Jacques Veilleux, or as students like to call him, Dr. V, is an associate professor of biology at Franklin Pierce. With his friendly personality, Dr. V shared some interesting facts about his life and love for biology.
“If there is one thing students don’t know about me, it’s that I absolutely love bats,” he laughed. Dr. V got his Ph.D. through Indiana State University in Ecology and Systematics where he also did a huge study on bats. “Bats are my main research and everyone thinks I’m crazy,” he said. He did his research on the Eastern Pipistrelle bat by putting little radio transmitters onto them and tracking them to find where they nested, which was in a cluster of dead leaves. “No one had discovered this before,” he said, “we got to analyze the characteristics of this.” His love for bats extends into his office at Franklin Pierce where he has an array of different bat paraphernalia including a Batman sticker. “There are over 5,400 different species of mammals and 25 percent of those are bats,” he explained, “we never get to see them because they’re only active at night and that really fascinates me; you’re getting the opportunity to see something that not a lot of people get the chance to see up close.”
Animal studies is one of Dr. V’s favorite things to learn about. “I’ve always been one of those kids who loves to be outside in nature collecting bugs and I really wanted to find a job where I could do that,” he said, “I love organismal biology, ecology, and seeing how animals interact with each other and adjust to the environment.” He teaches a class called Animal Behavior that focuses on communication, reproduction, anti-predator behavior, and how animals make decisions. “We also focus on how natural selection has molded animals to behave and we use that a lot during class.”
In his free time, Dr. V really enjoys cutting and splitting wood. “I don’t know, I just like splitting wood for fun and for firewood,” he laughed, “my house looks like a firewood farm!” He also plays the blues harmonica and enjoys hanging out with his family. He is married and has three children who are seven, four, and three months. “One thing I love about Franklin Pierce is that it’s almost like an extension of the property I have at my house,” he said, “I live in Winchendon and I can take my kids to the campus and make use of the lake, boats, and hiking trails.”
Dr. V really takes the time to get to know his students well and develops a fun relationship. “I know all of my students since it’s a small campus and I really love that about it.” The rural atmosphere was a big draw to him while searching for a job. He got the opportunity to teach here and since it was close to home and he was able to teach in the major he loved, he took it immediately.
Dr. V is a graduate from Fitchburg State University where he received his undergraduate degree in biology. He has been teaching at Franklin Pierce for the past seven years.
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