Aaron M. Bauer, Ph.D., Named Holder of the Gerald M. Lemole, M.D., Endowed Chair in Integrative Biology

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Villanova University is proud to announce that Aaron M. Bauer, Ph.D., a professor of biology and director of the graduate programs in biology, has been named the holder of the Gerald M. Lemole, M.D., Endowed Chair in Integrative Biology. The first endowed chair to be awarded in the sciences, the Chair in Integrative Biology honors the life and legacy of Gerald M. Lemole M.D. ’58, by supporting the career of a talented biology professor, advancing the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and enhancing the education of Villanova biology students. Dr. Lemole is the medical director of the Preventive Medicine and Rehabilitation Center and Center for Integrative Health, at the Christiana Cares Health System.

“The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is deeply grateful to Dr. Lemole for his generosity in the establishment of this endowed chair in integrative biology,” said Fr. Kail C. Ellis, O.S.A., Ph.D., dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “This chair will serve not only to honor but also to advance the longstanding commitment of Villanova’s Arts and Sciences to scientific education, inquiry, and discovery. I am very pleased that Dr. Bauer will be the first holder of the chair. An excellent teacher and researcher with an international reputation, Dr. Bauer is known for his dedication to students at Villanova.”

Dr. Bauer’s research interests include comparative anatomy, evolution, and herpetology. He is currently researching evolutionary patterns in reptiles and amphibians. Dr. Bauer teaches comparative vertebrate anatomy, lower vertebrates, and systemic biology. Please learn more about Dr. Bauer’s work in graduate education in the Fall 2006 issue of Academics.

Most recently, Dr. Bauer’s research collaboration with the University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum of Natural History has resulted in the discovery of a new family of gecko, the charismatic large-eyed lizard popularized by car insurance commercials.  An article in the Philadelphia Inquirer entitled, “Hi-Nella girl wins gecko-naming contest,” describes how Dr. Bauer relinquished the gecko’s naming rights in order to raise money for gecko conservation. “Scientists usually name their own discoveries,” the article explains, “but Bauer agreed to let the naming rights be auctioned off to raise funds for gecko conservation.”

“I am very pleased to be named the Lemole endowed chair holder,” Dr. Bauer said. “The Lemole endowed chair reflects the recognition of the University community that the sciences, in general, and biology, in particular, have an important place in a Villanova liberal arts education and is fully consistent with the Augustinian tradition. I hope to be able to use the position to forge closer relationships between the sciences and liberal arts, and to foster more opportunities for students and faculty to explore the complex interfaces between biology and society.”

Commenting on Dr. Bauer’s selection, Dr. R. Kelman Wieder, Ph.D., professor of biology and associate dean for the sciences in the College, said: “As holder of the Gerald M. Lemole, M.D., Endowed Chair in Integrative Biology, Dr. Bauer, whose outstanding teaching, research, and service record is known to all his colleagues and students – both current and former – undoubtedly will continue to build upon and advance scientific education, exploration, and discovery at Villanova in the years ahead.”