Marjorie Wonham
- Associate Teaching Professor, SAFS, Marine Biology and FHL
Research areas
I am fascinated by marine organisms and marine systems.
As an instructor, I focus on developing student self-authorship through guided inquiry. I design my courses with a combination of field and lab work, group and individual work, and informational and transformational learning activities. Students use the content and concepts of marine biology to deepen their understanding of marine systems and to hone their curiosity, critical-thinking, collaboration, and communication skills.
As a researcher, I ask questions in three main areas. (1) Pedagogy: Why and how can higher education foster student and faculty self-authorship? How can field courses be made both challenging and accessible? (2) Interdisciplinary arts and sciences: Why do science and poetry enhance each other? What can eco-poetics and eco-translation teach us in the Anthropocene? (3) Marine ecology and species introductions: How do introduced species spread to and alter marine ecosystems? How do their dynamics intersect with climate and culture?
Areas of Expertise
- Marine invertebrate zoology & ecology
- Introduced species
- Ecopoetics
- Pedagogy
Courses
- TBD
Selected publications
Wonham, J. Byers, E. Grosholz, B. Leung. 2013. Modeling the relationship between propagule pressure and invasion risk to inform policy and management. Ecological Applications 23: 1691-1706. https://doi.org/10.1890/12-1985.1
Wonham & J. Carlton. 2005. Trends in marine biological invasions at local and regional scales: The Northeast Pacific Ocean as a model system. Biological Invasions 7(3): 369-392. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-004-2581-7
Wonham & C. Wasson. 2023. Molluscs, morphology, and metaphor in Pablo Neruda’s poems. Invertebrate Biology 142(1): e12393. https://doi.org/10.1111/ivb.12393
Wonham & C. Wasson. 2024. “The spear of quartz”: A zoopoetic and ecopoetic analysis of Neruda’s “Mollusca Gongorina”. Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment. https://doi.org/10.1093/isle/isad070
Wonham, M. & R. Derby-Talbot. 2022. Questions instead of majors: Implementing a self-authored concentration program. Studies in Higher Education 48:4, 582-594. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2022.2151998
Wyeth, R. & M. Wonham. 2018. Patterns vs. causes and surveys vs. experiments: Teaching scientific thinking. The American Biology Teacher, 80(3):203-213. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2018.80.3.203
Wonham, J. Byers, E. Grosholz, B. Leung. 2013. Modeling the relationship between propagule pressure and invasion risk to inform policy and management. Ecological Applications 23: 1691-1706. https://doi.org/10.1890/12-1985.1
Wonham & J. Carlton. 2005. Trends in marine biological invasions at local and regional scales: The Northeast Pacific Ocean as a model system. Biological Invasions 7(3): 369-392. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-004-2581-7
Wonham & C. Wasson. 2023. Molluscs, morphology, and metaphor in Pablo Neruda’s poems. Invertebrate Biology 142(1): e12393. https://doi.org/10.1111/ivb.12393
Wonham & C. Wasson. 2024. “The spear of quartz”: A zoopoetic and ecopoetic analysis of Neruda’s “Mollusca Gongorina”. Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment. https://doi.org/10.1093/isle/isad070
Wonham, M. & R. Derby-Talbot. 2022. Questions instead of majors: Implementing a self-authored concentration program. Studies in Higher Education 48:4, 582-594. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2022.2151998
Wyeth, R. & M. Wonham. 2018. Patterns vs. causes and surveys vs. experiments: Teaching scientific thinking. The American Biology Teacher, 80(3):203-213. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2018.80.3.203