Assistant Professor, Biology

Office phone: (716) 375-2631
Send an email

De La Roche 220 B

• BIO 106: Biological Science II
• BIO 341: Ecology
• ENV 101: Introduction to Sustainable Systems

• Ph.D., Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Oakland University, 2018
• B.S., Biology, Madonna University, 2012

• Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Pittsburgh (Richards-Zawacki Lab), 2018-2020
• Instructor, University of Pittsburgh, 2019

Publications:

• Altman KA, Raffel TR (2019) Thermal acclimation has little effect on tadpole resistance to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 133:207-216.
• Molnár PK, Sckrabulis JP, Altman KA, Raffel TR (2017) Thermal performance curves and the Metabolic Theory of Ecology – a practical guide to models and experiments for parasitologists. Journal of Parasitology 103(5) 423-439.
• Stephens JP, Altman KA, Berven KA, Tiegs SD, Raffel TR (2017) Bottom-up and trait-mediated effects of resource quality on amphibian parasitism. Journal of Animal Ecology (86) 305-315.
• Altman KA, Paull SH, Johnson PTJ, *Golembieski MN, Stephens JP, LaFonte BE, Raffel TR (2016) Host and parasite thermal acclimation responses depend on the stage of infection. Journal of Animal Ecology (85) 1014-1024.

It is vital for educators to recognize that students have diverse backgrounds and career goals. Not every student I teach will pursue a career in science, but I think that understanding the scientific method will benefit students no matter what they aspire to do. Therefore, my goal is to help students understand and appreciate the scientific method by making science practical and accessible. I aim to do this by (1) emphasizing critical thinking and the scientific method, (2) enhancing student motivation to learn, and (3) prioritizing practice in the classroom.

The broad focus of my research is investigating the impacts of climate change on disease, primarily using amphibian host-parasite systems. I’m particularly interested in how organisms’ thermal histories (e.g., the temperatures to which they have been exposed in the recent past) influence the temperature dependence of disease outcomes.