Simon Malcomber Teaching


	Teaching
		I currently teach two upper level plant diversity classes at CSULB: Taxonomy of Vascular Plants (BIOL 427) in the Spring and Plant Morphology (BIOL 439) in the Fall. Both classes emphasize phylogenetic techniques to understand plant evolution and incorporate molecular phylogenetic and/or developmental morphological analyses within group projects to provide an authentic research experience.

	Photos from a Plant Taxonomy field trip on February 28, 2007 to Coastal Sage Scrub vegetation in Forrestal Reserve on Palos Verde Peninsula (a reserve under the auspices of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy). Khalil Semaan and Jennie Tran collect leaves in silica gel for their systematics project investigating the utility of bar-coding loci in diverse Southern Californian species while other students learn the morphological characteristics of the mint family (Lamiaceae)
	BIOL 427: Taxonomy of Vascular Plants (Spring 2008 syllabus) Course Description: Principles and methods of plant systematics, including phylogenetics, different types of systematic data, evolutionary history and diversification of plants. Emphasis in the laboratory will be on retrieving and analyzing systematic data, using phylogenetic methods, and identifying native and introduced plants of Southern California. Goals of course: To introduce the science and methods of plant systematics To provide an overview of plant diversity To teach the necessary tools to conduct a plant systematics project To introduce the plants and communities of Southern California and emphasize the characters that identify them To teach students to think critically about systematic data in particular and scientific data in general To consider the implications of systematic data for other biological disciplines BIOL 439: Plant Morphology (Fall 2007 syllabus) Course Description: A phylogenetic survey of plant morphological diversity and discussion of the genetic mechanisms affecting this diversity. Emphasis in the laboratory will be on observing and documenting morphological data, analyzing these data within a phylogenetic framework, and proposing and discussing hypotheses of how morphological diversity has evolved. Goals of course: To provide an overview of plant morphological diversity To introduce the major plant groups and emphasize the morphological characters that characterize them To investigate the evolution of plant morphology and form within a phylogenetic framework To introduce some of the genetic mechanisms that control plant morphological development To teach students to think critically about plant morphology in particular and scientific data in general
		Last modified March 2007