Biology

Education

  • PHD, Univ of Oklahoma
  • MS, Univ of Oklahoma
  • BS, Harding University

Professor of Biology

Contact Information

Holt is a freshwater ecologist who studies the biology of algae and their roles in aquatic ecosystems. He and his students conduct research on the algal communities of local areas such as Penns Creek and the Susquehanna River, as well as those in Yaroslavl, Russia. He is a member of the Susquehanna River Heartland Coalition for Environmental Studies, also known as “The River Group.” He and his students present their work at regional and national conferences and in journals such as the Journal of Freshwater Ecology and the Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science.

Holt’s teaching includes Systematic Biology, Aquatic Ecology, and Thought and the Natural Sciences for Honors Program students. In addition, he is the director of the Ecology Program.

He is the director of Saturday Science, a hands-on science experience for local elementary students and teachers in training. The program has been funded by Pennsylvania Space Grant since 1993. A collection of essays that he wrote as part of his duties in Saturday Science has been published as Paths of Science, which is now in its second edition. Saturday Science also provides scholarships for students to study with him in Yaroslavl, Russia, for four to five weeks during the summer.

  • BIOL-205: Organismal Biology
  • BIOL-408: Aquatic Ecology
  • BIOL-409: Aquatic Ecology Lab
  • BIOL-510: Student Research I
  • BIOL-511: Student Research II
  • BIOL-560: Interdisciplinary Explorations Biology
  • ECOL-110: Biogeodiversity
  • ECOL-509: Student Research I
  • ECOL-510: Student Research I
  • ECOL-560: Interdisciplinary Explorations Biology
  • FYSE-100: First-Year Seminar
  • HONS-250: Thought and the Natural Sciences
  • HONS-301: 300-Level Honors Seminar

About Me

Holt is a freshwater ecologist who studies the biology of algae and their roles in aquatic ecosystems. He and his students conduct research on the algal communities of local areas such as Penns Creek and the Susquehanna River, as well as those in Yaroslavl, Russia. He is a member of the Susquehanna River Heartland Coalition for Environmental Studies, also known as “The River Group.” He and his students present their work at regional and national conferences and in journals such as the Journal of Freshwater Ecology and the Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science.

Holt’s teaching includes Systematic Biology, Aquatic Ecology, and Thought and the Natural Sciences for Honors Program students. In addition, he is the director of the Ecology Program.

He is the director of Saturday Science, a hands-on science experience for local elementary students and teachers in training. The program has been funded by Pennsylvania Space Grant since 1993. A collection of essays that he wrote as part of his duties in Saturday Science has been published as Paths of Science, which is now in its second edition. Saturday Science also provides scholarships for students to study with him in Yaroslavl, Russia, for four to five weeks during the summer.

Courses Taught

  • BIOL-205: Organismal Biology
  • BIOL-408: Aquatic Ecology
  • BIOL-409: Aquatic Ecology Lab
  • BIOL-510: Student Research I
  • BIOL-511: Student Research II
  • BIOL-560: Interdisciplinary Explorations Biology
  • ECOL-110: Biogeodiversity
  • ECOL-509: Student Research I
  • ECOL-510: Student Research I
  • ECOL-560: Interdisciplinary Explorations Biology
  • FYSE-100: First-Year Seminar
  • HONS-250: Thought and the Natural Sciences
  • HONS-301: 300-Level Honors Seminar