Susan Chiasson

Dr. Susan Chiasson joined the Department of Biological Sciences in 2017. She is an educator whose main objectives in the classroom are learning through discussion, debate, reasoning, critical evaluation of information, and other active learning techniques. Dr. Chiasson aims for a comprehensive understanding of concepts and processes through co-operative learning and how learned concepts contribute to the comprehension of a larger concept. She is an enthusiastic mentor, an active STEM educator for pre-college students, and an advocate for promoting environmental awareness. She volunteers for STEM programs aimed at middle and high school students, and leads a workshop for the Louisiana Master Naturalist program. As a researcher, Dr. Chiasson is an ecotoxicologist and her research focuses mainly on coastal systems and Louisiana wetlands. She is interested in how endocrine disruptors and oil contamination affect coastal populations of fishery species on a molecular level, and she brings her expertise in toxicology, analytical chemistry, and marine biology into the classroom to encourage students to think beyond the traditional boundaries of disciplines.