Know Your Professor

Dr. Calhoun Bond, Jr., Professor of Biology and Director of the College’s Allied Health Programs, is one of the world’s leading authorities on crawling sponges—yes, that’s right, crawling sponges. Sponges are, as Bond’s research has shown, surprisingly active. They can move along—slowly, granted—by the amoeboid crawling of the marginal cells. The forces generated at the crawling margin not only move the sponge but also produce continuous rearrangement of the sponge’s internal anatomy, including its skeleton of glassy spicules. This information comes straight from Bond’s website (http://www.gborocollege.edu/~bondc/), which also contains some fascinating time-lapse photography of moving sponges, including some of sponges healing their own wounds. Check it out if you’re interested. And if you’re really interested, go by Bond’s office on the second floor of Proctor Hall East; he’d be delighted to show you his 120 gallon reef tank (home of several sponges) on the third floor.

Bond hasn’t always been fascinated with sponges—only since graduate school—but he has had a lifelong interest in all aspects of biology and enjoys being able to explore a wide range of topics in his research and his teaching. In addition to general biology courses, Bond teaches most of the courses dealing with animals, including the human species. His repertoire ranges from embryology and histology to anatomy and physiology, as well as field courses in ornithology and vertebrate natural history. As a teacher, Bond hopes, of course, that his students will gain admission to prestigious graduate and professional schools and will be able to construct productive careers for themselves. He hopes just as much, though, that they will in addition come to share his sense of wonder, curiosity, and appreciation for the life sciences.