Mike Tilkens

Graduate Student and Teaching Assistant, Department of Zoology

 

Contact Information:

Michael J. Tilkens
Department of Zoology
University of Wisconsin-Madison
430 Lincoln Drive, 365 Birge Hall
Madison, Wisconsin 53706
U.S.A.

Email: mjtilkens@wisc.edu
Laboratory phone: 608-263-5079

 

 

Ph.D. – Zoology. University of Wisconsin-Madison, in progress.

M.Sc. – Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, December 2004.

B.Sc. – Biological Anthropology and Zoology. University of Wisconsin-Madison, December, 2000.

Research Interests

My research interests center on investigating the development of hominid bipedalism by collecting data on the direct energy consumption from modern human walking. The data collected for my Master’s research focused on one such study where VO2 values were analyzed in order to correlate the role of an anatomical element, in this case lower limb length, on the energetic requirements of differing hominid species, such as Australopithecus afarensis, Homo erectus and the Neandertals. Further analysis from this data set was then used to determine the potential sex differences in modern hominid bipedalism.

In preparation for the study, I conducted a review of the scientific literature, which revealed several reoccurring methodological issues for the majority of the previous investigations. An extension of my Master’s research continues, now focusing on the actual validity of the methodology of previous reports while, ultimately, concluding the necessary protocols needed to collect steady-state VO2 walking values. 

After the completion of my Ph.D., I will pursue a university appointment that encourages teaching as well as research duties.

Publications

Tilkens, M.J., Wall, C.M., Weaver, T. and Steudel-Numbers, K. (2006).  The effect of body proportions on thermoregulation: An experimental approach. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Supplement 42: 177. http://konig.la.utk.edu/AJPA_Suppl_42.htm

Tilkens, M.J. and Steudel-Numbers, K. (2005). A regressional analysis of sex differences in the cost of human walking. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Supplement 40. http://konig.la.utk.edu/AJPA_Suppl_40.pdf

Steudel-Numbers, K. L. Tilkens., M.J. (2004). The effect of lower limb length on the energetic cost of locomotion: implications for fossil hominins. Journal of Human Evolution 47, 95-109.

Presentations

Podium Presentation of “The effects of body proportions on thermoregulation: an experimental assessment of Allen’s rule” given during the 2006 annual meeting of physical anthropology (AAPA) in Anchorage, Alaska .

Poster presentation of “A regressional analysis of sex differences in the cost of human walking” given during the 2005 annual meeting of physical anthropology (AAPA) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Teaching Experiences

Department of Zoology, Teaching Assistantships:

Zoology 611: Comparative Animal Physiology (discussion).
2002, Spring Semester

This upper-level course focuses on physiological issues at the level of the cell as well as for the organism as a whole. In this course, I am responsible for conducting three weekly discussion sessions with 60 undergraduate seniors. Discussion sessions focus on weekly material yet remain open-ended enough to incorporate physiological concepts, such as adaptation versus acclimation, aging, ionic regulation, body size and scaling and respiration, that are introduced throughout the semester.

Zoology 430: Comparative Anatomy of the Vertebrates (laboratory; lead teaching assistant in 2004). 
2002-2006, Fall Semester.

This senior-level course includes laboratory dissections of cats (Felis) and sharks (Squalus). As a laboratory teaching assistant, I am responsible for instructing the comparative anatomy of the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, nervous as well as the organ systems that are featured during the cat and shark dissection exercises. I lead two labs per semester; each lab has a population of up to 32 students in addition to 3 undergraduate teaching assistants. During the 2004 Fall semester, I was employed as the lead graduate teaching assistant. This position, along with leading laboratory sections, includes ordering lab supplies and hiring undergraduate TAs.  Course Webpage

Zoology 101/102 (laboratory and discussion).
2003-3006, Spring Semester.

As a teaching assistant in these introductory courses, I am responsible for mandatory laboratory sections as well as voluntary discussion sessions. In lab, we cover broad introductory concepts related to animal biodiversity and ecology, molecular biology and phylogenetics. Voluntary discussion sessions assist students in material introduced during the course lectures. Discussion formats change due to the number of people present, although I encourage group work.