education
| 1989 | Ph.D., Department of Zoology and Ohio Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH |
| 1985 | M.S., Department of Zoology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH |
| 1982 | B.S., Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, Fort Wayne, Indiana – (Minor in Mathematical Sciences) |
professional experience
| Assistant Director for Research Programs, School of Fisheries, Aquaculture & Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University (March 2015-present) |
| Professor, School of Fisheries, Aquaculture & Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University (October 1999-present) |
| Editor, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (October 1999-present) |
| Associate Professor, Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures, Auburn University (October 1994-September 1999) |
| Assistant Professor, Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures, Auburn University (January 1990-September 1994) |
honors and awards
| 2015 | American Fisheries Society Fellow, inaugural class |
| 2015 | Auburn University Spirit of Auburn Sustainability Award (for my teaching in the Sustainability minor) |
| 2014 | Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station Director’s Senior Research Award |
| 2014 | Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station Director’s Grantsmanship Award |
| 2011 | Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station Director’s Grantsmanship Award |
| 2008 | Distinguished Service Award from the American Fisheries Society |
| *** | In addition, my graduate students have won more than 20 awards and honors. |
Professional affiliations
| American Fisheries Society |
| Alabama Chapter of the American Fisheries Society |
| Auburn University Chapter of the American Fisheries Society |
Research Activities
My professional interests have been focused in merging research and education in an academic setting with the ultimate goal of addressing applied management issues. My broad research interests lie at the interface between the basic fields of ecology (e.g., population, community, behavioral) and the applied fields of fisheries and aquatic natural resource management. Toward this end, I use concepts and approaches from ecology to address management problems. More specifically I am interested in 1) the roles of species interactions (including direct and indirect effects, ontogenetic niche shifts, complex interactions) in determining the eventual community structure of aquatic systems (including both managed and natural systems), and 2) how ecological principles can be used in the study and eventual restoration of rare and endangered species. I have worked in all forms of aquatic systems, including ponds, reservoirs, streams, rivers, estuaries, and the northern Gulf of Mexico with a diverse array of taxa including fishes, snails, mussels, and crayfishes. Both graduate students and undergraduate students are integrated in these activities to provide them with an overall mentoring experience.
Recent courses taught
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–FISH 7340: Fish Ecology –FISH 6970/7960: various topics (I have taught a graduate discussion oriented seminar with Dr. Jack Feminella in the Biological Sciences Department numerous times over the past 20 years, offering topics such as Classic Papers in Ecology, Ethics in Science, Disturbance, Introduced Species, Global Climate Change, Ecological Conservation and Restoration) –HONR 1027: Sustainability and the Modern World –SUST 2000: Introduction to Sustainability –SUST 5000: Senior Capstone in Sustainability |
Select Publications
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