https://www.morrisresearch.org/notes daily 0.75 2024-08-21 https://www.morrisresearch.org/lab-members daily 0.75 2021-09-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1624485278269-JRJ2J0LJ8DEF5P76X0PL/headshot+of+a+smiling+woman Lab Members - First Name Last Name It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1624485317842-P9AZEIXDXR85FTFPHC2N/headshot+of+a+smiling+man Lab Members - First Name Last Name Tobias Keene, D.D.S. Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, Dr. Tobias Keene brings a bit of unabashed Southern hospitality to all his patients. He moved to Washington, D.C. over thirty years ago as a freshman at Ivy College. Right after graduation, he attended World University’s School of Dentistry. Before opening Keene Dental in 1994, he worked for free clinics and some of the finest practices in the District. He is part of the 123 Dental Association and stays up-to-date on the latest dental discoveries. When not striving to keep his patients happy and healthy, he’s enjoys hiking with his family in Rock Creek Park. https://www.morrisresearch.org/teaching daily 0.75 2026-04-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/5d8e3b53-f6b4-4da8-9d12-087c7430b19e/VertEvo_Teaching.png Teaching - Vertebrate Evolution As a teaching fellow, I co-created a new version of this advanced undergraduate course with the vertebrate paleontology curator that focused on exciting specimen-based labs. I curated the teaching collections to reflect both the new course structure and advances in the field. I designed hands-on labs in which students directly explored vertebrate evolution through fossils at key timepoints and discussed the relationships of major lineages, the anatomical and ecological evolution leading up to modern biota, and the molecular and cellular origins of biological structure. This approach allowed students to explore either individually or in small groups and learn the core evolutionary concepts though self directed learning. Further, I organized a week-long field trip to Petrified Forest National Park which gave students an opportunity to engage directly in paleontology. Students applied in-class knowledge to identify fossils they discovered and discuss the implications of faunal turnover in the park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/85fc56bc-98d8-4521-8a39-c525d9e61351/Tiktaalik_model_at_the_Harvard_Museum_of_Natural_History.jpg Teaching - The Fishy Aspects of the Human Body The fascinating origins of our own body are revealed in the fossil record, with key features of human anatomy appearing in our early “fishy” and reptilian” ancestors. I co-developed this course with the Harvard Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology around readings from popular science texts and in-class discussions of vertebrate evolution, ecological transitions, and developmental genetics. I designed hands-on activities in which students of this general education seminar were able to explore the evolutionary events, genetic mechanisms, and biological principles which explain key aspects of our anatomy and physiology. As a single example, juxtaposing stations on the evolution of mammalian hearing with the embryonic formation of the ear allowed students to discover parallels and discuss underlying molecular processes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/d974501d-de58-4a0b-941b-4df09af66fe2/Charles-Darwin-Overview-life-focus-evolution-work.jpg Teaching - Understanding Darwinism For this general education course on the historical, scientific, and broader societal context of Darwin’s theories, I ran discussions and activities for primarily non-science majors as part of a team teaching environment. Students learned key scientific principles and how applying them led to our modern understanding of the biological organization observable in nature today. I encouraged students to use a format for their final project that allowed them to utilize existing skills, rather than a typical essay, and enable them to better contextualize their knowledge. Projects included boardgames and a comic book, all of which exhibited their synthetic understanding of evolutionary theory. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/bf71dcd8-8c83-4c2d-9285-d3a1156480a5/Field_LabWork.png Teaching - In the field & under the scope It is equally important to engage students about the scientific processes as the important knowledge this endeavor has produced. Students often have misconceptions about how science is done or do not see the value to their lives. To give students first-hand experience with paleontological research, I organized a spring-break fieldtrip to petrified forest national park. Aspects of laboratory research can also be implemented during course sections and allow student assessment and course feedback to be based on useful skills. Direct engagement with the practical considerations of research helps to demystify the scientific process. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/94103654-82d4-4b03-af51-3d00e4b5544c/Zach_Alf_2026_Lecture.jpg Teaching - Age of Dinosaurs As a teaching assistant for multiple lab sections in large introductory evolutionary biology courses each semester, I was tasked with helping students grasp core concepts in biology including major patterns of organismal diversity, evolutionary trends, and ecological selection. Ensuring all students could interpret the phylogenetic trees presented during lecture was the largest challenge that I faced. I implemented an active learning module on ”tree-thinking” where students performed an activity in which they built an intuitive sense of the historical nature of phylogenetic trees – building the conceptual framework before learning key terms. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/dc6d1d4c-8d46-4037-a910-f7be9f47c333/8D94CB8E-8467-4BB5-ACAD-8C4D864FB7AB_1_105_c.jpeg Teaching - Biology of Mammals For this organismal biology course, I worked with a small team to create new lab activities which explored the natural history and evolution of mammals. I worked closely with collections staff to select taxidermy specimens, skeletons, and skins which best demonstrated key distinguishing features of major mammalian lineages and their ecological diversity. Students were tasked with applying phylogenetic tools and integrating from the molecular to macroevolutionary scales to assess major patterns in mammalian diversity and how this reveals fundamental biological principles. https://www.morrisresearch.org/publications daily 0.75 2024-08-21 https://www.morrisresearch.org/home daily 1.0 2026-04-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/5b0c64c5-3153-411d-a045-3e3e99e89e48/Baby_Croc_ActionShot_Zach.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/1632495958422-ZM0P0277XMA7N6BHNTN9/IMG_5199.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/7530bb11-203d-4b16-981a-f2716c15be68/PEFOpic.JPG Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/1632497878561-E68OWCI8GBV1PY1737WN/IMG_0934.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/1632496039912-7HREY0P902NIJ5XZJEWA/IMG_3907.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/05f3e3c5-b516-4486-9ede-e69f62c37609/Croc_EvoDevo_Skull_Poster.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/1632497795697-SGL87O05GSEM2B0DKRON/IMG_3696.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/e040bce2-c205-4f06-bd59-cd1609b4304c/RSPB_286_1897_OFC.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/71eca146-09ac-4cfd-bf6e-563c3f7e0085/IMG_1273.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/2c9c6f1d-04fc-4eae-b92b-cfdcedcde929/IMG_5208.JPG Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/1ea17ecd-28d3-4fe9-a4aa-03c39e5c2ae1/IMG_3693.JPG Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/dd2804ca-7d5b-4d48-8303-c197d0ca2034/IMG_2625.JPG Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/1632497701523-UZF8RXSLABZWY21L5FXW/IMG_2253.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/b49b65e7-c45b-4b0b-b254-dd8eb9128f7a/LateGatorEmbryo.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/1631886469250-TUFGEZF1DC4MKY6QQYFT/OfficePhoto_narrow.jpg Home - Zachary S. Morris I study the evolutionary and developmental origins of vertebrate form. I am particularly interested in the evolution of developmental patterns and the role played by cellular processes in the evolution of diversity. My current focus is on the developmental mechanisms driving convergent origin of the ossified palate (roof of the mouth) across amniotes (birds, ‘reptiles’, & mammals). By integrating developmental, anatomical, and paleontological perspectives my research strives to uncover the major mechanisms underlying evolutionary phenomena. https://www.morrisresearch.org/research daily 0.75 2024-01-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/f238951f-f0ad-43f2-932a-0da2edf0c9dd/Croc_Embryo_Skull_Shapes_square_small.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/1671808872405-OMXNAIZZ9TRT8264TUS2/Croc_EvoDevo_Skull_Poster.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613b686bca3ee440c1c4d752/c6678eb6-1b52-402a-9681-200dcd83117d/Alligator_st17_sox9_nasalcapsule.gif