Vonnie D.C. Shields
Vonnie D.C. Shields, Ph.D., is currently a Full Professor in the Biological Sciences Department in the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics, Towson University, USA. Dr. Shields’ research explores gustatory, olfactory, and visual cues in insects. Her laboratory employs morphological, behavioral, and electrophysiological techniques to better understand sensory mechanisms by which larval and adult insects find host plants and detect plant-associated volatiles. Another line of research involves identifying olfactory chemicals that elicit walking behavior. Dr. Shields received both a BS and a Ph.D. from the University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. A portion of her Ph.D. studies was conducted at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. After graduating, she accepted a research associate position to conduct postdoctoral studies at the Arizona Research Laboratories Division of Neurobiology, University of Arizona, USA, before joining the faculty at Towson University, where she rose through the ranks from assistant to full professor. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses, including anatomy and physiology, histology, and microscopy and histological microtechniques.