Dr. Areti Tsimounis joined Queensborough Community College in 2011 after working at Queens College. She is currently a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Geology. As a graduate student she joined a neurobiology laboratory for the first time. That was the beginning of an ongoing interest in basic neuroscience, and more specifically the correlation between neuronal morphology and function. Her research work has focused on deciphering the neurons that make up circuits in the visual cortex and in the barrel cortex. The latter is the region of the rodent brain that receives sensory input from the whiskers, which serve as a primary sensory organ. As a faculty member, Dr. Tsimounis’ collaborative research project is primarily based on the work of undergraduate students. She has mentored over a dozen students who were introduced to original laboratory research for the first time. They have progressed to present multiple times at regional and national conferences and have won awards. Those who have already graduated have advanced to other research programs, graduate and professional schools. Her research work has been supported by a number of intramural grants.
As a faculty member at Queensborough, Dr. Tsimounis has developed a profound interest in teaching Biology more effectively. This interest was first cultivated at Queens College, where she was the recipient of a college-wide Award for Excellence in Teaching. At Queensborough she has been practicing a number of different teaching methodologies, such as Undergraduate Research in the classroom, Writing Intensive, the Common Read, Service-Learning, and eLearning. She developed the laboratory curriculum for Human Physiology and is currently applying new approaches in Anatomy and Physiology. Through collaborations on campus, she has organized workshops for programs supporting pre-college students, such as Project Prize and STEP. Many of these workshops were also Service-Learning projects for Queensborough Honors students. She has been serving as an academic advisor for students informally and formally through programs such as ASAP and MSEIP.
Dr. Tsimounis received her Ph.D. from Columbia University and her B.A. from Manhattanville College. Off campus, Dr. Tsimounis’ and her husband’s life revolves around their two young kids.
