Meet the Faculty

Kathy Diamond, Ph.D., Professor of Biology 
Telephone: (650) 574-6602
Office: 36-205F
Email: diamondk@smccd.edu

Kathy Diamond was born in San Francisco. Starting college as an undeclared major torn between philosophy and French literature, she became overwhelmed by curiosity and completed a B.A. in Biology at U.C. Santa Cruz, an M.A. in Zoology at UCLA, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at UCSF. She did research and lectured at UCLA until discovering the superior lower-division science education offered by community colleges. Kathy loves teaching CSM students, hiking, walking, gardening, movies, novels, family and friends. And chocolate.

Paul Hankamp, M.S., Professor of Biology
Telephone: (650) 574-6626
Office: 36-205B
Email: hankampp@smccd.edu

Paul Hankamp has a Master's degree in Biology with a concentration in Plant Ecology and Systematics from San Francisco State University. He specializes in botany and has spent recent years teaching students in the field, classroom and laboratory. At CSM, Paul teaches Biology, Botany, and Environmental Science, both online and on campus. He has a passion for bringing active learning strategies into the classroom and motivation to share his enthusiasm with students.

 

Theresa Martin, M.S., Professor of Biology
Telephone: (650) 574-6252
Office: 36 - 205B
Email: martin@smccd.edu

Theresa Martin teaches Human Anatomy and Physiology. Her fascination with the human body began as a competitive runner and coach. She received Master's degrees in Exercise Science and Endocrinology from UC Davis and UC Berkeley, respectively. She enjoys working with students to prepare them for careers in allied health. In her free time she raises two young children and enjoys the outdoors.

Christopher Smith, Ph.D., Professor of Biology
Telephone: (650) 574-6516
Office: 36-205E
Email: smithchris@smccd.edu

Christopher Smith's professional interests include microbiology, immunology and pharmacology. He was raised in Massachusetts, where he attended Suffolk University in Boston and the University of Massachusetts earning first a B.S. and then an M.S. in Biology. After earning a Ph.D. from the Biochemistry Department of the Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, he worked for several years as a research scientist in the pharmaceutical industry. His approach to scientific education is that Science is just as much critical thinking as a collection of facts to memorize. Chris hopes to bring his enthusiasm for scientific inquiry to the classroom.

Huy Tran, M.S., Professor of Biology
Telephone: (650) 574-6241
Office: 36-205C
Email: tranh@smccd.edu

Huy Tran was born in Vietnam and came to the United States in 1975. He grew up in southern California and spent much of his childhood in his backyard catching creepy-crawly critters with his brothers. He received his Bachelor's of Science in Biology from the University of California, San Diego, and his Master's of Science in Biology from California State University, Hayward (East Bay). When he's not making life difficult for his students in class you can usually find him hiking on one of the many trails in the greater Bay Area. Besides his love for anything science-related, Huy's other interests include photography, art, camping, and distance running.