Stephen Michael Gruber, Ed.D.

Biography

Dr. Gruber has been a member of the College of Science and Engineering since the fall of 2008. As part of the Department of Biology, he teaches several lectures and labs in the Pre-Health Pathway.

Dr. Gruber received his B.S. in Marine Biology from Texas A&M Galveston in May of 2000. Following a brief career in environmental remediation, he enrolled at UHCL to pursue a M.S. in Biology and worked with Dr. Richard Puzdrowski. During his time as a master's student, Dr. Gruber researched the cerebellar connections of the Atlantic stingray. In December of 2004, he was awarded his M.S. in Biology upon completion of his thesis work.

After graduation, Dr. Gruber began a research career at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego, California, where he assisted in studying the electrophysiological responses of motor neurons in Fragile X mice. After returning to Texas in 2007, he began an illustrious career in education, teaching six years in 7-8th grade science followed by another five years teaching high school biology. During this time, Dr. Gruber was also an adjunct at University of Houston-Clear Lake, teaching both Human Physiology Lab and Vertebrate Zoology.

Dr. Gruber became a full-time professor at UHCL in the fall of 2016. After several years as a lecturer, he returned to school at UH-Clear Lake in pursuit of a doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction with the College of Education. He was awarded his Doctor of Education in August of 2021 after completion of his dissertation on inquiry-based instruction.

Dr. Gruber continues to teach as a member of the faculty in the College of Science and as part of the UHCL Teach program, a combined degree program between CSE and COE.

Curriculum Vitae

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Areas of Expertise

• STEM education, especially curriculum and instruction in science
• Comparative vertebrate anatomy and physiology
• Teacher education and science methods

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Publications

• Desai, N.S., T.M. Casimiro, S.M. Gruber, and P.W. Vanderklish. Early postnatal plasticity in neocortex of Fmr1 knockout mice. J. Neurophys. Jul 2006; doi:10.1152/jn.00221.2006.
• Puzdrowski, R.L., and S. Gruber. Purkinje cell inputs to the first-order octaval nuclei of the carp, Cyprinus carpio. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. Vol. 30, 2004.
• Gruber, S., and R.L. Puzdrowski.  Afferent connections to the anterior lobules of the cerebellar corpus in the Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. Vol. 30, 2004.
• Gruber, S., and R.L. Puzdrowski. The pattern of olivocerebellar projections in the Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. Vol. 29, 2003. 
• Gruber, S., and R.L. Puzdrowski. Efferent connections of the cerebellar corpus in the Atlantic Stingray, Dasyatis sabina. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. Vol. 28, 2002

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Courses (Current Academic Year)

Fall

• Human Anatomy Lecture/Lab
• Human Physiology Lab
• Vertebrate Zoology
• Research Methods (as part of UHCL Teach)

Spring

• Human Anatomy Lecture/Lab
• Human Physiology Lab
• Problem Based Instruction (as part of UHCL Teach)

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Awards and Accomplishments

• UHCL Center for Faculty Development-1000 Student Milestone
• Southwestern Educational Research Association-Education’s Dean’s awards for exceptional graduate student research
• Galveston County Daily News-Galveston County Teacher of the Year

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