ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Christopher Bonvillain ’04, ‘06 Christopher Bonvillain earned his bachelor’s degree from Nicholls State University in environmental biology in 2004 and his master’s degree in marine environmental biology in 2006. Bonvillain’s time at Nicholls instilled in him a love for science that convinced him to major in biology and ultimately earn his Ph.D. Bonvillain said, “At first, I didn’t know that Nicholls was the school for me, but when I started doing undergraduate research, I really realized that I was in the right place and I wanted to pursue my master’s degree here too.” Louisiana’s unique ecosystems played a large role in Bonvillain’s decision. He said that the range of freshwater, saltwater, and brackish water provides a plethora of different organisms that cannot be found anywhere else in the country. He added, “Nicholls provided access to all of that in the undergraduate and graduate programs.” The undergraduate and graduate programs prepared Bonvillain for the next step, which for him was a Ph.D. He said, “I learned how to come up with a hypothesis, how to test a hypothesis in the field, how to design a field research project, how to collect and analyze data, and how to properly write up and report that data. All of that helped me to hit the ground running for my Ph.D. because I had that knowledge already instilled in me.” Currently, Bonvillain is in his third semester as an instructor of biological sciences at Nicholls State University. He teaches the freshman biology courses and is the lab coordinator for freshman biology labs. On top of that, Bonvillain is developing a Limnology course that will be offered for the first time in Spring 2016. Limnology is the study of the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics and processes of inland waters; the course will have an emphasis on Louisiana aquatic systems. He said, “I want to develop courses and get undergraduates and graduates excited about our ecosystems down here because that’s what inspires them to stay in Louisiana and expand our knowledge of our vast ecosystems.”
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 16:35:09 +0000
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