• Resources and Facilities
• Computing Facilities
• Center for Community Research
• Center for Humanities
  • Calendar of Events
  • Sophia Libman NEH Chair
  • Janice E. Cole Writing Prize
• Coastal Studies
  • Overview
  • Curriculum
  • Courses
  • FAQs
  • Minor
  • Resources for Travel and Learning
  • Chesapeake Biological Laboratory
  • Marine Science Consortium at Wallops
  • Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences' Eastern Shore Lab
  • Horn Point Laboratory and Oxford Laboratory
  • Historic Jamestowne and Williamsburg
  • Field Experiences
  • Faculty Profiles
  • Admissions Procedures
  • Scholarships
  • Info Request Form
• Catalog Catalog

Faculty Profiles

Drew Ferrier

Professor of Biology and Director of the Environmental Biology Program.
Professor Ferrier earned his doctorate at the University of Maryland and is an aquatic biologist by training. His work in marine systems deals with nutrient dynamics of algal-invertebrate symbioses, namely those found in corals and anemones. Professor Ferrier's research interests also encompass many aspects of aquatic ecology and aquatic invertebrate biology. He conducts surveys of stream benthic communities and has studied the feeding dynamics of stream insects. He has spent several years monitoring acid rain and its effects on a lake ecosystem in Western Maryland. Most recently, his work in freshwater ecology has been directed toward the use of aquatic macroinvertebrates as indicators of water quality. Results of Professor Ferrier's work have been published in such journals as Coral Reefs, Applied and Environmental Microbiology and the Journal of College Science Teaching. Professor Ferrier has been leading and directing college-level marine science field programs for over two decades.

Carol Kolmerten

Professor of English and American Studies.
Professor Kolmerten has taught at Hood for 23 years. She is particularly interested in 19th- and 20th-century American literature and culture and in women’s studies. She has published five books, including a monograph on intentional communities in mid-19th-century America that was cited by Phi Beta Kappa as one of 1990's best 22 books. Her most recent book is a cultural biography of women’s rights advocate Ernestine L. Rose. She has also published more than 50 essays and reviews and has given more than 100 conference papers in the United States, Canada, Europe and South America.

Eric Kindahl

Associate Professor of Biology and the Director of the Envirionmental Science and Policy program.
Professor Kindahl is a conservation biologist and population geneticist. His current research focuses on using lichens, salamanders and birds as biomonitors. He is also working on an urban stream restoration project and population genetics studies of American chestnuts, redback salamanders and other organisms.

Ron Albaugh

Coastal Studies Semester Coordinator.
Ron Albaugh holds a master's degree in environmental biology from Hood College. His research interests involve the influence of the herbicide atrazine on the reproductive potential of earthworm populations. He has assisted with brittle star predation research on San Salvador Island, Bahamas. As the director of environmental education for the Catoctin Mountain Youth Conservation Corps, he has been involved with developing and overseeing a variety of environmental programs. Ron brings 35 years of teaching experience to the program, having taught biology and environmental science at both the high school and undergraduate levels. As past president of the Maryland Association of Biology Teachers, he has organized professional workshops and conferences. His training also includes expertise in agriculture, freshwater biology and aquaculture.