Introduction to biological topics at the cellular level including the scientific method, chemical foundations of life, cell structure and reproduction, photosynthesis, cellular respiration, molecular biology, gene regulation, and modern biological techniques.

Textbook: TBA

Syllabus (PDF)

B.S.,Virginia Tech, Biological Sciences; Graduate Certificate, Future Professoriate, Virginia Tech; Ph.D., Virginia Tech, Biological Sciences

Amanda Rumore is a cell biologist/immunologist who focuses on innate immunity and human-microbe interactions. She teaches courses in general biology, genetics and molecular biology, cell biology, developmental biology, and immunology.

In the classroom, Dr. Rumore takes a learner-centered approach to teaching, where she challenges students to become lifelong learners through interactive and problem-based teaching. Many science courses reward students for their ability to remember facts and terms, but in reality, science is not a set of unconnected details to be memorized. Although information recall is an important basis to learning biological processes, it misses the aspect of real world experience and problem solving. This traditional method of memorization does not encourage students to look at the underlying connection between scientific facts and theories in order to analyze complex concepts. Thus, she creates an active and engaging learner-centered environment where students take control of their own learning rather than passively absorbing the words and ideas.

As evidenced by her teaching evaluations, her courses are a balance of both traditional and new pedagogical methods and highly regarded among students. The backbone of these courses are her thoughtfully formatted lectures that effectively communicate very complex topics. Her goal for all of her students is that they can take their new knowledge from her courses and apply it to much larger scientific concepts in order to develop a better understanding of science in society and empower them to appreciate biological discovery and invention.

Since joining the faculty of Randolph College in 2012, Dr. Rumore has built a research program that has provided over thirty students with research experiences.

Her recent research projects have examined the innate immune response of airway epithelial cells in direct and indirect contact with fungal spores, the use of wireless heart rate monitors to determine baseline equine heart rate parameters, and the effectiveness of tea tree oil in the treatment of equine streptothricosis (rain rot). She has mentored two Honors Research Projects in Biology; one studied the effects of housing temperature and a high-fructose diet on metabolic parameters in mice and the other evaluated the effectiveness of omeprazole on cribbing behavior in horses. Her students have successfully presented at local, state, and national conferences and many have gone on to graduate programs in the biological sciences. She aims to provide research experiences to students whenever possible and expose students to the many facets of research from being in the laboratory to writing grants and manuscripts and presenting at scientific conferences.

Dr. Rumore lives in Lynchburg with her husband, three children, and two rescue dogs. In her free time, she enjoys traveling abroad, interior design projects, and equestrian sports though she always wishes she had more time for each of these!