FOCUS ON THE FACULTY
EXPLORING DINOSAUR BIOLOGY
By Matt Cheek

Summer school is a time many students use to catch up on or get ahead with their course credits.  For professors, summer school can be an opportunity to teach a special interest course, a chance to perhaps indulge in their own special research and expertise, to the benefit of students seeking a unique learning experience, one they might not be able to fit in during the regular school year. 

One science professor is teaching such a course this summer and he makes no bones about his fascination with ancient bones, in this case dinosaurs. 

The man behind the science is Willem "Jaap" Hillenius, an associate professor of biology.  A native of the Netherlands, Hillenius has taught at the College of Charleston for the past eight years.  This Maymester-- an intense three week semester-- he will be teaching "Dinosaur Biology," a special topics offering on one of his favorite subjects. 

"This course examines dinosaurs as once-living animals, and examines not only their skeletons but the reconstructions that you see in books, movies, and on TV," Hillenius says.  He likens the course to an evolutionary science class involving the origins, genetics and biology of those ancient, mysterious animals. 

As Hillenius adds in his course description, "In many respects, dinosaurs were the most successful of all land vertebrates. For over 150 million years, they were the dominant herbivores and carnivores of the terrestrial environment: their reign far exceeded the duration or scope of dominance of any other group of tetrapods, including mammals. In this course, we will examine the paleobiology, paleoecology, and evolution of dinosaurs. Further, we will address ideas on what might account for both the unparalleled success and ultimate extinction of these fascinating creatures."

Hillenius' research interests include comparative anatomy of tetrapods, particular mammals, reptiles and dinosaurs.  He and his co-researchers have been credited with breakthroughs in their field, including evidence they found of feather-like features they discovered in one type of dinosaur.  The finding helped bolster the theory some paleontologists have that dinosaurs and birds are more closely linked in the evolutionary chain than previously believed.  Hillenius' work has been published in Science and many other prestigous publications. 

The opportunity for College of Charleston students to further mine Hillenius' deep knowledge of ancient animals and their anatomies aren't extinct after taking his Dinosaur Biology class.  He also offers courses in mammalogy, vertabrate paleontology and comparative vertabrate anatomy. 

For more information on Dr. Willem "Jaap" Hillenius please visit:  http://www.cofc.edu/~biology/facultypages/Hillenius.html

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 Jap Hillenius
Willem "Jaap" Hillenius