Assistant Professor of Biology
Natural Sciences
Office Location: Stephens Hall, Room 103
Telephone: 630-844-5296
Fax: 630-844-3852
Email Address: czelman@aurora.edu
Carrie's research interests include evolutionary ecology, genetics, and behavior. While earning a double major in biology and mathematics at Alma College, she evaluated mate choice patterns in the dimorphic jumping spider, as well as student preferences for the Golden Section (a mathematical proportion thought to be aesthetically pleasing). She did her dissertation on the evolution of sex ratios in the painted turtle, a reptile that exhibits temperature-dependent sex determination. She is particularly interested in whether female turtles may be able to alter their nesting behavior to influence the sex of their offspring.
Carrie has two children, Carina, age 5 and William, age 3. She particularly enjoys spending time at the family cabin on Lake Huron near Tobermory, Ontario. One of her ongoing "projects" is her old Victorian house which she has been restoring it to its original grandeur.
Education
B.S. Biology and Mathematics, Alma College
Ph.D Genetics, Iowa State University
Areas of Specialization
Evolutionary genetics
Ecology
Behavior
Courses Taught
Humans and the Environment
Ecology
Genetics
Evolution
Invertebrate Biology
Vertebrate Biology
Animal Behavior
Contemporary Issues in Environmental Science
Highlights of Publications, Honors and Professional Contributions
Morjan, C. L., 2007. Going beyond the "Separate but equally valid" argument for the reconciliation of science and religion. Presentation to the Oxford Round Table Symposium - Is there common ground between science and religion? Oxford, UK.
Morjan, C. L., and Rieseberg, L. H. 2004. How species evolve collectively: implications of gene flow and selection for the spread of advantageous alleles. Molecular Ecology 13:1341-1356.
Morjan, C. L. 2003. How rapidly can maternal behavior affecting primary sex ratio evolve in a reptile with environmental sex determination? American Naturalist 162:205-219.
Morjan, C. L. 2003. Variation in nesting patterns affecting nest temperatures in two populations of painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) with temperature-dependent sex determination. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 53:254-261.
2002-2004. NSF Bioinformatics Postdoctoral Fellowship. How species remain cohesive: interactions of gene flow, selection, and dispersal, with Dr. Loren H. Rieseberg, Indiana University. Funded by the National Science Foundation.
Highlights of Campus Involvement
General Education committee
S.O.S. Moms (Stressed-Out-&-Sleepless Moms) support group
Mentoring/supervising independent undergraduate research projects in ecology
