Darl Swartz
B.S. Purdue University – Food Science
M.S. University of Wisconsin – Meat Science
Ph.D. University of Wisconsin – Muscle Biology
Dr. Swartz came to DelVal in August 2011 bringing a wealth of teaching experience and a passion for his field. He joined DelVal after teaching at Purdue University and The Indiana University School of Medicine.
He teaches Bio Science I, Bio Science II and Histology. He is also working on developing a cell biology class.
He decided to pursue biology because he wanted to understand cell structure and function and learn how cells work.
He loves biology because of the diversity of cell types in both plants and animals.
At the University of Wisconsin he completed a fellowship in the department of physiology. At Purdue University he taught muscle biology and meat science courses for six years. At the Indiana University School of Medicine he taught histology and cell biology for 10 years.
Colleagues at Indiana University recognized him twice for his dedication to teaching by selecting him for the Schellhamer Teaching Award. He said the winners were mainly chosen by peers, but that the process took into account some of the student comments and reviews.
Dr. Swartz feels that education should involve chances to apply knowledge gained in the classroom to real world challenges and problems.
Throughout his career, he has mentored over a dozen graduate and undergraduate students who were helping with biomedical research. He said the students were primarily studying skeletal muscle and smooth muscle and diseases associated with those muscles, such as cardiomyopathy, a disease that makes heart muscle larger and weaker, and high blood pressure.
He thinks that research experience is a valuable part of science education.
“Students (who participate) get hands-on training on techniques they’ll be using in their careers,” said Dr. Swartz.
He said research experience also teaches students about the scientific process and inquiry based scientific research, or how to figure out how things work.
He was drawn to DelVal because of the experiential learning aspect, the significant hands-on lab experience opportunities for students, the small class sizes and the opportunity to provide students with more individualized instruction.
He never gets tired of observing students in the lab or in lectures as they realize that they’ve figured something out.
Dr. Swartz also enjoys challenging his students by questioning them to see how they deal with problems or scenarios that they haven’t seen before.
When he isn’t in the lab or lecturing he enjoys spending time with his family and gardening.
Dr. Swartz is a member of The Biophysical Society and The American Meat Science Association.
So far DelVal has been a great fit for him.
“It’s been fun,” said Dr. Swartz. “There’s a lot to learn, but I’m learning it. I’ve appreciated the students.”
He said he’s found DelVal students are dedicated students who are really trying to learn.
Dr. Swartz is excited to watch changes at DelVal and in the field of biology.
“Everything’s changing and it will continue to do so in the field and at the college,” said Dr. Swartz. "The students are going to experience that throughout their lives.”
Dr. Swartz discussing his research:
My primary research interest is in muscle. Since my undergraduate years, I have always been fascinated with muscle and its ability to convert chemical energy into motion as well as the highly organized protein structures within the cells.
This organized structure is required for muscle to function properly in animal locomotion, digestion, respiration, reproduction, and the cardiovascular system.
The regulation of contraction at the cell level involves changes in calcium concentration in the cell and a subsequent response of the proteins to the calcium. Our focus is on understanding the changes in protein structure that trigger muscle contraction.
We use a variety of techniques for this, but have focused mostly on using the isolated myofibril as a model system in conjunction with light microscopy. Other studies focus on the dynamics of muscle structural proteins and their role in maintaining the proper organization of the filaments in a muscle cell for efficient contraction.
A unique feature of striated muscle is that its structure can influence meat quality, especially with meat cuts. The structural and biochemical mechanism for this are poorly understood, but some of our structural studies have given some clues as to the possible mechanism.
Further studies are needed to determine the underlying molecular mechanisms that are responsible for the effects of muscle structure on meat quality. Myosin, the most abundant protein found in muscle, plays an important role in processed meat products. We are investigating how the structure of the myofibril and different food ingredients interact to influence the quality of processed meat products.
Engagement of students in my research efforts has been very rewarding. Once the students have gained the required knowledge and abilities, it is exciting to observe them pursuing their research questions with vigor and to see the excitement in their eyes when they obtain the answers. I much look forward to engaging students at DelVal in research and watching them develop their skills in and knowledge of the process of science.