A diverse community of scientists uses KSR for research and teaching. "Resident" here refers to faculty or staff based at the University of Kansas, Baker University, Haskell Indian Nations University, and Johnson County Community College who currently work, or have recently worked, on KSR projects. In addition to those listed here, many current and former faculty, staff, and students have used KSR facilities as part of their research or teaching activities.

Resident Faculty & Staff Investigators:

(Listed in alphabetical order)

Helen M. Alexander

Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Ph.D., Duke University). Plant population biology: Ecological and genetic interactions between plants and fungal pathogens; potential ecological consequences of crop-wild hybridization, using wild sunflowers as a model system; and population dynamics of long-lived prairie plants.

Kenneth B. Armitage

Emeritus Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin). Behavioral ecology: Life history strategies of ground-dwelling sciurids, including marmots and woodchucks.

 

Sharon A. Billings

Assistant Scientist, Kansas Biological Survey; Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Ph.D., Duke University). Global change biology and biogeochemistry: Impact of climate change on ecosystem fluxes of nitrogen and carbon.

 

Roger L. Boyd

Professor and Chair, Biology Department, Baker University; Adjunct Curator, Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center (Ph.D., Colorado State University). Ecology: Avian ecology; wetland restoration; and conservation biology.

 

James J. Butler, Jr.

Senior Scientist, Kansas Geological Survey (Ph.D., Stanford University). Hydrogeology: Experimental analysis of groundwater flow patterns and development of field methods for aquifer characterization. Director of the Geohydrologic Experimental and Monitoring Site (GEMS) facility.

 

Scott W. Campbell

Staff Researcher, Kansas Biological Survey (M.S., University of Kansas). Applied aquatic ecology: field management of aquatic studies at the Kansas Aquatic Mesocosm Program facility; reservoir water quality studies; development of new technologies for control and management of aquatic plants.

Calvin L. Cink

Professor, Biology Department, Baker University (Ph.D., University of Kansas). Avian ecology: Population biology of Chuck-wills-widow, Whip-poor-will, and Kentucky Warbler.

 

Frank deNoyelles, Jr.

Associate Director, Kansas Biological Survey; Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies Program, Director of the Kansas Aquatic Mesocosm Program (KAMP). (Ph.D., Cornell University). Aquatic ecology: Effects of pesticides on aquatic communities; variation in rates of contaminant biotransformation using experimental ecosystems; and ecology of subepilimnetic phytoplankton in thermally stratified water bodies.

Tatsuji Ebihara

Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Ph.D., University of Cincinnati). Environmental toxicology: Pathogen transport in soil systems and hydrocarbon biotransformation processes in “biofilms” (microbial communities occurring as thin layers coating solid surfaces).

Henry S. Fitch

Emeritus Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley). Vertebrate ecology: Ecology and behavior of reptiles, especially snakes, and long-term studies of successional change. Resident naturalist on the Fitch Natural History Reservation since 1948.

Bryan L. Foster

Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Ph.D., Michigan State University) Plant community ecology: Processes that regulate plant species distribution and biodiversity in tallgrass prairies and successional grasslands; spatial processes in communities; habitat restoration; and linkages between biodiversity and ecosystem function.

Johanna Foster

Associate Professor, Johnson County Community College; Adjunct Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Ph.D., University of Kansas) Ecology and conservation biology: Effects of mound-building ants on tallgrass prairie plant communities, including comparisons of soil characteristics and plant species on and off ant mounds; influence of management practices on ant species distribution in native and restored prairies.

Craig C. Freeman

Curator, Division of Botany, Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center; Associate Scientist, Kansas Biological Survey; Courtesy Associate Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Ph.D., Kansas State University) Plant systematics: Floristics of the grassland biome of central North America; prairie conservation; collection-based informatics; and systematics and evolution of Asteraceae.

David W. Graham

Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Ph.D., University of Arizona) Environmental toxicology: Use of molecular biology for studies of contaminant biotransformation in natural systems; correlations between biological indicators of environmental stress and physical and chemical conditions; and impact of endocrine-disrupting compounds on aquatic organisms and communities.

Robert H. Hagen

Program Associate, University of Kansas Field Station and Ecological Reserves, Kansas Biological Survey; Courtesy Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Ph.D., Cornell University) Population genetics and ecology: Insect-plant interactions and arthropod population structure; KSR research proposal development, long-term planning, and program management activities.

Christopher H. Haufler

Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Ph.D., Indiana University) Plant systematics: Evolution and systematics of the fern family Polypodiaceae, including patterns and processes of speciation in ferns.

 

John M. Healey

Research Assistant, Kansas Geological Survey (M.S., Iowa State University) Hydrogeology: Development and improvement of field methodologies used in hydrogeology and aquifer characterization.

 

Robert D. Holt

Professor and Arthur R. Marshall Jr. Chair in Ecology, University of Florida (Ph.D., Harvard University) Theoretical and community ecology: Predator-prey interactions, patch dynamics, and the interface between ecology and evolutionary biology.

 

Donald G. Huggins

Senior Scientist, Kansas Biological Survey; Courtesy Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Ph.D., University of Kansas) Aquatic ecology and entomology: Quantification of human disturbances on aquatic ecosystems.

 

Bruce A. Johanning

Operations Manager, University of Kansas Field Station and Ecological Reserves, Kansas Biological Survey Management of experimental facilities: Design, construction, and maintenance of field facilities and equipment at KSR.

 

W. Dean Kettle

Associate Director, University of Kansas Field Station and Ecological Reserves, Kansas Biological Survey (Ph.D., University of Kansas) Ecology and conservation biology: Natural resource management and planning; long-term biological monitoring; and historical analysis of vegetation change and land use. Coordinator of research, teaching, and management at KSR.

Kelly Kindscher

Associate Scientist, Kansas Biological Survey; Associate Professor, Environmental Studies Program; Courtesy Associate Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Ph.D., University of Kansas) Conservation biology: Studies of prairie plant communities, including plant species richness and diversity; wetland and prairie restoration; and ethnobotany, including uses and conservation of native medicinal plants.

Dennis D. Lane

N.T. Veatch Distinguished Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Ph.D., University of Illinois-Urbana) Air quality research: Studies on airborne particulates; acid rain; and atmospheric deposition.

 

Cynthia K. Larive

Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry (Ph.D., University of California at Riverside) Environmental analytical chemistry: Application of GC/MS, LC/MS/MS and LC/NMR to study the fate of organic contaminants in aquatic systems and to determine the structure of their breakdown products as a means for elucidating transformation pathways.

Stanford L. Loeb

Courtesy Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Research Affiliate, Environmental Studies Program (Ph.D., University of California at Davis) Applied aquatic ecology: Environmental monitoring of lakes and reservoirs; land use changes and their impact on water quality; and algal primary production.

Gwen L. Macpherson

Associate Professor, Department of Geology (Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin) Geochemistry and hydrogeology: Low-temperature aqueous geochemistry, including time series analysis of the hydrochemistry of shallow carbonate and alluvial aquifers.

 

Glen A. Marotz

Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Ph.D., University of Illinois-Urbana) Air quality research: Air quality modeling; statistical analysis; and experimental design.

 

Craig E. Martin

Professor and Chair, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Ph.D., Duke University) Plant physiological ecology: Crassulacean acid metabolism; environmental and biochemical limitations on photosynthesis; anatomical and morphological influences on ecophysiology; photosynthesis in rock outcrop succulents; and adaptations to irradiance in C4 grasses, mosses, and epiphytes.

Edward A. Martinko

Director, Kansas Biological Survey; Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies Program (Ph.D., University of Kansas) Community ecology: Remote sensing of natural resources; insect community ecology; and landscape analysis and characterization.

Carl D. McElwee

Professor, Department of Geology; Senior Scientist, Kansas Geological Survey (Ph.D., University of Kansas) Hydrogeology: Theoretical description of flow systems; model studies of availability of groundwater in Kansas; modeling of chemical quality; and evaluation of groundwater resources.

Raymond J. Pierotti

Associate Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies Program (Ph.D., Dalhousie University) Vertebrate ecology: Evolutionary biology of vertebrates in relation to breeding system and parental care; field ecology of coyotes and deer mice; development of programs for training Native American students in environmental research.

Galen L. Pittman

Station Manager/Biologist, University of Kansas Field Station and Ecological Reserves, Kansas Biological Survey (M.A., University of Kansas) Field biology: Monitoring bird populations and field ornithology; on-site facilities management, weather station operation, and assistance in long-term monitoring studies at KSR.

Kevin P. Price

Professor, Department of Geography; Associate Director, Kansas Applied Remote Sensing Program, Kansas Biological Survey (Ph.D., University of Utah) Biogeography and landscape ecology: Monitoring and modeling of ecosystems using remotely sensed measurements and geographic information systems (GIS).

Stephen J. Randtke

Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Ph.D., Stanford University) Water quality and treatment: Strategies for control of naturally occurring and synthetic chemical contaminants in public water supplies; and sources and transformations of chemical contaminants in water supplies.

Stanley D. Roth

Adjunct Naturalist, Kansas Biological Survey (M.S., Emporia State University) Ecology: Field research and environmental education.

 

Vaughn Salisbury

Research Associate, University of Kansas Field Station and Ecological Reserves, Kansas Biological Survey (B.S., University of Alaska-Fairbanks) Natural resource management: Forestry and forest entomology; long-term forest monitoring.

 

Norman A. Slade

Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Senior Curator, Division of Mammals, Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center (Ph.D., Utah State University) Mammalian population ecology: Impact of environmental stochasticity on population growth and projection matrices; applications of capture-recapture techniques to nontraditional types of data; and long-term studies of small mammal populations.

Val H. Smith

Associate Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies Program (Ph.D., University of Minnesota) Ecosystem and community ecology: Relationships between resource supplies and the structure and function of biological systems: including studies of the mechanisms that generate and maintain biodiversity in lakes and in old fields; the ecology of invasions by non-indigenous organisms; the mechanisms that regulate biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus; and the effects of multiple stressors on aquatic systems.

Orley R. Taylor, Jr.

Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Ph.D., University of Connecticut) Insect ecology and behavior: Studies of reproductive and life history patterns in butterflies and plants; comparative biology of European and Neotropical African honey bees; and migratory behavior of monarch butterflies. Director of Monarch Watch, an educational outreach program based at the University of Kansas.

Valery J. Terwilliger

Associate Professor, Department of Geography (Ph.D., University of California at Los Angeles) Biogeochemistry and plant ecology: Application of stable isotope methods to study carbon and water use patterns of trees in tropical and temperate forests.

 

James H. Thorp

Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Senior Scientist, Kansas Biological Survey (Ph.D., North Carolina State University) Ecology of large rivers: Carbon cycling through food webs; roles of biotic interactions in shaping benthic and pelagic communities in rivers.

 

Li Zheng

Assistant Scientist, Kansas Geological Survey (Ph.D., University of Notre Dame) Hydrogeology: Characterization of aquifer heterogeneity; studies of flow and transport in heterogeneous porous media; adaptive modeling of reactive transport in aquifers; and water supply and water resources management.