Thomas Cronin
Professor
Biological Sciences
Biological Sciences Bldg 472
Education
Postdoc Yale University 1982
Ph D Duke University 1979
MS Duke University 1969
BS Dickinson College 1967
About
Born in Maryland, educated at Dickinson, Duke, and Yale; study visual ecology of a diverse selection of animals.
Research Interests
Visual ecology: the evolution, adaptation, and specialization of visual systems of animals ranging from the simplest marine invertebrates to complex animals like mantis shrimps, cuttlefish, whooping cranes, and right whales
Teaching Interests
Physiology, vision science, marine science, neuroscience
Selected Classes
- Spring 2022 BIOL 457 – Physiology of Marine and Estuarine Animals
- BIOL 755 – Journal Club in Neurobiology
- BIOL 602 – Introduction to Laboratory and Field Research
- Spring 2019 BIOL 451 – Vision Science
- BIOL 899 – Doctoral Dissertatn Rsch
- Fall 2018 BIOL 451/651 – Neurobiology
- Spring 2018 BIOL 457/657 – Physiology of Marine and Estuarine Animals
- Fall 2014 BIOL 451 – Neurobiology
- Spring 2014 BIOL 457 – Phys:Marine/Est Animals
- BIOL 899 – Doctoral Dissertatn Rsch
- Fall 2012 BIOL 700 – Intro To Grad Experience
Contracts, Fellowships, Grants, and Sponsored Research
Cronin, Thomas W. “Consortium for Nanomaterials for Aerospace Commerce and,” Grant (Funded). Sponsored By: Rice University. (Sep 1, 2010 – Aug 31, 2015).
Cronin, Thomas W. “Re-engineering the stomatopod eye, nature's most compreh,” Grant (Funded). Sponsored By: Air Force Office of Scientific Research. (Jun 15, 2012 – Jun 14, 2016).
Cronin, Thomas W. (Co-Principal), Gruev, Viktor (Principal). “Polarization and multispectral vision in mantis shrimp: A model for information processing and biomimetic imaging,” Grant (Funded). Sponsored By: Air Force Office of Scientific Research. (Jul 1, 2018 – Jun 30, 2022).
Intellectual Contributions
Patel, Rickesh N., Khil, Veniamin, Abdurahmonova, Laylo, Driscoll, Holland, Goldwasser, Tamar, Patel, Sarina, Pettyjohn-Robin, Olivia, Shah, Ahman, Sparklin, Benjamin, Cronin, Thomas W. (2021). Mantis shrimp rank shape over color in object recognition.. 224 jeb242256. England: Journal of Experimental Biology.
Patel, Rickesh N., Cronin, Thomas W. (2020). Path integration error and flexible search behaviors in a mantis shrimp.. 223. jeb224618 Baltimore: Journal of Experimental Biology.
Patel, Rickesh N., Cronin, Thomas W. (2020). Landmark navigation in the mantis shrimp, Neogonodactylus oerstedii. 287 20201898 Baltimore: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B.
Chou, Alice, Lin, Chan, Cronin, Thomas W. (2020). Visual metamorphoses in insects and malacostracans: transitions between an aquatic and terrestrial life. 59 100974 Baltimore: Arthropod Structure and Development.
Cronin, Thomas W. (2020). Sea snake sight - one plus one makes three. 30 R759-R782 Baltimore: Current Biology.
Patel, Rickesh N., Cronin, Thomas W. (2020). Mantis shrimp navigate home using celestial and idiothetic path integration. 30 1981-1987 Baltimore: Current Biology.
Porter, Megan L., Awata, Hiroko, Bok, Michael J., Cronin, Thomas W. (2020). Exceptional diversity of opsin expression patterns in Neogonodactylus oerstedii (Stomatopoda) retinas. 117 8948-8957. Baltimore: Proceedings of the National Academy of the USA.
Cronin, Thomas W., Marshall, Justin, Nilsson, Dan-Eric, Osorio, Daniel C. (2020). The astonishing diversity of vision: Introduction to an issue of Vision Research on animal vision.. Vision Research.
Lin, Chan, Alice, Chou, Cronin, Thomas W. (2019). Optic lobe organization in stomatopod crustacean species possessing different degrees of retinal complexity. 206 247-258 Journal of Comparative Physiology A.
Cronin, Thomas W. (2019). Polarisation signals: a new currency for communication. 3. 222 JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY.
Marshall, N. Justin., Powell, Samuel B., Cronin, Thomas W., Caldwell, Roy L., Gruev, Viktor, Chiou, Tsyr-Huei, Roberts, Nicholas W., How, Martin J. (2019). Polarization signals: a new currency for communication. 222 134213 Baltimore: Journal of Experimental Biology.
Kingston, Alexandra N., Lucia, R L., Havens, L T., Cronin, Thomas W., Speiser, Daniel I. (2019). Vision in the snapping shrimp Alpheus heterochaelis.. 222 jeb209015 Journal of Experimental Biology.
Feller, Kate D., Wilby, David, Jacuzzi, G., Vignoli, Silvia, Marshall, Justin, Wardill, Trevor J., Cronin, Thomas W., Roberts, Nicholas W. (2019). Long-wavelength reflecting filters found in the larval retinas of one mantis shrimp family (Nannosquillidae).. 29 3101-3108 Current Biology.
Lin, Chan, Cronin, Thomas W. (2018). Two visual systems in one eyestalk: The unusual optic lobe metamorphosis in the stomatopod Alima pacifica. 1. 78 3-14 DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY.
Valdez-Lopez, Juan C., Donohue, Mary W., Bok, Michael J., Cronin, Thomas W., Porter, Megan L. (2018). Sequence, structure, and expression of opsins in the monochromatic stomatopod Squilla empusa. 58 386-397 Integrative and Comparative Biology.
Valdez-Lopez, Juan C., Donohue, Mary W., Bok, Michael J., Cronin, Thomas W., Porter, Megan L. (2018). Sequence, structure, and expression of opsins in the monochromatic stomatopod Squilla empusa. 58 386-397 Integrative and Comparative Biology.
Durham, Mary F., Lin, Chan, Cronin, Thomas W. (2018). Scanning eye movements of the stomatopod crustacean, Neogonodactylus oerstedii, in polarized light fields. 4. 51 263-273 MARINE AND FRESHWATER BEHAVIOUR AND PHYSIOLOGY.
Durham, Mary F., Lin, Chan, Cronin, Thomas W. (2018). Scanning eye movements of the Caribbean stomatopod crustacean (Neogonodactylus oerstedii) in polarized light fields.. 51 263-273 Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology.
Cronin, Thomas W., Garcia, Missael, Gruev, Viktor. (2018). Multichannel spectrometers in animals. 2. 13 BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS.
Donohue, Mary W., Cohen, Jonathan H., Cronin, Thomas W. (2018). Cerebral photoreception in mantis shrimp. 8 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS.
Bok, Michael J., Roberts, Nicholas W., Cronin, Thomas W. (2018). Behavioural evidence for polychromatic ultraviolet sensitivity in mantis shrimp. 1884. 285 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES.
Donohue, Mary W., Cohen, John H., Cronin, Thomas W. (2018). Cerebral photoreception in mantis shrimp.. 8 9689 Scientific Reports.
Cronin, Thomas W. (2018). A different view: sensory drive in the polarized-light realm. 4. 64 513-523 CURRENT ZOOLOGY.
Donohue, Mary W., Carleton, Karen L., Cronin, Thomas W. (2017). Opsin expression in the central nervous system of the mantis shrimp Neogonodactylus oerstedii. 1. 233 58-69 BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN.
Cronin, Thomas W., Bok, Michael J., Lin, Chan. (2017). Crustacean larvae – vision in the plankton.. Integrative and Comparative Biology.
Cronin, Thomas W., Fasick, Jeffery I., Schweikert, Lorian E., Johnsen, Sonke, Kesmoh, Loren J., Baumgartner, Mark F. (2017). Coping with copepods: do right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) forage visually in dark waters?. 2017 20160067 Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.
Fasick, Jeffery I., Baumgartner, Mark F., Cronin, Thomas W., Nickle, Benjamin, Kesmoh, Loren J. (2017). Visual predation during springtime foraging of the North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis).. Marine Mammal Journal.
Marshall, N Justin., Carleton, Karen L., Cronin, Thomas W. (2015). Colour vision in marine organisms. 34 86-94 Current Opinion in Neurobiology.
Bok, Michael J., Porter, Megan L., Cronin, Thomas W. (2015). Diversity, ecology, and evolution of ultraviolet filters in stomatopod crustaceans.. 218 2055-2066 Journal of Experimental Biology.
Feller, Kathryn, Cohen, Jonathan, Cronin, Thomas W. (2015). Seeing double: visual physiology of double-retina eye ontogeny in stomatopod crustaceans. 201 331-339 Journal of Comparative Physiology A.
Zurek, Daniel B., Cronin, Thomas W., Taylor, Lisa A., Byrne, Kevin, Sullivan, Mara LG., Morehouse, Nathan I. (2015). Spectral filtering enables trichromatic vision in colorful jumping spiders. 25. R1-R3 Current Biology.
Kingston, Alexandra CN., Kurizian, Alan M., Hanlon, Roger T., Cronin, Thomas W. (2015). Visual phototransduction components in cephalopod chromatophores suggest dermal photoreception. 218 1596-1602 Journal of Experimental Biology.
Porter, M L., Kingston, A C., McCready, R, Cameron, E G., Hofmann, Christophe M., Suarez, L, Olsen, G H., Cronin, Thomas W., Robinson, Phyllis R. (2014). Characterization of visual pigments, oil droplets, lens and cornea in the whooping crane Grus americana.. Pt 21. 217 3883-90 The Journal of experimental biology.
Cronin, Thomas W., Johnsen, Sonke, Marshall, N Justin., Warrant, Eric J. (2014). Visual Ecology. 458 Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Speiser, Daniel I., Cronin, Thomas W., Porter, Megan L., Oakley, Todd H. (2014). Using phylogenetically-informed annotation (PIA) to search for light-interacting genes in transcriptomes from non-model organisms. 15 350 BMC Bioinformatics.
Dalton, Brian, Lowe, Ellis R., Cronin, Thomas W., Carleton, Karen L. (2014). Spectral tuning by opsin coexpression in retinal regions that view different parts of the visual field.. 281 20141980 Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Marshall, N Justin., Land, Michael F., Cronin, Thomas W. (2014). Shrimps that pay attention: Saccadic eye movements in stomatopod crustaceans. 369 8 Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B.
Cronin, Thomas W., Feller, Kathryn. (2014). Sensory ecology of vision in crustaceans. Biology of Crustacea, Vol. 3 235-262 New York: Academic Press.
How, Martin J., Porter, Megan L., Radford, Andrew, Feller, Kathryn D., Temple, Shelby, Caldwell, Roy L., Marshall, Justin, Cronin, Thomas W., Roberts, Nicholas W. (2014). Out of the blue: The evolution of horizontally polarized signals in Haptosquilla (Crustacea, Stomatopoda, Protosquillidae).. 217 3425-3431 Journal of Experimental Biology.
Feller, Kathryn D., Cronin, Thomas W. (2014). Hiding opaque eyes in transparent organisms. In situ spectral and image contrast analysis of eyeshine in stomatopod larvae.. 3263-3273.. 217 3263-3273 Journal of Experimental Biology.
Cronin, Thomas W., Bok, Michael J., Marshall, N Justin., Caldwell, Roy L. (2014). Filtering and polychromatic vision in mantis shrimps: themes in visible and ultraviolet vision. 369 8 Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B.
Bok, Michael J., Porter, Megan L., Place, Allen, Cronin, Thomas W. (2014). Biological sunscreens tune polychromatic ultraviolet vision in mantis shrimp.. 24 1636-1642 Current Biology.
York, T, Powell, S B., Gao, S, Kahan, L, Charanya, T, Saha, D, Roberts, N W., Cronin, Thomas W., Marshall, J, Achilefu, S, Lake, S, Raman, B, Gruev, V. (2014). Bio-inspired polarization imaging sensors: from circuits and optics to signal processing algorithms and biomedical applications.. 102 1450-1469 Proceedings of IEEE.
Cronin, Thomas W., Douglas, Ronald H. (2014). Seeing and doing: how vision shapes animal behavior. 369 2 Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B.
Schram, Frederick R., Ahyong, Shane T., Patek, Sheila N., Green, P A., Rosario, M V., Bok, Michael J., Cronin, Thomas W., Mead-Vetter, K S., Caldwell, Roy L., Scholtz, G, Feller, Kathryn D., Abello, P. (2013). Subclass Hoplocarida Calman, 1904: Order Stomatopoda Latreille, 1817.. Treatise on Zoology – Anatomy, Taxonomy, Biology. The Crustacea. Vol. 4, Part A. (J. C. von Vaupel Klein, M. Charmantier-Daures, and F. R. Schram. Eds.). Part A. 4 179-355 Leiden: Brill Press.
Porter, Megan L., Speiser, Daniel L., Zaharoff, S, Caldwell, Roy L., Cronin, Thomas W., Oakley, Todd H. (2013). The evolution of complexity in visual systems of stomatopods: insights from transcriptomics.. 53 39-49 Integrative and Comparative Biology.
Chiou, Tsyr-Huei, Place, Allen R., Caldwell, Roy L., Marshall, Nicholas J., Cronin, Thomas W. (2012). A novel function for a carotenoid: astaxanthin used as a polarizer for visual signalling in a mantis shrimp. 215 584-589 Journal of Experimental Biology.
Cronin, Thomas W. (2012). Visual optics: Accommodation in a splash. 22 R871-R873 Current Biology.
Cronin, Thomas W., Porter, Megan, Bok, Michael, Wolf, Julia B., Robinson, Phyllis R. (2010). The molecular genetics and evolution of colour and polarization vision in stomatopod crustaceans , Ophthal.Physiol.Opt. 30 460-469
Presentations
Cronin, Thomas W (Author & Presenter). UMBC Friends of the Library Lecture. Oral Presentation. "Visual Ecology," UMBC Friends of the Library. UMBC Library. (Mar 8, 2015).
Cronin, Thomas W (Author & Presenter). North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium Annual Meeting. Oral Presentation. "Coping with copepods: do right whales forage visually in dark water?," North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium. New Bedford, Massachusetts. (Nov 7, 2013).