Nicole Theodosiou is an Associate Professor of Biology and co-Director of the Biochemistry Program at Union College. She received her B.A. in Biology at Swarthmore College and Ph.D. in Genetics from Yale University. Professor Theodosiou’s research focuses on understanding evolution and development of the vertebrate digestive tract. By studying development of the digestive tract in ancient cartilaginous fish (sharks, skates and rays) insights can be gained into how the digestive tract evolved, and the genetic controls that allow for morphological changes to be made over 450 million years of animal history. With 15 years of experience teaching at liberal arts colleges, she recently has been exploring how to promote creativity and engage deeper student learning in the classroom. Nicole Theodosiou is an Associate Professor of Biology and co-Director of the Biochemistry Program at Union College. She received her B.A. in Biology at Swarthmore College and Ph.D. in Genetics from Yale University. Professor Theodosiou’s research focuses on understanding evolution and development of the vertebrate digestive tract. By studying development of the digestive tract in ancient cartilaginous fish (sharks, skates and rays) insights can be gained into how the digestive tract evolved, and the genetic controls that allow for morphological changes to be made over 450 million years of animal history. With 15 years of experience teaching at liberal arts colleges, she recently has been exploring how to promote creativity and engage deeper student learning in the classroom. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx