Building S-426
amccray@peralta.edu
(510) 436-2584

Arja McCray has discovered an amazing and satisfying career teaching biology, anatomy and physiology at Merritt College since 2003. Prior to that, she earned her Bachelor’s Degree at the University of California, Berkeley, in the Department of Integrative Biology and her Doctorate degree from University of California, San Diego. Arja serves as the Department Chair for Biology and Chemistry at Merritt College. Whenever she gets the chance, Arja relaxes with her family, traveling, camping, gardening, and playing video games.

dtchang@peralta.edu

jzermeno@peralta.edu

Joe is a first-generation college graduate. His family immigrated to the United States from México and lived in the Salinas Valley (CA), where the importance of an education was instilled in the family by Joe’s mother, Guadalupe Cardenas Zermeño. Joe attended Chabot College (Hayward, CA) before transferring and earning his B.S and M.S. in Biological Sciences at California State University, Hayward (now CSU East Bay). At CSU Hayward, Joe did research on insect ecology for his master’s degree. During his time at CSU Hayward, he began teaching as a graduate student, which led to his career devotion: to teach. Joe taught at CSU Hayward and at various community colleges before coming to Merritt College. He strives to serve his students in the classroom and laboratory and works on new teaching methodologies and curricula that support effective teaching. Outside of school, Joe enjoys time with his family, tinkering in his workshop, leisure reading, getting outdoors, and traveling – 18 countries and 6 continents so far!

Office: S422
jerodriguez@peralta.edu

John Rodriguez knew he wanted to be a biology instructor after tutoring small groups of biology students as an undergraduate at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He then chose to earn his M.S. at San Francisco State University to simultaneously specialize in cellular and molecular biology as well as biology education. John loves discussing teaching and learning strategies and learning from others every day. This has led John to a stimulating and happy career teaching biology to community college students. John’s non-academic interests include expanding his music library based on student recommendations, playing volleyball and many other games, discovering tasty food from different cultures with his wife, watching his dog act silly, and biking when it is a perfect 74 degrees outside. John also enjoys thinking about human health and sustainability through design lenses such as “permaculture” and “biomimicry.”

Office: S423
msrodriguez@peralta.edu

Maria Suarez Rodriguez has been teaching Microbiology, Anatomy and Physiology, Human Biology, General Biology for majors, and Genetics at Merritt College since 2015. She has also taught at Laney College and other institutions in the US and abroad. She is a Biologist with majors in Genetics and Molecular Biology with an MSc in Developmental Biology and a PhD in the fields of Genetics and Genomics, which she studied in UW Madison. After completing her graduate studies, she did research in Denmark and at UC Berkeley. Throughout her work in many academic institutions, she discovered her passion for teaching and empowering young students to be creative and learn how to pursue their dreams to work in the sciences and do research. It is her mission now as a faculty member at Merritt College to “continue sharing the love and dedication I have for the Life and Health Sciences with all students so that they can find their passion and achieve their career goals.” Outside of Merritt College, Maria enjoys hiking, traveling, and gardening.

Office: S427
nrauch@peralta.edu
(510) 436-2616

Nancy Rauch teaches Anatomy and Physiology. Her training started at Brooklyn College, where she received her Bachelor’s Degree. She then studied at Yale University, where she was awarded a Ph.D. in Biology in the area of Developmental Biology. She has subsequently specialized in Anatomy and Physiology after moving to California by studying at various local California colleges. As a faculty member at Merritt College, she was awarded an NSF grant to computerize its physiology labs. She has been honored as Teacher of the Year and has received the Chancellor’s Recognition Award. She is fascinated by how the human body works and loves transmitting that fascination to her students. She feels fortunate to teach at Merritt College, where the students, her colleagues, and the Biology Department have made teaching an exciting, stimulating, and very rewarding experience.

Office: S428
sscott@peralta.edu
(510) 436-2530

Office: S422
browning@peralta.edu

Brian Rowning teaches Microbiology at Merritt. He is a graduate of Reed College, earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology at UC Berkeley, conducted postdoctoral research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and UW Seattle/Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and worked as a Scientist at UC Berkeley and LBNL. Since 2011, he has also taught Anatomy and Physiology, Introductory Biology, and Biotech and Microbiology classes at Merritt, as well as at College of Alameda and Contra Costa College. He was very active in Merritt’s Genomics, Microscopy, and Histotechnology programs, creating and teaching specialized classes in those programs and serving as the first Merritt Histotechnician Program director. He has mentored students in the use of molecular techniques and advanced fluorescence microscopes in research projects locally and in field research in Costa Rica and Mexico. He is excited about the possibilities for transforming biomedical education, strengthening regional scientific and technological capabilities, and expanding student employment opportunities.

Office cubicle: S406
crooker@peralta.edu

Office cubicle: S406
cmuhlinghaus@peralta.edu

I started teaching Anatomy & Physiology at Merritt Community College a few years after I finished my Chiropractic degree; honestly, besides having some form of a stable rent check, I felt an urge to deepen my studies to understand my own & my patients' bodies better. Before College, I studied massage therapy. My educational path started in my native Switzerland, where I entered a 3-year apprenticeship with an insurance-focused business degree. After that, I worked for some years and traveled the world. I then helped my dad with setting up a software company for a few years before coming to New Mexico, where I got a massage therapy certificate. I got married there and we had our first child, while I was working as a massage therapist and hosting a bed and breakfast. After a few years of that, we moved to the Bay Area to get my chiropractic degree. I got married a second time, and we had a second child. Teaching brings me great joy. Passing knowledge along and learning how to explain concepts better and better over time is fascinating to me.

Office cubicle: S422
ikrylova@peralta.edu

Office: S422
esegmen@peralta.edu

Em Segmen is an M.Sc. in five areas of biology: Anatomy, physiology, immunology, cell biology, molecular biology, and genetics, with five mentors. She has gratefully taught anatomy and anatomy-physiology since 1989 at Merritt College and has also taught graduate school anatomy labs. Em Segmen also teaches the exciting Cadaver Dissection course at Merritt College.

Office: S408
nfouladian@peralta.edu

Nadia Fouladian has taught Anatomy and Physiology courses at Merritt College since Spring 2016. She has also taught Anatomy at the College of Alameda for two years and at Contra Costa College. She received her M.D. degree from Shiraz University of Medical Science, a well-known medical school in Iran, during a seven-year course of studies, and a thesis in Cardiology. Nadia Fouladian practiced medicine as a general practitioner for eight years in different cities and in different areas of medicine, such as family medicine and cardiac care unit, mostly in emergency rooms and rural areas, before she moved to the United States. After passing all the medical board exams, and receiving her ECFMG certificate, she decided to continue her service of advocating for the health of people by teaching Anatomy, her favorite subject and one of the fundamental subjects in medicine, to enable students to apply the basics of Anatomy into their practices in any medical related field. Outside of the classroom, she spends time with her husband and her adorable little daughter, who teaches her life lessons and surprises her with new skills every day.

Office cubicle: S422
vbhagwat@peralta.edu

Office: S407
ksidzinska@peralta.edu

Office: S419
vcespedes@peralta.edu