Ralph P. Eckerlin
Professor of Biology
Northern Virginia Community College
Ralph Eckerlin is Professor of Biology at Northern Virginia Community College and has been with the college since 1971. He has been recognized for his teaching excellence with several awards including the Student Government Association Faculty Award in1995, the NVCC Alumni Federation Faculty Member of the Year Award in 2007, and the NVCC Educational Foundation Outstanding Service Award for 2008. Dr. Eckerlin has also been recognized for his research activities. He has authored or co-authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals, has contributed three book chapters, and has edited a volume of contributed papers for a book on Appalachian Biogeography for the Virginia Museum of Natural History. He was awarded the NVCC Presidential Sabbatical in 2003 to pursue research activities in Central America.
Dr. Eckerlin is a parasitologist with numerous interests. He has described four new species of parasites; a protozoan, a louse, and two fleas. He has also published on ticks, nematodes, and trematodes. His deep concern about the decline of biodiversity motivates and maintains his interest in organism inventory and alpha taxonomy.
In addition to teaching the General Biology course at NVCC for 38 years, Eckerlin has taught Human Anatomy and Physiology, Health Science, and Invertebrate Zoology courses. As a co-author of the Biology laboratory manual in use at the Annandale Campus, he has had an influence on the biological education of an estimated 50,000 students. Dr. Eckerlin maintains contact with students from as long ago as the 1970s.
Dr. Eckerlin has an extensive record of service to his professional affiliations. He has served as President of the Entomological Society of Washington, Helminthological Society of Washington, Virginia Association for Biological Education, and the Tropical Medicine Association of Washington. He is a member of 14 professional societies and frequently serves on committees in many of them. In 1993, the Helminthological Society of Washington honored Professor Eckerlin with the Anniversary Award after he served for five years as editor of the Society journal.
Dr. Eckerlin has led or co-led student trips to study tropical biology, which is somewhat unusual for a community college. These trips included destinations to Mexico, Central America, the Bahamas, and the West Indies. The experiences these trips provided were so inspirational to some students that they went on to careers in biology. Others quickly decided that field biologist was not what they wanted to be when they grew up! Dr. Eckerlin holds a Ph.D. degree in Parasitology from the University of Connecticut. He and his wife live in Annandale, Virginia and have 2 daughters.
