Dr. Swank received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania where he investigated the role of different muscle fiber types in powering locomotion by studying with Dr. Larry Rome. He gained expertise in Drosophila genetics and the molecular biology of myosin from Dr. Sandy Bernstein at SDSU and insect flight muscle mechanics from Dr. David Maughan at the University of Vermont. Dr. Swank's primary teaching responsibilities at RPI are Human Physiology and the Biology Graduate Student Core Course.