PRAIRIE PROJECT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- University Professor for Undergraduate Teaching Excellence at the Ecology and Conservation Biology Department at Texas a & M University
Dr. Wu is the A.W. Thaman University Professor for Undergraduate Teaching Excellence at the Ecology and Conservation Biology Department at Texas A&M University. He has collaborated on projects in designing an infrastructure and sustainable learning community for integrating data-centric teaching resources in undergraduate biology education. He has conducted over 40 workshops (1-3 hour) on topics such as active and inquiry-based learning, engaging students with technology, blended learning, teaching large classes, peer review of teaching, decoding the discipline, implicit biases, and habits and skills of successful new faculty.
Job Titles:
- Associate Research Scientist at Texas a & M Transportation Institute
Dr. Birt's research interests are systems modeling and decision support. He is an Associate Research Scientist at Texas A&M Transportation institute, where he has adapted his ecological modeling skills to transportation systems and vice versa. He is currently PI on projects investigating Brown Pelican mortality on roads. In 2010 he was award the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Superior Service Award
Job Titles:
- Professor at Texas a & M University
- Professor at Texas a & M University in the Ecology and Conservation Biology Department
Dr. Rogers is a professor at Texas A&M University in the Ecology and Conservation Biology Department. He was awarded the Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher Award from Texas A&M University's Ecosystem Science and Management Department in 2013 and 2017 and serves at the Editor-in-Chief for Plant Ecology, Springer.
Job Titles:
- Sid Kyle Professor of Semiarid Ecohydrology, Department of Ecology, Conservation Biology at Texas a & M University
He recently led "Coupled Human and Natural Systems Grant Slowing the expansion of woodlands and increasing the resilience of grasslands in the Southern Great Plains" project funded by NSF and was awarded in 2018 Outstanding Achievement in Research from the Society for Range Management.
Job Titles:
- Secondary Science Teacher at Jenks Public Schools in Jenks, OK
Mr. Yockers is a Secondary Science Teacher at Jenks Public Schools in Jenks, OK. In 2008, he received the Vision of Excellence Award from Jenks Public Schools and, in 2020, was awarded the Outstanding Service Award from the Oklahoma Section of the Society of Range Management. He developed Jenks Fire Ecology Research Station for Teaching [FERST] as a long-term study site designed to provide students of all ages the opportunity to learn about tallgrass and cross timber ecosystems and to gain field ecology experience using the role of fire in Oklahoma as the unifying theme.
Job Titles:
- Charles Breedlove Professor of Agribusiness in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University
Dr. Peel is the Charles Breedlove Professor of Agribusiness in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University. He recently was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from SAEA in 2017 and the Excellence in Extension from the Southern Region from APLU in 2015. His program and expertise areas consist of: Livestock Market Analysis and Outlook; Livestock Marketing Education and Risk Management; Economics of Stocker Cattle Production and Marketing; International Cattle and Beef Trade; Mexican Cattle and Beef Industry; NAFTA Cattle and Beef trade Issues.
Job Titles:
- Program Coordinator for Working Lands Conservation at the University of Nebraska
Dr. Fogarty is the Program Coordinator for Working Lands Conservation at the University of Nebraska where he works to bridge gaps between science and implementation. His work focuses on the conservation of grassland ecosystems, with an emphasis on what makes them vulnerable to woody plant invasion and how management actions and policies can be used to reduce grassland vulnerability. Ultimately, he seeks to inform solutions for large-scale conservation through research, extension, and teaching.
Dr. Twidwell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture at the University of Nebraska. In 2016, he was awarded the UNL Junior Faculty Excellence in Research from the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Outstanding Young Range Professional Award from the Society for Range Management. He is the Scientific Advisor for the Board of Educational Lands and Funds, which manages grasslands to generate revenue for public school education in Nebraska.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Extension Range Specialist With the Texas a & M AgriLife Extension Service
Dr. Bill Fox is an Associate Professor & Extension Range Specialist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service; and a faculty member in the Rangeland, Wildlife & Fisheries Management Department at Texas A&M University in College Station. He also provides leadership for the Center for Natural Resources Information Technology at Texas A&M. Dr. Fox has been working in the arena of the impacts of rangeland management on ecosystem goods and services since 2000, when he returned to the Texas A&M University System. Over the years he has focused on land management strategies for a diverse suite of landscapes ranging from rehabilitation of highly disturbed military training lands to restoration of oil/gas development, the influence of vegetation communities on water resources in working landscapes, and most recently, the impacts of land management on carbon sequestration in rangeland soils. Dr. Fox was part of a nationwide team working to illustrate the integration of the bio-physical and socio-economic subsystems of ecosystems. These efforts resulted in the development of the Integrated Social, Economic & Ecological Conceptual (ISEEC) Framework that has been used to define interactions between these sub-systems over time. Dr. Fox currently serves as a Science Advisor for the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium and as a member of their Grazing Strike Force. He also serves as a Technical Advisor for the Texas - Grazing Lands Coalition. Dr. Fox holds a Bachelor's degree in Range Science from Texas A&M University, a Masters in Animal & Range Sciences from New Mexico State University and a Ph.D. in Rangeland Ecology & Management from Texas A&M University.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Associate Professor in the Texas a & M University Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management
Dr. David Matarrita-Cascante is an associate professor in the Texas A&M University Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management. He is a rural sociologist with interests in natural resource sociology, community sociology, and human dimensions of rangelands. His work, conducted through quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research methods, takes place domestically and internationally.
Job Titles:
- State Range Extension Specialist in the Natural Resource Ecology and Management Department at Oklahoma State University
Dr. Laura Goodman is an Assistant Professor and State Range Extension Specialist in the Natural Resource Ecology and Management Department at Oklahoma State University. Her broader research interests include determining mechanism of domesticated ungulate grazing behavior and distribution and its effect on animal performance and plant communities. She is specifically interested in individual behavioral differences that are consistent in multiple contexts and limit an animals' ability to adapt in varying environments.
Dr. Sam Fuhlendorf is the Groendyke Chair in Wildlife Conservation and Regents Professor at Oklahoma State University in the Natural Resource Ecology and Management Department. He was awarded the Sustained Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Range Management in 2018. His program goals are to produce knowledge and technologies that contribute to our general understanding of nature and maintain rangelands for ecosystem services and continued economic development. Dr. Fuhlendorf's specific research focuses on conservation and management of rangeland landscapes that are dominated by native plants and animals.
Job Titles:
- Co - Director for the Center for Mathematics
Dr. Waxman is a Co-Director for the Center for Mathematics and Science Education, Director for the Texas A&M Education Research Center, and Professor of Teaching, Learning and Culture Department at the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University. He has collaborated on the STEM Collaborative for Teacher Professional Learning at Texas A&M University. And also, the Evaluation of United Way of Greater Houston Education Initiative.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor in the Ecology and Conservation Biology Department at Texas a & M University
Dr. West is an Associate Professor in the Ecology and Conservation Biology Department at Texas A&M University. He is currently Chair of the Physiological Ecology Sect.; Ecological Society of America and serves as part of the Terrestrial Biogeochemistry Working Group, National Ecological Observatory Network.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Science Literacy Specialist in Biological Systems Engineering Department at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Dr. Keshwani is an Assistant Professor and Science Literacy Specialist in Biological Systems Engineering Department at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. She has lead the Cultivate ACCESS team to provide an interactive mentoring program for rural and underrepresented minority youth with career professionals in STEM-related agricultural careers. She has also recruited curriculum writing team to develop high school science curriculum focused on agricultural sustainability.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor in the Ecology and Conservation Biology Department at Texas a & M University
Dr. Veldman is an Assistant Professor in the Ecology and Conservation Biology Department at Texas A&M University. During 2015-2018, Veldman regularly consulted with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the World Resources Institute (WRI), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) regarding incorporation of savanna and grassland ecosystems in large-scale ecological restoration efforts. These efforts have included substantial contributions by Dr. Veldman to TNC's Natural Climate Solutions - United States Analysis, as well as several teleconferences with the Forest Landscape Restoration teams of WRI and IUCN.
Job Titles:
- Professor in Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management for Texas a & M AgriLife Research Service in San Angelo, TX
Dr. Walker is a Professor in Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management for Texas A&M AgriLife Research Service in San Angelo, TX. He serves as the Chair of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Agricultural Animal Care and Use Committee and in 2013, he served as President for Texas Section Society for Range Management. He has conducted targeted grazing workshops and webinars for targeted grazing users and practitioners, publishing a handbook on targeted grazing and establishing a Targeted Grazing committee in the Society for Range Management.
Mr. Weir is an Associate Extension Specialist with Natural Resource Ecology and Management Department at Oklahoma State University. He was awarded the Henry Wright Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Fire Ecology in 2015. Mr. Weir has worked with developing prescribed burn associations since 1997 has led to the formation over 70 different associations in 11 states with over 1,000 members.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor in the Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation Department at Virginia Tech
Dr. Sorice is an Associate Professor in the Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation Department at Virginia Tech. He established a special study in Fall 2014 entitled "Coupling Social & Ecological Systems" and developed it into a formal class in the graduate curriculum and serves as an Advisory Board member for the Global Change Center at Virginia Tech.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Range and Forage Sciences at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Dr. Stephenson is an Associate Professor of range and forage sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Extension Range Specialist in the Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Department at Texas a & M AgriLife Extension Service in San Angelo, Texas
Dr. Treadwell is an Associate Professor and Extension Range Specialist in the Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Department at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in San Angelo, Texas. She was recently award the 2019 Outstanding Young Range Professional from the Texas Section Society for Range Management. Her research interests revolve around fire and grazing interactions on native plant communities and management strategies to effectively and efficiently reduce woody brush encroachment.
Job Titles:
- Instructional Consultant at the Center for Teaching Excellence at Texas a & M University
Dr. Poling is an Instructional Consultant at the Center for Teaching Excellence at Texas A&M University. He focuses on program/curriculum redesign facilitation in Special Education, Ecosystem Science and Management, Soil and Crop Sciences, Wildlife and Fisheries Science, Poultry Science at Texas A&M University. He also engages in faculty professional development workshops, sessions, and consultations.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor at Oklahoma State University
Dr. Joshi is an Assistant Professor at Oklahoma State University and was awarded the 2012 Outstanding Ph.D. Student Award from the Department of Forestry at Mississippi State University in 2012. He is also currently working on a research project entitled "Adaptive Resource Management in a landscape in transition: Understanding climate change vulnerability and adaptation among forest-dependent communities of the Eastern Himalayas".
Job Titles:
- Sheep and Goat Specialist and Associate Professor at Texas a & M AgriLife Extension Service in San Angelo, Texas
Dr. Redden is the Sheep and Goat Specialist and Associate Professor at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in San Angelo, Texas. He received the Myron and Muriel Johnsrud Excellence in Extension/Outreach Award and Extension Program of Excellence Award in 2012 from North Dakota State University.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor in Animal Science
Dr. Reuter is an Associate Professor in Animal Science from Oklahoma State University. He serves as the Associate Editor for Professional Animal Scientist and is a Diplomate for the American College of Animal Nutrition.
Job Titles:
- Sid Kyle Professor of Semiarid Ecohydrology, Department of Ecology, Conservation Biology at Texas a & M University
He recently led "Coupled Human and Natural Systems Grant Slowing the expansion of woodlands and increasing the resilience of grasslands in the Southern Great Plains" project funded by NSF and was awarded in 2018 Outstanding Achievement in Research from the Society for Range Management.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor at the University of Florida 's West Florida Research
Dr. Donovan is an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida's West Florida Research and Education Center. Her research program aims to provide knowledge of how changing patterns and processes that function across large scales can shape local management and conservation outcomes.