Joel David Kowit

Professor of Biology
B.S., Columbia University; Ph.D., Brandeis University

Office hours: Posted on door or e-mail for appointment

Office: Marian Hall Room 216
Phone: 617-735-9949
Email: kowitj@emmanuel.edu

Dr. Kowit received his bachelor's degree in physics from Columbia University and Ph.D. in biology from Brandeis University. He then spent three years as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard Medical School, the last two as Fellow of the Arthritis Foundation. At Emmanuel since 1975, Dr. Kowit's principal interest is in the field of immunology. He has given numerous presentations in immunology to research scientists at more than thirty pharmaceutical companies including Merck Research Laboratories, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Abbott Diagnostics, and 3M Pharmaceuticals. Topics have included HIV therapy; allergy and inflammation; rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and other autoimmune diseases; immune tolerance; apoptosis in the immune system; and antigen presentation and T cell activation.

Asked for his philosophy of teaching, Dr. Kowit replies, "Students should have a good time while learning and should be able to experience the excitement of biology. I certainly do while teaching." One of his courses, Cellular and Molecular Biology, is the introduction to biology for majors. "I try to relate the material to specific human diseases," he explains. "Such connections bring a component of reality into the classroom, often touch students in a personal way and help motivate them to understand the molecular basis of normal and abnormal cellular behavior." In the lab component of the course, in addition to the "wet" lab, students learn to use computer-based, interactive molecular visualization software for observing and studying in 3D such biological molecules as DNA and proteins. Dr. Kowit also leads a small group of freshmen in an immunology journal club.

For relaxation, Dr. Kowit pretends to sketch and paint, rides horses, and spends a couple of summer weeks every year herding cattle in Wyoming.

Courses

BIOL1105 - Cellular and Molecular Biology
BIOL2115 - Determinants of Health and Disease
BIOL2119 - Current Topics in Biological Research
BIOL2123 - Genetics
BIOL2131 - Biochemistry I
BIOL2133 - Science Communication
BIOL3119 - Immunology
BIOL3127 - Microbiology
BIOL4160 - Senior Seminar: Human Genetic Disorders
BIOL4178 - Directed Studies

Recent Professional Activity

Dr. Kowit has been presenting lectures in immunology to scientists at pharmaceutical companies throughout the United States. He has been invited to speak at Merck Research Labs, Abbott, Upjohn, Searle, Sandox, OrthoPharmaceutical, Miles, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, 3M Pharmaceuticals, and many others. Dr. Kowit's most recent presentations have been at AstraZeneca Laboratories in Delaware, and Merck Research Laboratories in New Jersey and in Pennsylvania.