Rate My Professor Judy Metcalf

Judy Metcalf is an Associate Professional Professor in the Department of Life Sciences at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, where she has been on the faculty since August 2016, advancing to her current rank in September 2022. She earned her Ph.D. in Biology, with a concentration in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, from the University of Louisville in 2013; her M.S. in Biology from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in 2007; and her B.S. in Biology from the University of Louisville in 2004. Metcalf's extensive teaching experience encompasses a wide array of undergraduate courses at TAMUCC, including Anatomy & Physiology I and II (lecture and laboratory, both face-to-face and online), Principles of Evolution (face-to-face and online), Marine Ecology, Medical Entomology (face-to-face and online), and Special Topics: Biomedical Anatomy (lecture and lab). Prior to her current role, she was a Professional Assistant Professor at the same institution from 2016 to 2022, teaching similar courses such as Introductory Biology I and II, Ecology, and Physiology. Her prior appointments include Adjunct Instructor for Project Dragonfly Earth Expeditions at Ohio University (2016-2023), where she delivered online courses like Baja Earth Expeditions with field components, Issues in Biodiversity, and Issues in Evolution; Instructor at Ohio University Southern (2015-2016), teaching Anatomy & Physiology I, Conservation and Biodiversity, and others; and Adjunct Faculty at Spalding University and ATA College (2014-2015), covering introductory biology, anatomy, physiology, and environmental science. As a graduate teaching assistant, she supported biology laboratories at the University of Louisville and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Metcalf's academic interests center on community ecology and conservation biology, with emphasis on the effects of urbanization and human activities on natural communities, STEM education research incorporating undergraduate experiences, the influence of terrestrial plants on arthropod community structure and food webs, and overwintering shorebirds. Her dissertation research at the University of Louisville investigated community-level impacts of the invasive grass Microstegium vimineum on arthropods in temperate deciduous forests under Dr. Sarah Emery. Her master's thesis at TAMUCC examined shorebird community composition and behavior on South Texas coastal beaches under Dr. Kim Withers. She authored a peer-reviewed publication: Metcalf, J.L., and Emery, S.M. (2015). Non-native grass invasion associated with increases in insect diversity in temperate forest understory. Acta Oecologica 69:105-112. Metcalf has delivered presentations on her arthropod research at the Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting (2013) and University of Louisville symposia, as well as on STEM learning communities at the National Learning Communities Conference (2017). She contributes significantly to university governance as Parliamentarian and Co-Chair of Academic Affairs for the Faculty Advisory Council, Co-Chair of the Undergraduate Council, member of the University Curriculum Committee, and participant on the Scholastic Standing Appeals and Reinstatement Panel.