Middleton Lab in the Department of Biology at CSU, San Bernardino
Why "Locomotor Tissues"?
Animals are integrated organisms. In order to understand how vertebrates move, we must understand not only the structure of their components, but also how those components work together.
Locomotor tissues include the obvious (bones and muscles) and the not-so-obvious (feathers in birds and wing membranes in bats).
Lab Research
Research in the lab spans a broad taxonomic and anatomical range, from macroscale to microscale. We look at the extremes of locomotion to test how locomotor tissues function, adapt, and evolve.
To see what's been going on in the lab, click the Lab News link.
Choose the Research link above for an overview of projects in the lab and the People link for information about past and present members of the lab.
We study mice as a model organism for the interaction between bone structure, genetics, and exercise.
We study the macrostructure and microstructure of bone in a diversity of taxa, including alligators (pictured above), bats, and mice.
We study feather biomechanics and evolution within both extant and extinct birds.
Interested in Joining the Lab?
I'm always looking for enthusiastic and curious undergraduate and graduate students. Just email me. Some experience in organismal biology is helpful but not necessary. At CSUSB, these courses would be Biology of the Chordates, Human Anatomy, and Animal or Human Physiology. If you have taken Chordates, then I already know you.
Potential graduate students should also read the Biology Department's information on the Master of Science in Biology. These pages include MS program details and admissions requirements.