Faculty

Bret Bennington
Associate Professor of Geology

Bret Bennington, Ph.D., is a paleontologist with a strong interest in evolution and geology. Dr. Bennington is a frequent public lecturer on geology and evolution and is actively involved in the IDEAS Institute (Institute for the Development of Education in the Advanced Sciences). Students may know him for his performance as Charles Darwin in Hofstra’s annual celebration of Darwin’s birthday. A three-year veteran of the Galápagos Islands and Ecuador January trip, Professor Bennington calls the program “the experience of a lifetime for students.”

Russell Burke
Associate Professor of Biology

Russell Burke, Ph.D., is a field ecologist who specializes in the ecology of reptiles and amphibians. Dr. Burke teaches the Biology Department courses in ecology and evolution. He has led two previous trips to the Galápagos. “I’ve been reading and dreaming about the Galápagos since I was a little kid,” he says. “Not only is it great to get there myself, it’s fantastic to share it with students. The lessons learned when seeing the organisms or the rocks in the field are remembered forever.”