Biography
Kenneth Prestwich received his Ph.D. in Zoology from University of Florida. Prestwich has been teaching biology at the College since 1984 and was distinguished as Professor Emeritus of Biology in 2021. In 2023, he was honored with the College of the Holy Cross Physicians Association Distinguished Service Award, which is in recognition of his work teaching and mentoring premedical students and years of service on the College’s Premedical Advising Committee.
Prestwich's research follows two related paths, both having to do with energetics. The first path is the importance of energy in acoustic communication in animals. Prestwich is specifically interested in what are often regarded as "mating calls." These calls, which are generally produced only by males, are often very loud and are produced at a high rate over a long period of time. Prestwich has been able to show that such calls can seem to be very expensive energetically. The second path is understanding the limitations of the locomotory system of arachnids, especially as related to their respiratory systems. In Prestwich's lab, he looks at the energetic consequences of arachnids' different approaches to prey capture and the limits imposed on a arachnid's ability to move about rapidly.