Gary Reiness

Professor Emeritus

, MSC: 53

Gary Reiness has a special interest in improving undergraduate science education, and has served as an officer or leader of the Council of Undergraduate Research, Project Kaleidoscope, and the Willamette Valley Educational Network. He has also been an associate editor of CBE-Life Sciences Education, a peer reviewed on-line publication of the American Society for Cell Biology. He has been principle investigator (PI) or co-PI on grants to Lewis & Clark for improving education from the National Science Foundation, Sherman Fairchild Foundation, W. M. Keck Foundation, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Gary enjoys reading, bicycling, films, hiking, cross-country skiing, and backpacking (especially in the Cascades and mesas and canyons of southern Utah). A native of Pittsburgh, PA, he maintains an avid interest in the fortunes of its sports teams. The Steelers have generally been a source of pride and satisfaction, and you can stop by his office to check out his Terrible Towel. However, after setting a major league sports record with 19 straight losing seasons (going on 20), the Pirates have begun to disappoint him.

Academic Credentials

M.Phil. l974; PhD l975 Columbia University, BA l967 Johns Hopkins University

Teaching

I teach courses in Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Neurobiology, and Immunology. I believe that students learn best by doing, so my courses emphasize problem-solving, data analysis, and student-designed lab projects.

Research

He is a neurobiologist with a focus on development of the vertebrate nervous system. His work on nerve-muscle synapse formation and unconventional secretion of neurotrophic factors (proteins that direct neuronal development) has been supported by grants from Federal and private agencies.

Professional Experience

Gary Reiness came to Lewis & Clark College in 1994 as Professor and Chair of Biology. He was previously Professor of Biology, department chair, and associate dean at Pomona College. He was educated at Johns Hopkins University (BA), Columbia University (PhD), and Harvard Medical School and the University of California at San Francisco, where he held postdoctoral fellowships.

Location: Albany