Bio:

Mr. Bruce Griffis, Assistant Professor of Biology, received his Bachelor of Arts (with High Honors) from Indiana University (1995). He attended the Southeast Campus in New Albany, IN where he majored in Biology and English. His senior year at IUS, he was named the Outstanding English Major. In May 2004, Mr. Griffis received a Master of Science in Biology from the University of Kentucky.

At Kentucky State University since Fall 2000, Mr. Griffis became an Assistant Professor in Fall 2004. He has taught Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, Principles of Biology, Life Science (for non-majors), Anatomy & Physiology I and II (for Nursing majors), and Modern Topics in Biology (for non-majors). Since Fall 2005, Mr. Griffis has served as the Biology Education advisor and has taught EDU 413: Methods of Teaching High School Science. Students interested in teaching high school Biology should contact Mr. Griffis for help in planning their coursework at KSU.

While at UK, Mr. Griffis’ research focused on the regulation of contractile protein expression in muscles of differing types. He used mammalian cell culture and crayfish experimental model systems to examine the effects of electrical stimulation, inherent genetic programming, and other factors on muscle characteristics in these model systems. As a graduate student, he received a Behavioral Ecology and Comparative Neurobiology (BEACON) Fellowship at UK and received Honorable Mention for Best Student Presentation at the 1999 Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology annual meeting in Denver, CO.

Mr. Griffis has served on the KSU Faculty Senate and on various committees both on-campus and statewide. He has been involved in several Mathematics and Science Partnership efforts – partnerships in which Kentucky schools and school districts, KSU, and other universities worked together to increase learning in math and science. He also participated on the statewide team that reviewed the Next Generation Science Standards for the state of Kentucky alongside elementary, middle, and high school teachers; faculty from universities; and other stakeholders in science education. He has learned a great deal from interacting with professional educators of all levels and others passionate about science through these efforts.

Away from the classroom and laboratory, Mr. Griffis enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching sports, reading, and being in the outdoors.