Penn College

Biology professor publishes international resources

David L. Evans, recently retired professor of biology (anatomy and physiology) at Pennsylvania College of Technology, has added publications to his long list of educational resources used by professors around the world.

Evans co-authored an instructors' resource contained in Biology of Humans: Concepts, Applications and Issues (Fifth Edition), a test bank for human biology published by Goodenough/McGuire. His co-author for the resource was Mark A. Sarvary, director of Investigative Biology Laboratories at Cornell University.

“The purpose of the test bank is to provide new exam questions for other professors worldwide,” Evans said. “The most interesting feature of this test bank was that I provided a Bloom’s Taxonomy ranking for each question. The taxonomy is a way to rate the intellectual level of the question. It was important for me to provide an appropriate mix of levels of questions for each chapter. A professor can load the test bank and then enter selections related to how many and what types of questions as well as what mix of Bloom’s Taxonomy in order to make up their own tests. After that, just hit print and, presto, one has one’s test all ready to give to the students.”

Evans also co-authored an article in the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society-Educator about using 3-D scanners and printers to replicate rare and valuable human bones. His co-author for the 3-D article was Eric K. Albert, associate professor of machine tool technology/automated manufacturing at Penn College.

Evans said, “This is apparently a novel approach and one that will help anatomy professors worldwide.”

Albert added, “The ability to reproduce complex organic objects, such as a unique bone specimen, through 3-D scanning and additive manufacturing allows otherwise irreplaceable items to be shared inexpensively for study. Indeed, entire libraries of digital 3-D models could be created – and either physically used or viewed online.”

Evans also authored a resource included in the instructors’ manual – Saladin’s Anatomy and Physiology: The Unity of Form and Function, Seventh Edition.

“The manual has a variety of resources, including hundreds of teaching tips covering every aspect of anatomy and physiology,” Evans said. “I have had inquiries from as far away as New Zealand.”

The Human Anatomy and Physiology Society recently published two articles written by Evans in its HAPS-Educator, a peer-reviewed, quarterly journal.

“One article explained some easy methods for professors to include multimedia presentations in the classroom and as part of a ‘flipped classroom,’” he said. “The other article addressed the issue of whether human anatomy is still a real science; some see no new findings as we do in physiology or microbiology. While human anatomy has a 2,000-year-old history, it is amazing even to me that as recently as 2014, a new human knee ligament was uncovered. Who knows what further wonders of the body will unfold in the future?”

Evans says the goal in all of his writing “is to help other anatomy and physiology professors all around the world.”

Evans joined the Penn College faculty in 1990 and retired at the end of the 2014-15 academic year. He began his teaching career 45 years ago with high school students in West Africa. Later, he taught at American University of Beirut in Lebanon. He holds a doctorate from the University of Illinois, a master’s degree from Utah State University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona.

In addition to writing and publishing biology resources, Evans regularly serves as a peer reviewer for scientific journals. The Human Anatomy and Physiology Society awarded Evans its 2013 President’s Medal for distinguished service to the society.

Evans also serves on the editorial board of BioScience, the monthly, peer-reviewed journal of the American Institute of Biological Sciences, and he is an elected member of three honorary societies: Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society; Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society; and The Royal Entomological Society.

He is a life member of the Lepidopterists’ Society, a problem captain for Odyssey of the Mind and a member of the Williamsport Book Club.

To learn more about courses in natural sciences offered by Penn College’s School of Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications, visit www.pct.edu/SHVC.

For more about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education and workforce development, visit www.pct.edu, email admissions@pct.edu or call toll-free 800-367-9222.

David L. Evans is a professor of biology at Penn College.  Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated July 1, 2015