Hannah Ehrig
Staff Writer
Chances are you’ve seen one, whether in a lake or in a tank. They come big and small, eat algae, and many from Lake Victoria have become endangered. Chiclid fish have over 1500 species and compose more than 5% of all vertebrates. Because of the vast numbers of this species, the fish can be hard to categorize. Luckily, Pepperdine has hired a new biology professor, Dr. Rodney Honeycutt.
Dr. Honeycutt has an impressive resume, has written for books and journals, has taught at universities including Texas A&M University and Harvard, and has worked on many research projects.
He has been awarded two major grants from the National Science Foundation. “One involves a detailed study of New World cichlid fishes,” says Honeycutt. “The other involves a collaborative effort among five institutions and focuses on constructing the Mammalian Tree of Life. In addition to these projects, I am involved in several studies related to the conservation genetics of endangered species.”
Honeycutt has always been interested in biology. As a child he spent a lot of time outside. Honeycutt began school at the University of Texas as a pre-dental student but decided to switch to biology, receiving a B.A in zoology.
Honeycutt began his teaching career with introductory biology labs in biology, anatomy and physiology at Texas Tech University. He later became a lecturer in natural history and classification of vertebrates. After receiving his Ph.D, Honeycutt worked on two postdoctoral fellowships for the Australian National University and the University of Michigan.
He began his formal career teaching biology courses at Harvard University. He also taught courses at Texas A&M University for undergraduate ecology majors and graduate courses including molecular evolution, quantitative phylogenetics and speciation genetics.
Honeycutt came to Pepperdine two years ago as a visiting professor, teaching genetics for the spring semester. After interacting with colleagues, Honeycutt was offered a full time position.
His colleagues are pleased to have him here. “Dr. Honeycutt’s main focus is conservation, both of animals and plants,” said Dr. Stephen D. Davis, Professor of Biology. “He is an interest to all of us, especially young students at Pepperdine [because of his interest in] conserving species and natural resources.”
Although Dr. Davis, a biologist who specializes in botany, and Honeycutt, a biologist who specializes in zoology, do not study the same creatures, they both study genetics. Davis describes Honeycutt as “a major contribution” and “a world class scientist.”
Honeycutt enjoys spending his days at Pepperdine University. Working with at a religious school is a new experience. “I spent most of my life at secular universities, and one’s professional views and religious views were separate for the most part.” Honeycutt describes. “It is nice to be at a university where one can openly discuss faith and learning.”
He believes that Pepperdine is an exception to some private, religious universities that “see the role of a science curriculum as being a necessary evil for training pre-professionals.”
Honeycutt is excited to be a part of Pepperdine. He believes that the university teaches with an academic base.
“In the sciences students are exposed to state of the art technology as well as up to date advancements in various fields of science.” States Honeycutt, “Members of the faculty in the natural sciences are excellent scholars, dedicated teachers, and devout Christians.”
11-02-2006