Suzanne R. Morse
Elizabeth Battles Newlin Chair of Botany

Suzanne received a BA in Botany from the University of California, Berkeley in 1980 and a PhD in Botany from the University of California, Berkeley in 1988. From 1988 to 1991, she was a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Organismal and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. She also was a visiting scholar at the Harvard School of Public Health from 1996-1998, and at the University of California, Berkeley in 2001.

Suzanne joined the COA faculty in 1991, where she teaches a variety of courses in biology, botany, science and society, and agroecology. She also regularly teaches in the Yucatan program and in the human ecology core curriculum. Students that have worked with Suzanne at COA have done a wide range of projects, including a radio program on seed saving, an analysis of the impact of the current national organic standards, photographic essays, and research on genetic imprinting in plants.

Suzanne's research includes plant physiological ecology and evolution, mechanisms of drought tolerance in plants, weed seed banks, effects of changing carbon dioxide concentrations and temperature on plant population dynamics, and the role of dietary fiber in the expression of type II diabetes. She is currently researching the role of the moon in traditional agriculture. In addition to presenting papers at national conferences, she also has given invited papers on the ethical implications of the Human Genome Project, environmental justice, and the development of sustainable agriculture curricula, At COA, Suzanne is an active member in Academic Affairs and the International Studies, and was acting Academic Dean in 1992.

Suzanne's other interests include Buddhism, gardening, modern dance, Tai Chi, writing, painting, and bicycling.