Faculty
Dr. Donald Baumann
Dr. Baumann serves as professor of biology and chemistry and has been at Cedarville since 1964. He received his BS (1960), MS (1962), and his PhD (1964) from Iowa State University. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Institute of Biological Sciences, Creation Research Society, and the Society for Industrial Microbiology. Dr. Baumann and his wife Carol have been married for 43 years. In his spare time, Dr. Baumann enjoys growing vegetables and fruit trees.
Mr. Mark Gathany
Mark Gathany serves as an Assistant Professor of Biology and Environmental Science. He holds his Ph.D. in Ecology from Colorado State University, a M.S. in Environmental Studies from Ohio University, and a B.S. from Grace College. His research investigates the interactions between human land use, wildfires, and climate change. He seeks to connect these topics by understanding biogeochemical cycling through ecosystems. He is also interested in how society, particularly evangelical Christians, view nature and its resources. As part of the Environmental Science faculty he looks to examine those perspectives in himself and his students. He is a member of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Ecological Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America. He and his wife - Christina - have one son - Noah.
Dr. Heather Kuruvilla
Dr. Kuruvilla serves as Associate Professor of Biology and has been at Cedarville since 1997. She received her B.S. in biology from Houghton College (1992) and her Ph.D. in biological sciences from the State University of New York at Buffalo (1997). She is a member of the American Society for Cell Biology, where she presents data at their annual conference and serves on the Congressional Liaison Committee. Dr. Kuruvilla and her students continue to publish scientific articles and abstracts on aspects of chemorepellent signaling in Tetrahymena. Dr. Kuruvilla and her husband, Saju, have two daughters, Debbie and Julia. In addition to jumping on the trampoline with Debbie and Julia, Dr. K enjoys writing and playing music, reading, exercise, and watching professional football (Go, BILLS). Dr. Kuruvilla received a Cedarville University Faculty Teaching Effectiveness Award in 2004, and was named the Cedarville University Faculty Scholar of the Year during the 2006-2007 academic year. She has also received a number of other teaching awards, including the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award (2005), Ohio Magazine's Excellence in Education Award (2003) and Who's Who Among America's Teachers (2003-2004, 2004-2005).
Dr. Terry Phipps
Dr. Phipps serves as professor of biology. He received his BS from Cedarville College in 1970. He earned his MS in 1974 from Wright State University and his PhD in 1978 from the Ohio State University. He has been at Cedarville since 1987. His areas of interest include biodiversity of invertebrates and population dynamics of zooplankton.
Dr. Lisa Schaffner
Dr. Schaffner serves as associate professor of biology. She received her BS from Purdue University in 1992 and her PhD from the Ohio State University in 2000. Lisa enjoys hiking, biking, downhill skiing, and getting together with friends. Lisa especially loves horseback riding.
Dr. John Silvius
Dr. Silvius serves as senior professor of biology and has been at Cedarville since 1979. He earned a BA from Malone College (1969), a PhD in plant physiology from West Virginia University (1974), and completed postdoctoral experiences in the Department of Botany and the Department of Agronomy at the University of Illinois (1974-1976). He also serves as adjunct professor and Cedarville representative at the AuSable Institute of Environmental Studies. Before coming to Cedarville, Dr. Silvius was a plant physiologist for the USDA Agricultural Research Service. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Institute of Biological Sciences, Botanical Society of America, Creation Research Society, and Nature Conservancy. Dr. Silvius has been honored as Cedarville's faculty member of the year and also as faculty scholar of the year. His research interests include the effects of disturbance on forest communities and preservation of prairie remnants in southwest Ohio. He is an active member of his church, where he frequently serves as a deacon and also serves in the Awana program. He and his wife, Abby, have been married since 1969 and have a son, Brad; a daughter, Melinda; and two grandchildren, Caleb and Kiara.