Biology Professor Discusses Research at Andrews

My great joy as a biology professor at Andrews University is helping students reach that moment the light comes on and they say, “Oh! I see now!” I’m grateful to do this at a Seventh-day Adventist university, where I freely share with my students how the complexity of creation points me to our Creator.

I also gain satisfaction in my research—mostly on fossil squirrels from the Ice Age. Really! I do this work surrounded by good colleagues with their own research programs. They’re investigating the function of unique enzymes, anticancer properties of Chinese herbs, molecular pathways implicated in bipolar disorder, organic alternatives for weed control, neural circuits that control insect behavior, and the conservation status of threatened aquatic mammals. Although their research has more practical significance than mine, all of us invest countless hours seeking to better understand one very narrow slice of creation.

This begs the question: Why do we do research? Our primary calling at Seventh-day Adventist teaching universities is to teach—to prepare students to be knowledgeable, competent, God-fearing persons and professionals. Why spend time on research? Let me summarize three good reasons.

<<< Read the full story by Tom Goodwin, biology professor at Andrews, at the Adventist Review site >>>