“…One builds science with facts, as (one builds) a house with stones. But a collection of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones is a house.”
– Jules Henri Poiuncare (Science and Hypothesis, 1908)
Science is an endeavor, an endeavor driven by unanswered questions. Research is what we do to find answers to those questions. Thus research is the basis of science. However, the science classroom provides little opportunity to actually do science, to address those questions that are currently unanswered.
Because of this, we encourage undergraduate and graduate students who are serious about science to be active participants in our research program. Whether your interests are in biotechnology, evolutionary genetics, ecology, behavioral ecology, wildlife biology, conservation biology, aquatic or marine biology, field botany, or plant biology we can provide you with an opportunity to participate in the process of scientific discovery.
The following faculty have active research programs involving students. You can visit their webpages to learn more about their specific research interests. If you’re interested in research, contact a faculty member whose interests most closely match your own.
- Dr. Chad Brock – Evolutionary biology and ichthyology
- Dr. Victoria Chraibi – Diatoms, Paleoecology, Phycology
- Dr. Dustin Edwards – Viral genetics
- Dr. Kristin Herrmann – Parasitology
- Dr. Jesse Meik – Herpetology and evolutionary biology
- Dr. Allan Nelson – Plant conservation, Bottomland forest ecology, Floristics of the Cross Timbers of Texas
- Dr. Russell Pfau – Population, evolutionary, and conservation genetics
- Dr. Harold Rathburn – Application of biotechnology to enhance insect and drought resistance in agricultural crops
- Dr. Max Sanderford – Neural control of cardiovascular function
- Dr. Janice Speshock – Toxicology, Microbiology, Silver Nanoparticle Neutralization of Viruses
- Dr. Phil Sudman – Conservation genetics; Vertebrate biology