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Jessica Stephens
Assistant Professor of Biology

Biography

Joined Westfield State University in 2020.

Education

  • B.S., Butler University

  • M.S., Auburn University

  • Ph.D., University of Georgia

  • Postdoctoral Appt., University of Pittsburgh

Courses Taught

  • BIOL 0230: Evolution

  • BIOL 0120: Environmental Biology for non-majors

  • BIOL 0129: General Biology I (Lecture and Lab)

Areas of Research

Evolutionary Ecology

Plant Biology

Biology Education Research

Publications

Selected peer-reviewed Publications:

Scholar google link

Rebolleda-Gomez M, Forrester N, Russell A, Wei N, Fetters A, Stephens JD, Ashman TL. 2019. Gazing into the anthosphere: Considering how microbes influence floral evolution. New Phytologist 224:1012–1020.

Stephens JD, Ryan TJ. 2019. Diet of the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta) and common map turtle (Graptemys geographica) in an urban landscape. Urban Naturalist.

Stephens JD, Battle D*, Gormally C, Brickman P. 2017. Show me the way: Future faculty prefer directive feedback when trying active learning approaches. Journal of College Science Teaching 47:57–65.

(*Student Authors)

Stephens JD, Rogers WL, Mason CM, Donovan LA, Malmberg RL. 2015. Species tree estimation of diploid Helianthus (Asteraceae) using target enrichment. American Journal of Botany 102:921–941.

Stephens JD, Rogers WL, Heyduk K, Cruse-Sanders JM, Determann RO, Glenn TC, Malmberg RL. 2015. Resolving phylogenetic relationships for the recently radiated carnivorous plant genus Sarracenia using target enrichment. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 85:76–87.

Professional Service

  • Visiting Assistant Professor, Salve Regina University
  • Virtual Web Camp for Online Teaching, Westfield State University
  • Resilient Teaching Through Times of Crisis and Change, University of Michigan
  • Co-creating the Future Through Socially-Directed Science and Technology, MIT
  • College Teaching and Student Learning, UGA
  • Course Design for Significant Learning, UGA
  • Pedagogy of Writing in the Disciplines, UGA
Image of Department of Biology Professor Stephens