Biology Faculty and Staff

Bio

Dr. Barlow is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology. He is an integrative physiologist in the Department of Biology, and teaches the following courses: Human Anatomy and Physiology (BIOL 2110 and 2225), Endocrinology (BIOL 380), Neurobiology (BIOL 433), Advanced Human Physiology (BIOL 424), and special topic courses in Advanced Cardiovascular Exercise Physiology and Molecular and Cellular Exercise Physiology. Dr. Barlow is also the Department of Biology Graduate Coordinator and director of the Human Anatomy Cadaver lab.

Research Interests

Dr. Barlow?s laboratory research deals with the cardiovascular health disparities in diabetes and metabolic syndrome in the regional Native American and Hispanic populations. His lab studies the control of heart and skeletal muscle blood flow associated with changes in aging, metabolism and exercise training. He also has studies in nutritional supplementation with exercise performance. Prior studies in the laboratory have included dual task post-concussion neurocognitive and physiological evaluation of young athletes as well as opioid regulation of the autonomic nervous system in pre-and post-conditioning of the heart.

Bio

ENMU is the recipient of a US Dept. of Education HSI STEM grant of which I am the director. The grant aims to improve the awareness and preparation of high school students for STEM degrees and careers, along with providing resources and opportunities to undergraduate students in the STEM fields.

Research Interests

The focus of my research is the management of vector-borne diseases while minimizing the impact on non-target organisms. While in South Africa I investigated the use of cultural techniques (resistant varieties, mulches) to manage non-persistently transmitted viruses (specifically Potyviridae vectored by aphids) in vegetable crops (specifically zucchini). My research at The Ohio State University focused on the potential of an entomopathogenic fungus (Beauveria bassiana) as a management agent of the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) and the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum). These studies included evaluation under laboratory and field conditions, and the impact of infection on tick water-balance, an important component of off-host tick survival.

In addition, my current research includes the study of arthropod diversity in New Mexico and Forensic Entomology. I have research projects that continue the investigation of tick management strategies and the understanding of off-host unfed tick biology, the insect fauna associated with decomposition in eastern New Mexico, and in science education.

Bio

My role in the Department of Biology serves as the vertebrate zoologist and ecologist. I teach courses including Principles of Biology (BIOL 2610), Wildlife Management and Conservation (BIOL 405/505), as well as various graduate seminars (e.g., BIOL 592). I also hold the title of Curator or Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals as part of the ENMU Genaro Natural History Museum.

Research Interests

My research focuses on the ecology and conservation of amphibians and reptiles across North America, particularly throughout the southwestern and midwestern United States. I have conducted studies involving emerging technologies (environmental DNA, drones), behavioral ecology, stress physiology, disease ecology, ecotoxicology, and natural history to gain a deeper insight into threats and challenges species and populations face, all with the goal of helping to conserve both species and critical habitat. In addition to field- and laboratory-based studies, I also utilize museum collections and specimen-based research to further our understanding of amphibian and reptile ecology and taxonomy.

Bio

The courses I teach are Principles of Biology (BIOL 2610), General Ecology (BIOL 303), Fisheries Management and Conservation (BIOL 404), Limnology (BIOL 430), and Ichthyology (BIOL 436), etc.

Research Interests

I am a question-driven aquatic ecologist who broadly focuses on testing ecological theory to better understand the patterns and processes of species distribution and community structure to better inform future conservation and management actions (e.g., identify critical habitats for organisms, prioritize species recovery plans, develop harvest regulations). Specifically, I am interested in how local and regional environmental and spatial factors influence riverine communities across multiple spatiotemporal scales. Additionally, I am also interested in how environmental processes at local and regional scales impact species behavior (e.g., species movement and reproductive timing). My research utilizes a combination of lab experiments, mark-recapture techniques, extensive field surveys, advanced statistical analysis, the use of remotely sensed data, and meta-analysis.

Bio

I am the invertebrate zoologist in the Department of Biology, and I teach the following courses: General Biology I (BIOL 154), General Biology II (BIOL 155), Invertebrate Zoology (BIOL 300/L), General Entomology (BIOL 301/L), Parasitology (BIOL 341/L), Evolution and Systematics (BIOL 305), Biological Literature (BIOL 582), and Evolution (BIOL 562). I am also the head curator of collections, and curator of invertebrates, of the ENMU "Dr. Antonio 'Tony' Genaro Natural History Museum".

Research Interests

My research deals with the taxonomy, ecology, systematics, and biogeography of insects, specifically beetles of the large superfamily Tenebrionoidea and (recently begun) robber flies of the family Asilidae. My beetle work involves a combination of larval and adult morphological characters to elucidate phylogenies and classifications of taxa of interest. For the robber flies, I?m interested in prey selection, as well as basic, alpha-level taxonomy. I would not, however, restrict graduate students to work on these particular insects; students are encouraged to work on a taxon of their own interest.

At present, my research is collection-based, and involves use of external characters of larvae, pupae and adults. Because the beetle families on which I work are fairly small, I can work at the world level, and include all known taxa; this gives a very complete evolutionary picture of these beetle families. For robber flies, I?m most interested in fully documenting the local, i.e. eastern New Mexico, biodiversity. I am also interested in general biodiversity, specifically the role that systematists play in documenting the world's invertebrate fauna.

Bio

I was born and raised in Santa Fe, NM. In graduate school, I coined the term "Antiporter Motif", a highly conserved amino acid sequence motif found in antiporters of the major facilitator superfamily. As a postdoc fellow I studied microbial physiology under Prof. Thomas Wilson at Harvard. I teach Microbiology, Microbial Physiology, Immunology, Medical Microbiology, and Virology.

Research Interests

The Varela research laboratory is interested in molecular microbial physiology of bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents. We study bacterial multidrug efflux pumps from the major facilitator superfamily of solute transporters. Our laboratory discovered the multidrug efflux pumps LmrS from Staphylococcus aureus and EmrD-3 from Vibrio cholerae. We also collaboratively determined the complete genome sequence of a non-O1 V. cholerae genome. We are always interested in outstanding graduate students working in our lab and completing their MS theses. Varela has co-authored five books, "The Inventions and Discoveries of the Worlds Most Famous Scientists" in 2018, "Enter the World of Microbiology: Interviews about the Worlds Most Famous Microbiologists" in 2019, "An Overview of Biomedical Scientists and Their Discoveries" (2020), "Biochemistry and Biochemists: Who Were They and What Did They Discover?" (2020), and "The World of Molecular Biology" (2021).