiMichele, Jackie Lypowy,
Leslie Velez and Jill Whidby |
| 2001 - Raina Berner,
Dae-Jak Kim, Lori O'Hara and
Stacey Wallace |
Undergraduate Research Presentations:
Matacchiera, K. and T. J. O'Brien. 2008. The Use of DNA
Sequencing to Help Trace the Phylogeography of the Moss Aulacomnium palustre. 11th
Annual STEM Symposium,
Rowan University.
Christophe, K., A. Draper, A. Jones, L. Oppong and T. J.
O'Brien. 2005. Are the benefits of cultivation of plants in
hydroponic systems worth the cost? 8th Annual STEM Symposium,
Rowan University.
Smaniotto, J., L. Tumminello, and T. J. O'Brien. 2004.
Effects of Selected Organic Fertilizers on Selected Crop Plants.
7th Annual STEM Sympoosium, Rowan University.
Peterson, A., D. Dagit, C. Spolsky, and T. J. O'Brien. 2004.
Molecular
evidence for the relationships of Chimaeroid fishes. 7th Annual
STEM Symposium.
Harker, J., S. Martin, A. Peterson, J.
Cornish,
J. Whidby and T. J. O'Brien. 2003. The use of DNA sequences
to
assess phylogeography in the moss Aulacomnium palustre.
6th Annual STEM Symposium, Rowan University.
Bass, C., L. Velez, J. Dimichele, Jill Whidby, J. Lypowy, and T.
J. O'Brien. 2002. Cryptic speciation in the moss Aulacomnium
palustre : I. DNA isolation, amplification of the
ITS region, and
sequencing. 5th Annual STEM Symposium, Rowan University.
Whidby, J., J. Lypowy, J. DiMichele, C. Bass, L. Velez, and T. J.
O'Brien. 2002. Cryptic speciation in the moss Aulacomnium
palustre: II. Analysis of sequence data and
implications for species concepts. 5th Annual STEM Symposium,
Rowan
University.
Kim, D.-J. and T. O'Brien. 2001. What do we know about
the moss flora of southwestern New Jersey? 4th Annual STEM
Symposium, Rowan
University.
Ozeki, R., G. B. Hecht, P. Mosto, L. T. Holbrook and T.
O'Brien. 2001. Phylogenetic study of the rbcL gene of
Klebsormidial algae using molecular methods. 4th Annual STEM
Symposium.
Wallace, S., A. Prieto, and T. O’Brien. 2001.
Development of
a protocol for the extraction of DNA from shed snake skin and its use
in
the development of phylogeny. 4th Annual STEM Symposium, Rowan
University.
Master's Thesis:
Egner, Tamara L. 2006. Usage of Plant Examples in
Secondary School Biology Classes. Master's Degree Thesis, Rowan
University.
Publications and Professional Reports:
O'Brien, T.J. (In preparation). Helodium. Bryophyte
Flora of
North America
Bell, N. E., D. Quandt, T. J. O'Brien and A. E. Newton.
2007. Taxonomy and phylogeny in the earliest diverging
pleurocarps: square holes and bifurcating pegs. The
Bryologist 110:533-560.
O'Brien, T.J. 2007. The phylogenetic distribution of
pleurocarpous mosses: evidence from cpDNA sequences. Pp.
19-41 in A.
Newton, E. de Luna and R. Tangney (editors), Pleurocarpous Mosses:
Systematics and Evolution. CRC Press.
O'Brien, T.J. 2005 (electronic). 2008 (print). Echinophyllum.
In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee (eds.), The
Flora of North America North of Mexico. Vol. 28. Oxford
University Press.
O'Brien, T.J. 2004. Review of Shrubs and Vines of New Jersey.
Plant Science Bulletin 50:97.
O'Brien, T.J. 2004. Illustrating heterochrony and
heterotopy: two developmental patterns in the evolution of
organismal form. Pp. 63-67 in B. F. Shmaefsky (editor),
Favorite Demonstrations for College Science. NSTA Press,
Arlington, VA.
O'Brien, T. J. and J. Kelsey. 2003. A survey of
the
plants at a site along the Great Egg Harbor River (New Jersey).
Report prepared for The Palace Outfitters, Weymouth, New Jersey.
O'Brien, T. J. 2001. Illustrating heterochrony and
heterotopy. Two developmental patterns in the evolution of
organismal form. Journal of College Science Teaching
31:130-133. Summary
O'Brien, T. J. and D. Horton. 2000. Bryochenea
(Musci; Thuidiaceae) is Cyrto-hypnum (Thuidiaceae), but B.
sachalinensis is Echinophyllum (Thuidiaceae), a new genus
from the Pacific
Rim. The Bryologist 103:509-517.
Abstract
O'Brien, T.J. 2000. A new synonym in Leptotheca
Schwaegr. (Musci; Rhizogoniaceae). Tropical Bryology 18:13-14.
Abstract
O'Brien, T.J. 2000. Noteworthy
Collections: California. Campylopus introflexus
(Hedw.) Brid. (Musci). Madroño 46:113-114.
Horton, D.G., T. J. O'Brien, M. MacIndoe, K. Schmidt, R.
Cruden, P. Rudolph, C. Rogers, N. Klaus, O. J.
Gode & K. Baker. 1996. An assessment of the natural
habitats and biota of the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, Middleton,
Iowa. Iowa Chapter of the Nature Conservancy.
O'Brien, T.J. 1994. An additional locality for Zygodon
apiculatus . Evansia 11:79-80.
O'Brien, T.J. 1994. A taxonomic note on Crassicosta
hermannii . The Bryologist 97:174-175.
O'Brien, T.J. 1993. Bryochenea sachalinensis
(Thuidiaceae) new to North America in southcentral Alaska. The
Bryologist 96:205-209.
Professional Presentations (since 2000):
O'Brien, T. J. and T. L. Egner. 2007. "Usage of Plants
in Teaching Biological Principles in Secondary School Education."
Annual Meeting of the Botanical Society of America, Chicago, Illinois.
O'Brien, T. J. 2004. "The origins of pleurocarpous
mosses, as inferred from the chloroplast genes atpB, rbcL, rps4 and
trnL.". Symposium on the Evolution of the Pleurocarpous Mosses,
Cardiff, United Kingdom.
O'Brien, T.J. 2004. Spatial Patterns of Species
Richness of Mosses in Southern New Jersey. Annual Meeting of the
Botanical Society of America, Snowbird, Utah.
O'Brien, T.J. 2003. Mosses and the conservation of
natural communities. Invited presentation to The Philadelphia
Botanical
Club.
O'Brien, T.J. 2002. "A holey umbrella:
hotspots
of rare vascular plants as an indication of rare mosses." Invited
presentation to The Philadelphia Botanical Club.
O'Brien, T.J. 2001. "Another abominable
mystery: the origin and early diversification of pleurocarpous
mosses." Invited presentation, Philadelphia Academy of Sciences.
O'Brien, T.J. 2001. "The dubious origins of
pleurocarpous mosses: molecular evidence for the phylogenetic
positions of Aulacomnium Schwägr. and
Rhizogoniaceae."
Annual meeting of the American Bryological and
Lichenological Society. Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Membership in Professional Organizations:
American Bryological and
Lichenological Society
American Society of Plant Taxonomists
Botanical Society of America
International
Association of Bryologists
Philadelphia
Botanical Club
Society of Systematic Biologists
Torrey Botanical Society
This page last updated July 2009
