Jon Stolzfus (he/him/his)
Biological Sciences Program Director and Associate Professor of Biochemistry
After high school, I attended a small liberal arts college in Kansas, where I learned to fly airplanes with the goal of becoming a bush pilot. However, I eventually realized that flying wasn’t for me and shifted my focus to international agricultural development, leading me to Purdue University. While there, I became interested in molecular plant breeding, which led me to pursue graduate studies at Michigan State University—still with a focus on international agricultural development. During graduate school, I delved deeper into molecular genetics and became fascinated with its connections to learning and memory. This curiosity led me to study these processes using Drosophila melanogaster as a postdoctoral researcher. Yes, fruit flies can learn and remember! I spent countless hours in a dimly lit, temperature-controlled room, placing them in tiny T-mazes to study their behavior. During this time, I also began teaching and found it more rewarding than research, prompting me to shift my career in that direction.
Since joining the faculty at Michigan State University, I have taught a variety of
biochemistry courses, as well as introductory cell and molecular biology. My research
has focused on how students learn biology and chemistry, particularly how they use
mechanistic explanations to connect concepts across courses. As an administrator,
I have worked to build a more coherent biology curriculum by integrating content and
scientific practices such as argumentation and modeling across different courses.
My current professional goals are to design and implement learning environments that
support students' understanding of cellular and molecular biology and scientific practices
such as argumentation and modeling and to foster faculty communities that enhance
student learning in these areas. The two things I enjoy most about my job are witnessing
students’ “aha” moments when they grasp how cells work and collaborating with faculty
to help them achieve their teaching goals.
Outside of work, I enjoy hockey, kiteboarding, working on my boat, and spending time
on Lake Michigan.