Kevin Drace, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biology
ABOUT ME
Kevin Drace, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biology
Brief Career Background:
Dr. Drace earned his B.S. in biology from Athens State University (2002). He then received his Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (2008) where his graduate work examined eukaryotic and prokaryotic genetics to identify novel genes required for microbial biofilm attachment to the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. While in graduate school, he was adjunct professor of biology at Birmingham-Southern College (2006) and the University of San Francisco (2008).
Dr. Drace taught in the College of Liberal Arts at Mercer University for eight years, reaching the rank of Associate Professor of Biology before joining Birmingham-Southern College in the fall of 2016. In 2015, the National Association of Biology Teachers awarded him the Biology Teaching Award for Excellence in Biology Education. His current research investigates the health and environmental impacts of artisanal and small-scale gold mining in developing countries.
Education
2002 - 2008 Ph.D in Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
Thesis: Microbial biofilm attachment to Caenorhabditis elegans
Advisor: Creg Darby, Ph.D.
1998 - 2002 B.S. in Biology, Athens State University, Athens, Alabama
Minor in Chemistry
Publications
Kiefer, A.M. Drace, K., Seney, C., Veiga, M. Challenges Associated with Using Retorts to Limit Mercury Exposure in Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining: Case Studies from Mozambique, Ecuador and Guyana. Trace Materials in Air, Soil, and Water. American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015
Stephenson, B.P., Drace, K. A new report of albinism in the Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis), and a review of existing records: Is there a geographic bias in observations? Herpetological Review, 2015. 45:569-577.
Kiefer, A.M., Drace, K., Gottlieb, S., Coursey, S., Veiga, M.M., Marrumbe, N., Chapo, M. Evaluation of Mercury Content in Amalgams from Munhena Mine, Mozambique. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2014, 84(1):783-785.
Drace, K. Gamification of the laboratory experience to encourage student engagement. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, December 2013, 14(2): 273 – 274.
Drace, K., Kiefer, A.M., Williams, M., Veiga, M.M., Ascari, B., Bolt, D., Geist, G., Skidmore, A., Reidy, L., Cizdziel, J. Mercury-Free, Small-Scale Artisanal Gold Mining in Mozambique: Utilization of Magnets to Isolate Gold at Clean Tech Mine. Journal of Cleaner Production, September 2012, Volume 32:88-95.
Drace, K., Keeling P.M., Couch, B. Increasing Student Understanding of Microscope Optics by Building and Testing the Limits of Simple, Hand-Made Model Microscopes. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, May 2012, 13(1): 45 – 49.
Chaston, J., Suen, G., Tucker, S., Anderson, A., Bhasin, A., Bode, H., Drace, K.. Goodrich-Blair, H. The entomopathogenic bacterial endosymbionts Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus: convergent lifestyles from divergent genomes. PLoS ONE, 2011; 6(11): e27909.
Drace, K., S. McLaughlin, and C. Darby. Caenorhabditis elegans BAH-1 is a DUF23 protein expressed in seam cells and required for microbial biofilm binding to the cuticle. PLoS ONE, 2009; 4(8): e6741.
Kiefer, A.M., Drace, K. Krebs’s Encyclopedia of Scientific Principles, Laws, and Theories. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1034. (Book Review)
Drace, K., Darby, C. The hmsHFRS operon of Xenorhabdus nematophila is required for biofilm attachment to Caenorhabditis elegans. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, July, 2008; 74(14): 4509-4515.
Darby, C., Chakraborti, A., Politz, S. M., Daniels, C. C., Tan, L., Drace, K. Caenorhabditis elegans Mutants Resistant to Attachment of Yersinia Biofilms. Genetics, May 1, 2007; 176(1): 221 - 230.