USU Brigham City Welcomes Biology Professor

After an 11-year absence, veteran professor Kevin Young is returning to USU Brigham City to serve as a biology lecturer.

“I’m excited to be back at USU Brigham City,” Young said. “I really enjoy research, but my passion is teaching. I am very focused on helping the students who struggle most and creating a cooperative classroom environment where we all help each other.”

Young completed a bachelor’s degree in zoology and a minor in French at Brigham Young University in 1995. He then served as a teaching assistant at Utah State University from 1996 to 2002, and as a biology instructor at USU Brigham City from 2003 to ’09 while working on a Ph.D. in biology.

“I studied the flat-tailed horned lizard's ecology for my dissertation, and my wife, April, was my field assistant. Prior to that I was her field assistant as she studied black bears,” Young said. “I am grateful for all the ways my students have challenged me and given me new insights. Because of them, I measure my success as a teacher by how well my students have learned, particularly those who struggle the most.”

Young left USU Brigham City in 2009 and went onto teach biology at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, then relocated to Arizona Western College before taking a position as an assistant professor of biology at Sul Ross State University in Del Rio, Texas, in 2016.

“For the past eight years I have lived and taught on the U.S./Mexican border, and I am very mindful of differences in opportunities and the challenges associated with low-income, first-generation college students,” Young noted.

During his career, Young has taught a wide variety of biology classes, including evolution, ecology, animal behavior, genetics, herpetology and cell biology. But at USU Brigham City, Young will focus primarily on teaching anatomy.

“We are so excited to have Kevin back in Brigham City,” said Dan Black, associate vice president of USU Brigham City. “His presence will mean the continuation of great courses offered in biology as well as a personable instructor. I am excited that our students will have a great resource for their learning and a connection to an amazing instructor.”

USU Brigham City is a part of Utah State University’s system of statewide campuses. For more information about educational opportunities at USU Brigham City, visit brighamcity.usu.edu.