Mark Osterlund

Associate Professor, Biology
B.S. Clemson University
MPhil, M.S., Ph.D. Yale University
406.238.7382
Bair Science Center 002
mark.osterlund@rocky.edu
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday:  9:00 - 10:00 p.m. and Tuesday 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.    

Biography

Mark Osterlund attended Clemson University in Clemson, SC, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in biological sciences.  After Clemson, he immediately went to graduate school at Yale University in New Haven, CT.  I Earned a Ph.D in molecular, cellular and developmental biology in May 2000, concentrating his research on seedling development in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana.  Following graduate school, Osterlund was a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA, where he studied the movement of unique pieces of DNA called transposable elements.  In 2004, he began working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Quantico, VA, developing molecular techniques for their forensics and counterterrorism unit.  It was in 2008, that Osterlund began working at Rocky Mountain College as an Assistant Professor of biology.

Courses Taught

  • BIO203 – Genetics
  • BIO111 – General Biology
  • BIO344 – Molecular Genetics
  • BIO180 – Introduction to Research
  • Genetics for the Physician Assistant Program 

What advice do you have for prospective students?

I would encourage students to stretch themselves and not necessarily do the easiest thing. The more we experience, the more we’ll be capable of making quality future decisions about our lives.

How long have you worked at RMC?

Three years

What is your favorite class to teach and why?

I love teaching Genetics.  I find the principles of genetics to be both remarkably complex and yet elegantly simple.  I also think it is amazing that a monk with no knowledge of DNA could accurately establish principles that are foundational to our understanding of molecular biology (Gregor Mendel).

What are you currently reading?

I’m currently working through the Patrick O’Brian books that begin with Master and Commander.

What do you do outside of class?

My wife and I just had our first child in January, so all of my time outside of class is currently spent holding my son.  If he ever sleeps long enough, I hope to play a little golf this summer.

 
omniupdate