Hilary McManus

Hillary McManus

Professor

Science Center 217
Le Moyne College
1419 Salt Springs Road
Syracuse, NY 13214


PHONE:

(315) 445-4425


EMAIL

[email protected]

Education

  • Postdoctoral Training: University of Michigan, University of Connecticut
  • Ph.D. in Botany, University of Connecticut
  • M.A. in Botany with Honors, University of Kansas
  • B.S. in Biology, Cum Laude, SUNY Oswego
  • B.A. in Music, SUNY Oswego
  • A.A.S. in Biology, Jamestown Community College

Appointments

  • Associate Professor in Biological Sciences, Le Moyne College, NY 2016-present
  • Honorary Research Associate, The New York Botanical Garden, NY 2015-present
  • Associate McDevitt Chair in Biological Sciences, Le Moyne College, NY 2014-present
  • Assistant Professor of Biology, Le Moyne College, NY 2010-2016

Awards

  • Louis D. DeGennaro Undergraduate Mentor Award, Le Moyne College, 2016
  • Robert T. Wilce Graduate Student Presentation Award, Northeast Algal Society, 2006

Research Interests

Dr. McManus's research focuses on the diversity of photosynthetic eukaryotes and how this diversity has been achieved. Using molecular phylogenetics, phylogenomics, and morphological characterization, McManus and her students uncover species boundaries in freshwater green algae and discover diversity of photosynthetic organisms in places ranging from house gutters in North Carolina to the streams, lakes and ponds of Iceland.

Recent Publications

(* indicates undergraduate student)

  • Lenarczyk, J. and McManus, H.A. 2016. Testing the boundaries of the green algal species Pediastrum alternans (Chlorophyceae) using conventional, geometric morphometric and phylogenetic methods. Phycologia 55:515-530.
  • Farwagi, A.A.*, Fucíková, K., McManus, H.A. 2015. Phylogenetic patterns of gene rearrangements in four mitochondrial genomes from the green algal family Hydrodictyaceae (Sphaeropleales, Chlorophyceae). BMC Genomics 16:826.
  • Adl, S.M., Simpson, A.G.B., Lane, C.E., Lukes, J., Bass, D., Bowser, S., Brown, M.W., Burki, F., Dunthorn, M., Hampl, V., Heiss, A., Hoppenrath, M., Enrique, L., LeGall, L., Lynn, D.H., McManus, H.A., Mitchell, E.A.D., Mozley-Stanridge, S.E., Parfrey, L., Pawlowski, J., Rueckert, S., Shadwick, L., Schoch, C.L., Smirnov, A., Spiegel, F.W. 2012. The revised classification of eukaryotes. The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology 59: 429-493.
  • Qiu, Y-L, Taylor, A.B., McManus, H.A. 2012. Evolution of the life cycle in land plants. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 50: 171-194.
  • McManus, H.A., Lewis, L., Fucíková, K. Haugen, P. 2011. Invasion of protein coding genes by green algal ribosomal group I introns. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2011.09.027
  • McManus, H.A. & Lewis. L.A. 2011. Molecular phylogenetic relationships in the freshwater family Hydrodictyaceae (Sphaeropleales, Chlorophyceae), with an emphasis onPediastrum duplex. Journal of Phycology 47(1):152-163.
  • McManus, H.A., Lewis. L.A., Schultz, E. 2011. Distinguishing multiple lineages of Pediastrum duplex Meyen 1829 with morphometrics, and a proposal for Lacunastrum n. gen. Journal of Phycology 47(1):123-130.
  • McManus, H. A., Qiu, Y. L. 2010. On alternation of generations in embryophytic plants. Pp. 190-200, in Darwin’s Heritage Today: Proceedings of the Darwin 200 Beijing International Conference (eds. M. Long, H. Gu, and Z. Zhou), Higher Education Press, Beijing.

Teaching

Dr. McManus teaches a variety of courses (list below), and incorporates research opportunities into the 300-400 level courses so that students can experience the creation of knowledge. A research project on the diversity of photosynthetic microorganisms in house gutters, carried out by students enrolled in Botany (BIO 327), resulted in a poster presentation at a national conference and is currently a manuscript in preparation for publication. Genomic data analyzed by students in Bioinformatics (BIO 427) will be incorporated as part of the results of another manuscript in preparation for publication. Students in Poisoning of a Planet (BIO 225) develop projects that allow them to become activists, targeting ways in which Le Moyne can become a greener campus.

Courses

  • BIO 327: Botany
  • BIO 424: Plants & People
  • BIO 427: Bioinformatics
  • BIO 245: Evolution
  • BIO 225: Poisoning of a Planet (BIO 225)
  • BIO 191: General Biology I

Download McManus C.V. here.

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