From having his research published in a scientific journal to watching national team soccer and traveling Europe, Dr. Tyler Morris has done many things. Now he has another accomplishment to add to his list.

Morris started teaching at Missouri Southern this fall. He graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in May 2007 with his master’s degree and Ph.D. in physiology. During his doctoral work, he studied exercise and its benefits to the human body, particularly in cases of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension.

“I’ve always been interested in athletics, sports,” Morris said.

An avid soccer lover, his focus was biology during his undergraduate studies at Drury University. However, one particular class was his inspiration to study how the body works – Vertebral Physiology.

“It was like a light bulb going off; I was hooked on physiology and I loved sports, so I tied the two knots together,” he said.

At Southern, Morris teaches Anatomy and Physiology and Human Physiology. However, in the future he would like to develop a few general information courses for all students, such as Exercise Biology and Diabetes Education.

“Missouri Southern was a great fit for me,” Morris said. “Everything’s been great so far.”