FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

Dr. Richardson is a Professor of Biology at UNA and 1982 UNA graduate in Professional Biology. He earned his M.S. in Aquatic Biology from the University of Alabama in 1986, and holds a Ph.D. in

Zoology and Physiology from Louisiana State University awarded in 1990. Following graduate school, he was selected as an Oak Ridge Associated Universities Postdoctoral Fellow from 1990-1991. Dr. Richardson has over 35 years of experience with the population and conservation ecology of freshwater organisms and served as director of the Alabama Rare and Endangered Species Research Center 1994-2004. Dr. Richardson has remained professionally active producing over 120 peer-reviewed publications and technical reports used by legal professionals, the environmentally regulated community, and governmental agencies. He has presented testimony before U.S. Congress and Alabama Congressional Ways and Means Committee. Dr. Richardson was invited by the University of Oxford’s St. Anne’s College (2007) and Harris-Manchester College (2011) to speak on the topic of Global Climate Change and Sustainability. In 2010 he was appointed by Alabama Governor Riley to serve on the Alabama Environmental Management Commission (AEMC) until 2018. While a Commissioner, Dr. Richardson served as Chair of the Rule Making Committee and as Vice-Chair of the AEMC. In 2009, Dr. Richardson and UNA alumnus Jeff Selby formed AST Environmental, LLC, an environmental consulting firm designed to serve the needs of the environmentally regulated community Dr Richardson currently serves as Vice-President and Senior Ecologist for AST. Dr. Richardson’s consulting work through AST has covered not only Alabama and the greater southeastern U.S., but has expanded into New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Texas. In addition to Dr. Richardson and Mr. Selby’s involvement, AST now employees three UNA graduates and a current UNA student. During his time at UNA, Dr. Richardson has taught Introductory Biology, Aquatic Ecology, General Ecology, Animal Physiology, Marine Behavioral Ecology (at Dauphin Island Sea Lab), Tropical Marine Ecosystems, and Biological Literature for Chinese Students in Huaiyin China (June 2018). Dr. Richardson served multiple terms on the Faculty Senate, including serving as President, and taught summer school at Dauphin Island Sea Lab from 1992-2005.

Marissa Childers grew up in Florence, Alabama where she attended the University of North Alabama. She began working with clay during her junior year of college. Until then, she had no clue what ceramics was and never would have imagined it to be something she could become so passionate about. Her original plan was to graduate as an accountant. However, she quickly decided to change her major and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Ceramics (2019).

Following graduation, she moved to Snowmass, Colorado to be a ceramic intern at Anderson Ranch Arts Center. This internship opened many doors and gave her the opportunity to work alongside incredible artists, make connections, and learn the ins and outs of what goes into being a ceramic artist. After leaving her internship, she drove straight to Oklahoma to start graduate school at the University of Oklahoma

Since completing her Master of Fine Arts, Marissa has been teaching classes and workshops at Oklahoma Contemporary, making artwork, and transitioning her studio space into her home.

Marissa was recently selected as an emerging artist by Ceramics Monthly and most recently she has been given a one-year ceramic residency at Arrowmont, one of the top residencies in the country. This spring, Marissa was awarded the Emerging Artist award at the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, one of the largest ceramics conferences in the world. This award is considered one of the highest honors for a young artist.