Dave Rosoff joined the department in the fall of 2011. His mathematical specialty is algebraic homotopy theory, which is the use of topological methods and reasoning to study purely algebraic objects. Dr. Rosoff is delighted to be able to work with the small classes of dedicated students at The College of Idaho. EDUCATION Ph.D. Mathematics, University of Washington (2009) M.S. Mathematics, University of Washington (2007) B.A. Mathematics, Reed College (2002)
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Diane Raptosh’s collection American Amnesiac (Etruscan Press), was longlisted for the 2013 National Book Award in poetry. The recipient of three fellowships in literature from the Idaho Commission on the Arts, she served as the Boise Poet Laureate (2013) as well as the Idaho Writer-in-Residence (2013-2016). In 2018 she won the Idaho Governor’s Arts Award in Excellence. She teaches literature and creative writing at the College of Idaho. Additionally, she teaches two courses, The Prison Experience and Prose and Cons: American Prison Literature, which serve both the English and Criminology programs. Her ninth poetry collection, I Eric America, was published in fall 2024 (Etruscan Press). EDUCATION M.F.A., Poetry, University of Michigan B.A., English & Languages, The College of Idaho PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Diane Raptosh is a highly active ambassador for poetry. She has given poetry readings and taught poetry workshops in classrooms and libraries, in prisons and on riverbanks. She is frequently interviewed; for example, Raptosh’s I Eric America was featured on: The Best American Poetry Blog: https://blog.bestamericanpoetry.com/the_best_american_poetry/2024/09/an-interview-with-diane-raptosh-by-nin-andrews.html A Writer’s World with Shaun Griffin // Diane Raptosh’s I Eric America – KWNK 97.7FM | Podcast on Spotify SCHOLARSHIP & RESEARCH I Eric America (Etruscan Press, Fall 2024) Hand Signs from Eternity’s Yurt (Kelsay Books, 2022) Run: A Verse History Victoria Woodhull, published in Trio (Etruscan Press Trilogies, 2021) Dear Z: The Zygote Epistles (Etruscan Press, 2020) Human Directional (Etruscan Press, 2016) American Amnesiac (Etruscan Press, 2013) Longlist, National Book Award Parents from a Different Alphabet (Guernica, 2008) Labor Songs (Guernica, 1999) Just West of Now (Guernica Editions, 1992) SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS Raptosh reads from I Eric America at Lamphouse Theater, Twin Falls, ID, Tues. April 15, 2025 Raptosh reads from I Eric America at College of Southern Idaho, Monday, April 14, 2025 Raptosh Shares Sonnet from I Eric America on BSU Radio: https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/show/something-i-heard/2025-02-06/diane-raptosh-shares-an-untitled-american-sonnet Raptosh Interviewed about I Eric America on The Poetry Show, Boise: Raptosh Reads at Jazz and Verse at the Linen Bldg., Boise, Saturday, March 1, 2025 Raptosh Gives Presentation on I Eric America /the Sonnet at Collister Library, Boise, November 19, 2024 Raptosh Reads New Poem at Wildlife Coexistence Network Event, January 25, 2024 https://www.idahopress.com/boiseweekly/arts_and_culture/wine-wildlife-and-poetry-oh-my/article_91fd02d6-bae2-11ee-822b-db29e7503fa9.html Raptosh: Writing the American Sonnet: Workshop, The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Boise State University Thursday, May 9, 2022 ACCOMPLISHMENTS Idaho Governer’s Arts Award in Excellence, 2018 Idaho Writer-in-Residence, 2013-2016 American Amnesiac, Longlisted for National Book Award in Poetry, 2013 Boise Poet Laureate, 2013 Raptosh’s I Eric America reviewed in the New York Journal of Books: https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/i-eric-america Raptosh’s Hand Signs from Eternity’s Yurt reviewed in Northwest Review Lit Comix Poetry Book Review – Debbra Palmer (nwreview.org)
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Dr. Thomas Pirtle has been with The College of Idaho since 2014. As an Assistant Professor of Biology at The College of Idaho, he regularly teaches Anatomy and Physiology, Pathobiology, Developmental Biology, and Health Science Seminar. Dr. Pirtle also teaches Regional Anatomy and Histology as part of the Physician Assistant Program in partnership with Idaho State University. Dr. Pirtle’s diverse research program at The College of Idaho focuses on comparative physiology, developmental biology, and neuroethology. His most current research, in collaboration with Dr. Heggland’s lab, uses the developing chick embryo as a model to identify the possible harmful effects of electronic cigarette chemical flavorings on bone development. Other research interests include comparative cardiac physiology using the freshwater crustacean, Daphnia magna and control of locomotor behavior in the marine mollusk, Clione limancina. The most recently published work on Daphnia magna in 2018 involved three College of Idaho undergraduate students who co-authored the paper. Dr. Pirtle’s goal as a professor and mentor of College of Idaho students is to his students to become successful professionals in healthcare and biology. Dr. Pirtle is proud of the accomplishments of many College of Idaho students who have gained acceptance to professional schools in medical, physician assistant, dental, physical therapy, and biology graduate programs. In the classroom, Dr. Pirtle’s problems-based approach to curriculum fosters critical thinking and cultivates collaboration among students to help them become proficient, skilled, and compassionate healthcare providers. Dr. Pirtle enjoys teaching at The College of Idaho where both faculty and students work together as a community of learners. Dr. Pirtle is proud to be a Yote! EDUCATION Ph.D. Biology, Arizona State University, 2003 M.S. Biology, Abilene Christian University, 1992 B.S. Biology, Abilene Christian University, 1990 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Dr. Pirtle taught at Grand Canyon University and Abilene Christian University before coming to The College of Idaho. He has fifteen years of professional teaching experience teaching a variety of classes that include anatomy and physiology, general biology for both biology majors and non-majors, pathobiology, general and medical physiology, histology, developmental biology, microbiology, seminars in biology and health science. SCHOLARSHIP & RESEARCH Pirtle, T.J., Carr, T.L., Khurana, T., and Meeker, G. ZD7288 and mibefradil inhibit the myogenic heartbeat in Daphnia magna indicating its dependency on HCN and T-type calcium ion channels. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol. 2018. 222: 36-42. Pirtle, T.J., Willingham, K. and Satterlie, R.A. A hyperpolarization-activated inward current alters swim frequency of the pteropod mollusk Clione limacina. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol. 2010. 157(4): 319-27. Pirtle, T.J. and Satterlie, R.A. The role of postinhibitory rebound in the locomotor central-pattern generator of Clione limacina. Integr. Comp. Biol. 2007. 47: 451-456. Pirtle, T.J. and Satterlie, R.A. The contribution of the pleural type 12 interneuron to swim acceleration in Clione limacina. Invert. Neurosci. 2006. 6: 161-168. Pirtle, T. J. and Satterlie, R.A. Cellular mechanisms underlying swim acceleration in the pteropod mollusk Clione limacina. Integr. Comp. Biol. 2004. 44: 37-46. Satterlie, R.A., Norekian, T.P., and Pirtle, T.J. Serotonin-induced spike narrowing in a locomotor pattern generator permits increases in cycle frequency during accelerations. J. Neurophysiology. 2000. 83(4): 2163-2170. Moroz, L.L., Norekian, T.P., Pirtle, T.J., Robertson, K.J., and Satterlie, R.A. Distribution of NADPH-diaphorase reactivity and effects of nitric oxide on feeding and locomotory circuitry in the pteropod mollusc, Clione limacina. J. Comparative Neurology. 2000. 427: 274-284.
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Mark Petty joins The College of Idaho as the Director of Choral Activities after several years teaching in Iceland, Idaho, and beyond. Mark nourished a love for music and the mountains while growing up in Boulder, Colorado, and has spent his life exploring the intersection between nature and the arts. As the music teacher and adventure coordinator at an Expeditionary Learning school, he pioneered curriculum integrating music and the local environment, helping students connect to culture and the natural world through music exploration. His current work explores how music rooted in landscape and place can help foster environmental stewardship, with a particular focus on Icelandic choral music Mark believes strongly that singing each other’s songs helps build bridges and creates cultural understanding and unity. He has studied music education, conducting, and environmental communication at Colorado State University, Idaho State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Washington, working with such generous mentors as Scott Anderson, Eph Ehly, Edith Copley, Jeremy Fox, Giselle Wyers, and Geoffrey Boers. When not directing music, Mark enjoys leading mountaineering leadership expeditions throughout the Western United States. EDUCATION D.M.A., Choral Conducting, University of Washington, ABD 2024 M.M., Choral Conducting, Northern Arizona University, 2015 B.M.E., Music Education, Idaho State University, 2010 B.S., Environmental Communication, Colorado State University, 2007 SCHOLARSHIP & RESEARCH Singing & Sustainability: An Ecological Perspective. Star of the North, ACDA Minnesota, Spring 2025 Forests of Song: Building Environmental Stewardship through Choral Singing. ChorTeach, Fall 2021 SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS Icelandic Legacies of Land, Word, and Song, with Dr. Cayla Rosché. Málstofa Rannsóknastofa í tónlist/Seminar for the Music Research Laboratory, Listaháskóli Íslands/Iceland University of the Arts, Reykjavík, Iceland, November 2022 Ecomusicologies of Place: Singing and Environmental Stewardship in Iceland, the North, and Beyond. Hádegisfyrirlestur í tónlistardeild/Lunchtime Lectures in Music, Listaháskóli Íslands/Iceland University of the Arts, Reykjavík, Iceland, April 2022 Authentic, Appropriated, or Informed: Performing Multicultural Music with Integrity & Respect. Idaho Music Educators Association Inservice Conference, Rexburg, ID, February 2019 Northern Lights: Choral Treasures of Iceland. Idaho ACDA Conference, Boise, ID, October 2018 & Idaho Music Educators Association Inservice Conference, Moscow, ID, February 2018 Choral Music of Native North America. Idaho Music Educators Association Inservice Conference, Boise, ID, February 2017 Real Adventure: Building a Values Based Adventure Program at Your School, with Cara Sonnemann. Expeditionary Learning National Conference, Baltimore, MD, 2013 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Guest Conductor and Clinician: Nordklang Choral Festival, Reykjavík, Iceland, 2022 Idaho International Choral Festival, Pocatello, ID, 2019
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Terah is a believer of living life to its fullest potential. She believes she does this by holding others in high esteem — genuinely caring for them — by seeking balance between a passionate work ethic, cultivating a healthy marriage with her husband Andy, raising two beautiful children, maintaining a stable home life on the farm, and sustaining joy through play. Her heart’s passion is to inspire, shape, and send teachers into the education field who possess a strong teaching identity, a passion for teaching and learning, a desire and a plan to impact the world by impacting students. Her teaching and her life are characterized by these elements and are rooted in daily renewal, reflection, and relationship with God. EDUCATION PhD Education; Adult Organizational Learning, University of Idaho MA Curriculum and Instruction; Bilingual/ESL Education, Boise State University BS Elementary Education; minor in Spanish, Idaho State University PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Terah began teaching at The College of Idaho in 2012. She teaches courses in educational research, curriculum and instruction, elementary pedagogy, and bilingual/ESL endorsement programs at the master’s and undergraduate levels. Her primary role at the graduate level is to oversee and support teachers conducting action research. She partners with local districts to provide support and training in ESL and bilingual endorsement certifications. Prior to coming to the College, Terah was director of the MAT program in Boise, ID at George Fox University. Terah’s classroom teaching experience spans K-12 in poverty schools and bilingual settings. Terah participates in curricular research. Her primary focus is experiential education and facilitating long term sustainable teaching through this approach. Terah has presented research in the areas of science education, curriculum and instruction, and bilingual education. She consistently shares her work at AERA, NWATE, and Federal Program conferences. Terah offers local teacher training workshops for bilingual educators.
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Dr. Mel (Marilyn Melchiorre) brings over 20 years of professional experience in management, sales, marketing, and advertising. She has been a full-time faculty member at The College of Idaho since 2010, where she serves as Professor and Chair of the Business & Accounting Department. She also holds the Miller Family Foundation Endowed Chair. Dr. Mel teaches a variety of courses, including Principles of Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Digital Marketing, International Business, and Management Science, as well as leading study abroad courses. In the classroom, she is dedicated to creating meaningful learning experiences by blending rigorous academic theory with real-world application. Her teaching style emphasizes experiential and action-based learning, incorporating simulations, group projects, and community-based marketing initiatives that help students internalize key concepts through hands-on engagement. Her global perspective has been shaped by leading study abroad programs to Paris and Hong Kong, as well as by teaching in Xi’an, China. In 2024, she was honored as a Fulbright Scholar alternate candidate for the United Kingdom. EDUCATION Ed. D., Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis, University of Missouri MBA, Missouri State University BSBA, Business/Marketing, University of Missouri SCHOLARSHIP & RESEARCH An active scholar in pedagogical innovation, Dr. Mel has published extensively on teaching techniques and regularly presents at academic conferences focused on instructional excellence. She served on the board of the Marketing Management Association (MMA) from 2022 to 2025 and continues her professional service as a member of the editorial review board for the Marketing Management Journal.
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I have a wide range of teaching and research interests in environmental philosophy, philosophy of religion, ethics, and philosophy of science, which is helpful in a small department. My background is in both philosophy and religious studies though my methodology and research are philosophical. My research has increasingly focused on the work of the late British philosopher Mary Midgley while my overarching research focus is in the intersection of animal and environmental ethics in environmental philosophy. My current book project is based on my interviews with Mary Midgley from 2011-18, which focus largely on animals and the environment. EDUCATION Ph. D., University of Florida M.T.S., Vanderbilt University B.A., Abilene Christian University SCHOLARSHIP & RESEARCH McElwain, Gregory S. “Mary Midgley: Philosophical Plumber.” Times Literary Supplement: Footnotes to Plato. October 27, 2021. Available online at https://www.the-tls.co.uk/categories/regular-features/footnotes-to-plato/ McElwain, Gregory S. “Relationality in the Thought of Mary Midgley.” Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplements, Volume 87 (A Centenary Celebration: Anscombe, Foot, Midgley, Murdoch) (2020): 235-248. doi: 10.1017/S1358246119000225 McElwain, Gregory S. Mary Midgley: An Introduction. (London: Bloomsbury Academic Press, 2020). McElwain, Gregory S. “Midgley at the Intersection of Animal and Environmental Ethics.” Les Ateliers de l’Éthique / The Ethics Forum 13, no. 1 (2018): 143-158. doi: 10.7202/1055122ar. McElwain, Gregory S. “The Mixed Community.” In Science and the Self: Animals, Evolution, and Ethics: Essays in Honour of Mary Midgley (Routledge Studies in Contemporary Philosophy), edited by Ian James Kidd and Liz McKinnell, 41-51. London: Routledge, 2016. McElwain, Gregory S. “Religion and Dangerous Environmental Change: Transdisciplinary Perspectives on the Ethics of Climate and Sustainability.” Politics and Religion 5 (2012): 476-478. McElwain, Gregory S. “Ethics of Animal Use.” Journal of Agriculture & Environmental Ethics 22 (2009): 291-293.
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I am interested in social cognition – that is, how people influence each other’s thoughts, feelings, and memories. I am particularly interested in the intersections of social cognition and the law. That is, what social factors influence what people remember about crimes they have experienced or witnessed? What social information is used by the various parties in the legal system when they make decisions? I come from a liberal arts background, and really value the intellectual relationships between students and faculty that are so much more prevalent in this environment. Please feel free to come and talk to me – my door is mostly open. I teach courses in cognitive psychology, research methods, introductory psychology, and the senior capstone course. I also supervise a variety of independent student research projects, and love to have students help me with my own research. I live in Ontario with my husband and young daughter. EDUCATION PhD 2006, University of California, Irvine, Psychology & Social Behavior MA 2004, University of California, Irvine, Social Ecology BA 2000, Reed College, Portland, OR, Psychology PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 2013 – present, Professor, The College of Idaho 2011 – 2013, Visiting Assistant Professor, Reed College, Portland, OR 2010 – 2011, Visiting Assistant Professor, Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio 2007 – 2010, Lecturer in Forensic Psychology (British equivalent of Assistant Professor), University of Leicester, UK
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Dr. Anna Himler’s research appointments are as follows: Her teaching appointments are as follows: EDUCATION 2007 Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin, Section of Integrative Biology Dissertation: Evolutionary Ecology and Natural History 1995 B.A. Oberlin College, Double major: Biology and Environmental Studies SCHOLARSHIP & RESEARCH Mehdiabadi, N.J., U.G. Mueller, S.G. Brady, A.G. Himler, and T. R. Schultz. 2012. Symbiont fidelity and the origin of species in fungus-growing ants. Nature Communications 3:840; DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1844. Heer K., C.A. Machado, A.G. Himler, E.A. Herre, E.K. Kalko, and C.W Dick. 2012. Anonymous and EST-based microsatellite DNA markers that transfer broadly across the fig tree genus (Ficus, Moraceae). Am. J. Bot. 99 (8):e330-333. Himler, A. G., T. Adachi-Hagimori, J. Bergen*, A. Kozuch*, S. Kelly, E. Chiel, V. Duckworth*, T. Dennehy, E. Zchori-Fein, and M.S. Hunter. 2011. Rapid spread of a bacterial symbiont in an invasive whitefly is driven by fitness benefits and female bias. Science 332 (6026): 254-256. Commentary by Jiggins, F.M. and G.D.D. Hurst. Rapid insect evolution by symbiont transfer. 2011. Science 332 (6026): 185-186. Himler, A.G., and C. Machado. 2009. Host specificity, phenotype matching and the evolution of reproductive isolation in a coevolved plant-pollinator mutualism. Molecular Ecology 18 (24): 4988-4990. Himler, A.G., E. Caldera*, B. Baer, H. Fernández-Marín, and U.G. Mueller. 2009. No sex in fungus-farming ants or their crops. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 276 (1667): 2611- 2616. Curriculum vitae for Anna Himler, p. 3 Wetterer, J.K., A.G. Himler, and M.M. Yospin*. 2002. Forager size, load size, and resource use in an omnivorous ant, Aphaenogaster albesitosa (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Sociobiology 39 (2): 335-343. Wetterer, J.K., A.G. Himler, and M.M. Yospin*. 2000. Foraging ecology of the desert leaf-cutting ant, Acromyrmex versicolor, in Arizona (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Sociobiology 37 (3B): 633-649. J.K. Wetterer, S.E. Miller, D.E. Wheeler, C.A. Olsen, D.A. Polhemus, M.Pitts, I.W. Ashton, A.G. Himler, M.M. Yospin, K.R. Helms, E.L. Harkin, J. Gallaher, C.E. Dunning, M. Nelson, J. Litsinger, A. Southern, and T. Burgess. 1999. Ecological dominance by Paratrechina longicornis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), an invasive tramp ant, in Biosphere 2. Florida Entomologist 82 (3): 381-388. E.P. Glenn, D. Moore, M. Akutagawa, A.G. Himler, T. Walsh, and S. Nelson. 1999. Correlation between Gracilaria parvispora (Rhodophyta) biomass production and water quality factors on a tropical reef in Hawaii. Aquaculture 178: 323-331.
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As a teacher, I want my students to have good ideas – original, creative, and carefully wrought ideas worth defending and developing. Good ideas sprout from careful thinking and deep attention. My indirect goal is to encourage students, in practicing close reading of literary texts, to become more observant and intelligent “readers” of the world around them in general. Musically, I write original songs meant to move one to re-see the world as wondrous. I also enjoy digging in the rich soil of “old, weird America” – whimsical country blues finger-picked on guitar, haunting ballads frailed on banjo, and spirited old-time dance tunes played on fiddle. Beyond the classroom and stage, I enjoy going on outdoor adventures – ultramarathon trail running, mountain biking, kayaking, backcountry skiing, and backpacking with my family and dog. EDUCATION Ph.D., English, University of Oregon M.A., English, University of Oregon B.A., English and Biology, Principia College PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE I have taught literature and writing since 1999 (and at The College of Idaho since 2007). I have written a book about poetry and various scholarly articles on literature and music. Currently I teach classes in American literature, outdoor education, and songwriting. I have also been a professional musician for over twenty years. I sing and play guitar, banjo, and fiddle, and I regularly perform both solo and with my trio The Knickerbocker Band. https://www.facebook.com/ScottKnickerbockerMusic. SCHOLARSHIP & RESEARCH Ecopoetics: The Language of Nature, the Nature of Language (http://www.umass.edu/umpress/title/ecopoetics) “‘Bodied Forth in Words’: Sylvia Plath’s Ecopoetics.” College Literature 36.3 (Summer 2009) “Green Banjo: The Ecology of Old-Time Music.” Oxford Handbook of Ecocriticism. Oxford University Press. 2014 “Emily Dickinson’s Ethical Artifice.” Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and the Environment 15.2 (Summer 2008) “Organic Formalism and John Witte’s The Hurtling.” The Kenyon Review. August 2008. https://kenyonreview.org/kr-online-issue/2008-summer/selections/organic-formalism-and-john-wittes-the-hurtling/ “Profile.” An Ear to the Ground: Presenting Writers from Two Coasts. Ed. Scott C. Davis. Seattle: Cune Press, 1997. 245-46. “Skiing with Papa: Teaching Hemingway in the Backcountry Snow.” Teaching Hemingway and the Natural World. Kent State University Press. 2018.
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