Department of Biology, BYU

Larry St. Clair  - Biology
  November 2009     

Dr. Larry St. Clair was born in Roanoke, Virginia.  He began his schooling at Ricks College and received his bachelor’s degree and his masters from BYU in Botany.  He then moved to Colorado where he received a PhD in Biology from the University of Colorado.  He taught seminary for one year before returning to BYU.

                Dr. St. Clair met his wife, Rieta Cheney, in his freshman student ward. They have six children and twelve grandchildren.  When not working and spending time with his family, Dr. St. Clair loves to read, especially about history and science, and enjoys hiking and being in the outdoors. He’s appreciated the opportunities created through his work which have allowed him to travel throughout the beautiful Rocky Mountains and to visit various wilderness areas and national parks.

                Dr. St. Clair’s love of Botany was greatly influenced by his mother and her love of plants and work in her gardens.  He always knew that he wanted to teach and has now been teaching at BYU for thirty-four years.  Though he’s taught many different classes here, Dr. St. Clair particularly enjoys working with the BIO100 classes. His favorite part of teaching is the interaction with the students and the way he is continually challenged to learn.  If he has a frustration with teaching, it’s that students too often take their education for granted.  He encourages students to be responsible with the gift that they have and to not treat it casually.

                Currently Dr. St. Clair is working on a Science Education project with the state of Utah designed to help public school teachers develop and implement inquiry-based learning skills in their classrooms.  He believes that student interest in the sciences is in large measure determined by the quality of the elementary school experience.  He’s also been working for the last thirty years on an ongoing project using lichens to biomonitor air quality in national parks and wilderness areas.

Contact Info:

290 MLBM

(801) 422-6211

larry_stclair@byu.edu

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