Education 

SUNY Corning Community College, Associate in Nursing - anticipated 2023
University of Arkansas, Biology, Ph.D.
Hendrix College, Biology, B.A.

Teaching

I love teaching non-science majors. Having once been a non-major myself, it is only natural for me to share my knowledge in a way that is more easily relatable. Using basic ecological principles, I draw the connections between real-life and natural science. Students dig below the surface and reflect on the environment around them to better understand how they work, and where they belong in the big scheme of ecological interactions. It is these connections that promote active learning and, hopefully, a life full of learning.

Courses 

Environmental Science; Life of Earth I & II; Introduction to Environmental Science & Sustainability

Publications and/or Conference Presentations and/or Professional Projects

SUNY CCC Sustainability Grant - Year of Water; Coordinator of the Green Year; Chair of the Sustainability Committee; Co-Advisor EPIC SCI student club

• Moore, D.L. (2003). Ecología y Distribución de los Protostelids en los Ecosistemas Terrestres. In E. Albertó y E. M. Vadell (Eds.), El Reino de los Hongos y los Grupos Afines (pp. 43-49). Ediciones Científicas Americanas (ECA), La Plata. Argentina.
• Moore, D.L. & Spiegel F.W. (2000). Microhabitat distribution of protostelids in tropical forests of the Caribbean National Forest, Puerto Rico. Mycologia, 92 (4), 616-625. https://doi.org/10.1080/00275514.2000.12061202
• Moore, D.L. & Spiegel F.W. (2000). Microhabitat distribution of protostelids in temperate habitats in northwestern Arkansas. Canadian Journal of Botany, 78, 985-994. https://doi.org/10.1139/b00-072
• Moore, D.L, Stephenson, S.L., Laursen, G.A., & Woodgate, W.A. (2000). Protostelids from boreal forest and tundra ecosystems in Alaska, Mycologia, 92 (3), 390-393. https://doi.org/10.1080/00275514.2000.12061172
• Moore, D.L. & Stephenson, S.L. (2003). Microhabitat distribution of protostelids in a Tropical Wet Forest in Costa Rica. Mycologia, 95(1), 11-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/15572536.2004.11833126
• Powers, D.M. & Stephenson, S.L. (2006). Protostelids from tropical forests, woodlands and deserts in Australia. Mycologia, 98(2), 218-222. https://doi.org/10.1080/15572536.2006.11832693

Organizations

• People for a Healthy Environment
• Spencer Crest Nature & Research Center
• Empire State Association of Two-Year College Biologists

Awards

• Regional Board of Trustees Excellence in Teaching Award, 2022
• SUNY Chancellor’s Award, Excellence in Faculty Service, 2018
• SUNY Chancellor’s Award, Excellence in Teaching, 2009
  
  

Even though teaching is her passion, Powers' other interests include slime molds. Slime molds are a small group of intriguing organisms that play an important role in the soil ecosystem. She has been investigating the distribution of slime molds in habitats around the world for over 12 years, including research in the Arkansas, New York, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Antarctica, and Australia. For her, unraveling the story behind the biogeography of slime molds is fascinating. The trends in the distribution of slime molds in temperate habitats of a large continent are a bit blurry when talking tropical islands. Nearly every aspect of slime mold ecology is new to science. There are only 20 or so slime mold ecologists around the world.