Charles A. Ferguson

Charles Ferguson photo
Ph.D. • Lecturer • Professor • Emeritus
Department of Integrative Biology

Mailing Address:
Department of Integrative Biology
Campus Box 171
P.O. Box 173364
Denver, CO 80217-3364

Physical Location:
1200 Larimer St
NC 3103
Denver, CO 80204

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 - 10:30 A.M. in North Classroom 3103 B. If these times do not work for you, we need to find a time that will. I have very limited times for appointments outside of office hours. Please see me or email me about scheduling an appointment. Please also keep in mind that I am almost always in the classroom by 0730 each Tuesday and Thursday to chat if that works. I am also available to answer questions via email if that will work for you. Please note that I am ‘off the grid’ from 5:00 PM on Saturday until 7:00 AM on Monday.

Expertise Areas:
First year Experience/Success of STEM students and Health Professions Advising

PhD., Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, 1996
M.A., Neurophysiology, University of Colorado, Denver, 1987
B.A., Biology, University of Colorado, Denver, 1985

Dr. Ferguson has been on the faculty at the University of Colorado Denver since 1985 and teaches in the Dept. of Integrative Biology. He has been nationally recognized for excellence in teaching and his current research interests revolve around the transition of high school students to college who are interested in in the STEM disciplines. In addition to his teaching and research, Dr. Ferguson is the director of the Health Professions Advising program at UC Denver and is the Downtown Denver Campus director of the BA/BS-MD program, the BS/DDS UCD/Kuwait cooperative program, the medical and dental post-bac program, and the Aurora Lights program. He is a member of the National Science Teachers Association, National Association of Biology Teachers, the Tri-Beta Honor Society, Golden Key Honor Society, Xi Sigma, and NACADA. In his free time, he spends time working with a local high school mentoring at risk students and spends time reading, hiking, and being a father.

2010 Culpepper, S., Basile, C., Ferguson, C., and Lanning, J. (2010). "Understanding the transition between high school and college mathematics and science." The High School Journal, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Press.   

2004 Cabell, Leigh, Ferguson, Charles A., Luginbill, Deana, Kern, Marcey, Weingart, Adam, Audesirk, Gerald. "Differential Induction of Heme Oxygenase and Other Stress Proteins in Cultured Hippocampal Astrocytes and Neurons by Inorganic Lead." Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 198 (49-60).  

2000 Ferguson, C.A., and Nelson, C. "The Med Vantage Program-A Unique Opportunity for Pre-Health Students to Gain Clinical Experience." The Advisor Vol 20(2). 48-52.  

2000 Ferguson, C.A., Kern, M., and Audesirk, G. "Nanomolar concentrations of inorganic lead increase calcium efflux and decrease intracellular free calcium ion concentrations in cultured rat hippocampal neurons by a calmodulin-mediated mechanism." Neurotoxicology, 21(3). 365-378   2000 Audesirk, G., Audesirk, T., andFerguson, C.A. "Culturing rat hippocampal neurons." In: Current Protocols in Toxicology (ed. Maines, M.) Wiley, New York

BIOL 1111: Freshman Seminar
BIOL 2051: General Biology for Majors
BIOL 2095 and BIOL 2096: Honors General Biology
BIOL 4074 and 5074: Human Reproductive Biology
Advanced Human Anatomy