Edna Steele

Dr. Steele retired in 2023.

Dr. Steele joined Converse in 1997 and served as Chair of the Department of Biology from 1998- 2000 and Coordinator of the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics from 2011-2014. She taught General Biology, General Zoology, Parasitology, Comparative Vertebrate Embryology, Human and Comparative Anatomy, Histology, Biology of Sexuality, and Medical Terminology. Dr. Steele was one of the recipients of the 2013 South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Excellence in Teaching Award.

Scholarly & Research Activity

Dr. Steele also supervises undergraduate research. Her students have won awards for their research presentations at professional scientific meetings. They have investigated the larval stages of two species of dilepidid tapeworms in the body cavities of mummichogs and striped killifish, the histology of fish heart infected with larval tapeworms, the prevalence and intensity of infection of the giant liver fluke in white-tailed deer in South Carolina, the histopathology of the lungs and urinary bladder of the leopard frog infected with flukes, the effect of phytoestrogens on the development of frogs, the homeopathic remedies for tapeworm infections, the effect of sublethal levels of lead on the metabolites of redworms, and the biochemical responses of Eisenia fetida to herbicide exposure to glyphosate and 2,4-D.

Dr. Steele currently serves as the treasurer of the South Carolina Junior Academy of Science (SCJAS) since 2006. She has also served as treasurer of South Carolina Academy of Science (SCAS) from 2012-2020. She has taught several SCJAS workshops to high school students and has hosted some of these workshops at Converse. She also served as Professional Member at Large in the National Council of the Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society from 2017-2020 and was one of the recipients of the National Alpha Lambda Executive Director Adviser of the Year Award in 2016.