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Dr. Michele Wheatly, Professor of Biological Sciences, was named Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics (CoSM) on July 1, 2002.

Born and educated in the United Kingdom, Dr. Wheatly is internationally known for her research in comparative physiology and in 1988 was the recipient of the prestigious Presidential Medal from the Society for Experimental Biology. Dr. Wheatly earned her undergraduate degree in biological sciences and a doctorate in comparative physiology from Birmingham University, United Kingdom. She performed postdoctoral work at the University of Calgary, Canada and subsequently served 10 years on the faculty in the zoology department at the University of Florida, where she was promoted to full professor.

Dr. Wheatly maintains an active research program focusing on the regulation of expression of gene coding for calcium transporting proteins, using the molting cycle of freshwater crayfish as a model system. Her research has been continuously funded by National Science Foundation for nearly 20 years. International collaborations include work with Brazilian researchers to assess the evolution of calcium transport in the rain forest fauna. Dr. Wheatly has recently worked with engineers to use biologically inspired paradigms to design adaptive computer interfaces.

Dr. Wheatly also has established several externally funded educational initiatives since she was hired as chair of Biological Sciences at WSU in 1994. These are mainly targeted to increasing representation of women, minorities, and people with disabilities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. One of her signature efforts is a large curriculum development grant titled Creating Laboratory Access for Students in Sciences (CLASS). The CLASS project has provided a curriculum and materials tailored to students with disabilities and includes a summer workshop for students and teachers. This program has evolved into a prominent national training program. In 1997, CLASS earned WSU's President's Award for Excellence - Outstanding Collaborative Unit.

Another program she developed in collaboration with Dr. David Goldstein, chair, Department of Biological Sciences, was the Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology program (UMEB). This NSF-sponsored grant supports research in environmental stress for undergraduates with disabilities and ethnic minorities.

In collaboration with Dr. Mariana Morris (principal investigator), she secured funding for an educational initiative in Brazil. The United States-Brazil Biotech Training Consortium (USABRIO) is an effort to promote scientific interchange between academic and biotechnology partners in Brazil and the United States. The consortium involves WSU, the University of Iowa, and Procter & Gamble in the United States, and the University of Sao Paulo, InCor Heart Institute, and Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. The purpose of the program is to train U.S. and Brazilian students in biotechnology with the aim of preparing them for careers in the global community of science.