Department of Environmental and Forest Biology Annual Report Summer 2017 Academic Year 2017 – 2018 Neil H. Ringler Interim
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Department of Environmental and Forest Biology Annual Report Summer 2017 Academic Year 2017 – 2018 Neil H. Ringler Interim Chair, Department of Environmental and Forest Biology SUNY-ESF 1 Forestry Drive Syracuse, NY 13210 [email protected] (315) 470-6760/6743 August 15, 2018 1 Table of Contents A. Introduction/Overview ......................................................................................................................... 4 B. Teaching – Undergraduates ................................................................................................................. 6 1. Workload summary; Assessment office ........................................................................................... 6 2. Number of undergraduates enrolled by major Fall 2017 ................................................................. 7 3. Undergraduate advising loads by faculty member ........................................................................... 8 4. Courses ............................................................................................................................................ 8 a. By Faculty .................................................................................................................................... 8 b. By Instructional Support Specialists, Adjuncts and Visiting Faculty ........................................ 11 5. Curriculum Changes ...................................................................................................................... 13 There have been no major curriculum changes this year. ...................................................................... 13 C. Graduate Students .............................................................................................................................. 14 1. Number of Graduate Students by degree ....................................................................................... 15 2. Funding of EFB grad students ....................................................................................................... 16 3. Courses having TA support and approximate enrollment .............................................................. 16 D. Research ............................................................................................................................................. 18 1. Publications between June 1, 2017 and May 20, 2018 (excluding papers in review) .............. 18 a. Scientific Presentations .............................................................................................................. 35 b. Additional Faculty Presentations ............................................................................................... 52 2. Grant Activity ................................................................................................................................ 59 3. Scholarly Reviews ......................................................................................................................... 72 4. Grant Proposals .............................................................................................................................. 79 E. Outreach and Service ......................................................................................................................... 85 F. Service Learning ................................................................................................................................ 91 G. Support for Environmental Science ................................................................................................... 93 H. Departmental Governance Structure .................................................................................................. 94 I. Student Learning Outcomes Assessment ........................................................................................... 98 J. Honors and Awards ......................................................................................................................... 100 K. Progress on objectives for 2017-2018 .............................................................................................. 101 L. Certification ..................................................................................................................................... 105 M. Appendices ...................................................................................................................................... 106 1. EFB Faculty: Rank, Degree, Interest areas .................................................................................. 106 2. Summary of Individual Faculty’s Most Significant Accomplishments ....................................... 110 2 3. Foreign Travel .............................................................................................................................. 142 4. Theses and Dissertations Completed ........................................................................................... 145 5. New York Natural Heritage Program Summary Report .............................................................. 148 6. Roosevelt Wildlife Station Summary Report ............................................................................... 157 7. Thousand Islands Biological Station ............................................................................................ 159 8. EFB Budget ................................................................................................................................. 172 3 A. Introduction/Overview EFB had productive, exciting year in teaching, research and public service in 2017-18. We are preparing for new leadership in 2019, following Dr. Don Leopold’s exemplary service since 2005. The Department has always been guided through a strong team effort that will continue with a newly appointed Chair. A summary of our current faculty is provided in Appendix1, and their major accomplishments in Appendix 2. We will welcome new faculty member Dr. Jerry Belant, currently at Mississippi State University as Founding Campfire Professor to continue his global studies of lions, bears, deer, moose and other megafauna. The Campfire Fund is now recognized by name in the Gateway Center. We are delighted that his wife, Mary-Kaye, will also join the Department of Environmental Studies (Writing Program). A search is underway for a Vertebrate Conservation biologist, a search reflecting increased enrollments but also the retirement of wildlife scientists not replace during recent years. Special recognitions of existing faculty this year included Dr. James Gibbs (SUNY Distinguished Professor), Dr. Karin Limburg (SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities), Dr. Alexander Weir (SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching) and Dr. John Farrell (ESF) Exemplary Researcher Award). Total research funding this year exceeded $5.29 M, from a wide range of sources including USGS, NYDEC, USFWS, NSF, as well as corporations and private donors. We published 126 scientific papers in national and international journals, and we delivered more than 300 scientific presentations. More than 167 courses were taught to 677 undergraduate and 136 graduate students. Twenty-five of our graduate students completed their degrees this year. We are preparing for one of the largest undergraduate classes on record, and we will strive to bring on additional faculty to advise and teach across our majors in Environmental Biology, Forest Health, Wildlife Science, Conservation Biology, Environmental Education and Interpretation, Biotechnology, and Aquatic and Fisheries Science. EFB students continue to thrive in positions across the country and are joining graduate/professional schools in veterinary medicine, wildlife and fisheries conservation and environmental health. They are contributing to programs in state and federal agencies and private enterprise throughout the United States and beyond. A key feature of EFB is the interaction between undergraduate and graduate education, with most undergraduates having the opportunity to contribute to graduate research. The College recognizes the unique role of doctoral programs in maintaining a scientific leadership role, and EFB will promote thoughtful external reviews of its graduate programs in the near future. Extensive renovations began in mid-May 2018 in Illick Hall to enhance the Maurice Alexander Lecture Hall (Room 5) and other supporting teaching/research spaces. A new museum facility in the Gateway Center will be formally dedicated in the fall of 2018. Extensive work is being carried out through the Natural Heritage Program 4 (Appendix 5). Enlarged roles are envisioned for the Roosevelt Wild Life Station (Appendix 6). Our field programs are booming at the Cranberry Lake Biological Station and the Thousand Island Biological Station (Appendix 7), with additional studies underway at the La Fayette Field Station and the Adirondack Ecological Center. The EFB budget is summarized in Appendix 8. 5 B. Teaching – Undergraduates 1. Workload summary; based on Assessment Office report Instructor Undergrad and Undergrad and Total Undergrad and Grad Sum 2017 to Grad Grad Class Hours Spring 2018 Res Credits ADAMS, KIM 389 18 1128 BEAL, RICHARD 89 1 264 CASTELLO, JOHN D. 7 13 2 CHEESEMAN, AMANDA 17 0 21 COHEN, JONATHAN 121 87 248 COLLINS, DANIEL 15 0 15 CZEKANSKI-MOIR, JESSE 12 18 0 DANGELO, CORTNEY 48 6 138 DIEMONT, STEWART 55 26 108 DOVCIAK, MARTIN 104 37 256 ETTINGER, TERRY 27 0 81 FARRELL, JOHN 136 32 342 FARRELL,