Al Wilson

Final Feature Story

Slug: Biology Department Feature

Scene: an unlikely cast of individuals from varying backgrounds, unified under the idea of
fighting for something bigger than themselves, fighting for the world as it does not realize it’s
own end. The cast is all All-Stars, known in their own strength and respected by all. This is the
Avengers, the worldwide movie phenomenon which dominates the world during the release of
each new installment in the film franchise. Yet superhero films are created from real life, meant
to emulate the best elements of human beings. So as a collection of different individuals
fighting to save the planet, the Nicholls State Biology department marvels the comic franchise.

The department is headed by Dr. Quenton Fontenot, a member of the department for 17
years. As dean of the department, Fontenot has been responsible for the hiring of most of the
current department staff, his handpicking of each crucial professor being viewed as one of his
assets. He would be the Iron Man, or mastermind Nick Fury to pair with the Avengers analogy.
“He’s kind of our recruiter,” says Dr. Allyse Ferrara “He is able to figure out exactly what our
department needs and to go get them, which just grows the department even more.”

Fontenot grew up in Denham Springs, his love for biology fostering over his love for fishing.
He started as a pre-med student at Louisiana State University, but after parties too hard in his
underclassmen years of college, he realized he would not be accepted into med-school. After
this, he changed his major to fisheries, after a tip from one of his classmates. He recalls “They
told me to switch to fisheries, and I said I didn't even know we had a degree in fish!” After this
change, his grades immediately became all A’s and B’s. It was a lightbulb moment for Fontenot,
“I knew that I found what I loved because I was more interested in learning about all I could
then about my actual grades themselves.”

After graduating with his Master's degree from LSU, he worked within the department for
three years gaining experience in the field, before leaving for Clemson University to gain his
doctorate degree. At Clemson, he learned the valuable technique of keeping fish alive in a lab, a
skill that would become critical after coming to Nicholls.

He arrived at Nicholls to join his wife, Allyse Ferrara and worked his way to the department
head. So far, the improvements to the departments under his regime have been creating
smaller classes with a better student to teacher ratio, adding new equipment and funding, and
the addition of Nicholls Biology trucks. The trucks, which have since worn down due to use,
allow the faculty and staff to bring students to the bayou and areas of wildlife for hands-on
experience.
One of the teachers who benefit from the hands-on approach of the department is Dr. Chris
Bonvillian. The “Crawfish Teacher” as he is commonly referred to by students, Dr. Bonvillian
focus is on the Crayfish biology and ecology, essentially the science of crawfish. Bonvillian
began as an undergraduate at Nicholls majoring in Biology, and earning his Masters degree at
Nicholls at finishing his education with his p.h.D at LSU. His advisor while at Nicholls was no
other than Dr. Fontenot, who served as a mentor to Bonvillian while he was a student. He was
then recruited to rejoin the department by his mentor, which he accepted. While other
professors dabble in other interests and side hobbies, Dr. Bonvillian is interested in only one
thing: crawfish. He often spends his weekends working on the crustacean, finding new species
and identifying them.

His passion for crawfish at Nicholls is aided by all the surrounding biological factors. “ I can
take a class, grab a truck and a boat, and I am an hour and 30 minute drive from any biological
ecosystem I could want.” the small classes in which he teaches also allow for his to form
personal connections which each of his students, allowing him to aid in ways in which they
struggle, and not have to teach strictly to lecture. “So in teaching an introduction to Biology
class, I have 90 students,” he lamented “when you're teaching a class that size, you can’t tutor
your course to the needs of the students as much, you just have to teach and hope students
reach out if they need help. “ After the introduction classes, however, the amount of students
per class shrinks dramatically. Dr. Bonvillian estimates his classes drop from 90 to around 35,
then in final upper-level classes into the single digits, with a class this semester having only four
students. “Once it’s a small class, those boat rides and car rides are when you really get to know
students, and they are almost a “reward” for getting through the larger classes which are less
personal”

Along with his class schedule, Dr. Bonvillian also serves as the Graduate Coordinator for the
department. A usually laid back professor, who stays in his lab and works with his crawfish, this
is the Hulk side of his Bruce Banner personality. “I am usually calm and laid back, especially
when I am in my lab, but if you ask some of our graduate students, I am sure they will tell you if
they make a large mistake they see my “green side”.” With this position, Dr. Bonvillian is able to
recognize some of the department shortcomings, whether in equipment or access and relay
this information back to Dr. Fontenot. “We have a great working relationship with all members
of the faculty, so it allows us to work with each others equipment if need be, and also helps us
if we cannot solve an issue.”

Across the faculty offices from Dr. Bonvillian are two other key members of the department, Dr.
Allyse Ferrara and Dr. Solomon David. Dr. Ferrara is one of the pioneers of the department,
having worked in multiple countries and developed processes on Gar, an ancient fish which
resembles an alligator. Dr. Ferrera grew up outside, as her father was a biologist, spending her
time fishing and collecting insects with her father. Ferrera says, “It is in my blood, I just have
always loved the outside of all of the species and things you can find.”

Dr. Ferrara grew up in a small town outside of Cleveland, Ohio and attended Hiram College for
her B.A in biology, before receiving her Master at Tennessee Tech with a concentration in
Fisheries, and her doctorate at the University of Auburn. While at Auburn, she wrote her
dissertation on Alligator Gar, and while searching for samples, she encountered Nicholls for the
first time during this period. After this, she worked a small postdoctoral job at Clemson
University where she met Dr. Fontenot and they were married. She accepted a position at
Nicholls shortly after this and has enjoyed her time here since. “ What I love about Nicholls, is
that our department is able to adapt and change, so we can face the new issues that come up,
and there aren't any egos in the department, so we share equipment and help each other when
we can.”

Ferrera is the traveler of the department, having worked in several international cities for work
on Gar, along with teaching Biology in Europe class this upcoming semester. She has taught a
class in Costa Rica for 12 years since 2007, aside from a year in which circumstances did not
allow. The only wish Ferrera had for the department is more of an operating budget, so that the
professors of the department would be able to give more workplace skills and assets to
students of the department. She remarked, “Biologists will never be out of jobs, it is our job to
work on things like climate change and coastal erosion and protect our planet.”

The fish is which Dr. Ferrera and Dr. David are devoted too, the Gar is because of its strong link
to the human body. “Gar,” Ferrera said, “have the closest DNA to humans of any fish, so we use
them like a Rosetta Stone; it links fish to us as humans.”

While Gar is Dr. Ferrera specialty, they are also that of Dr. Solomon David. Dr. David grew up
loving creatures and insects much like the rest of the department. A first-generation Indian-
American, David grew up in Ohio, in an educational family, as his grandfather was a principal.
This sparked David to always read books and magazines about biology. One magazine in
particular, “Ranger Rick” was the source of David’s love for Gar. He recalls, “I was looking
through this magazine and this giant fish that looked like a dinosaur absolutely fascinated me as
a kid.”

After this moment, David’s love for fish and particularly Gar sprouted. He graduated with his
p.h.D at Michigan State, which colors dominate his office at Nicholls. While in graduate school,
he researched Garfish for graduate work and ended up contacting Dr. Ferrera at Nicholls for
some of her research. During all of his schooling, David also searched for his issue of Ranger
Rick which had inspired him. He used social media, and after several years, he was able to get in
contact with the publication via Twitter. The organization was thrilled with his story, and to find
out that their magazine fueled the career of an individual. David describes, “It was really
awesome, the magazine organized a small event and actually gave me a copy of the issue which
it kept in its archives.” The issue is now proudly framed above Dr. David’s desk, and in 2020 he
will write an article for the new issue of Ranger Rick on Garfish and his story.

Using social media was the key to finding the magazine, and it is also one of the ways in which
Dr. David is recognized. A star on social media, who is verified by Twitter as a top account,
David uses his platform to showcase the Biology department at Nicholls and spread awareness
of the Biology department overall. He accomplishes this through pictures of various species and
Gar on his platform, along with his patented biology jokes which attract the attention of
biologist worldwide and locally. “The science community needs to show off that we are not just
the old white guy in a lab coat, who doesn’t want anyone to see his work, we come in all races
and personalities, all striving to help the planet and understand it. That’s what we do here at
Nicholls, and that’s what I want to improve” The presence of David through social media has
also given the department much-needed publicity and shown of its many accomplishments.

The collection of professors has created one of the most dynamic departments on campus,
able to reach all ethnicities, social and regional backgrounds, and even personalities. There is
something for everyone in the department, from the lab rat to the social media star and every
avenue in between. The only requirement you have to meet; is not to be afraid of getting your
feet wet and your hands dirty.