Need an Expert for Earth Day?

Michal Polak, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, McMicken College of Arts & Sciences

Polak’s research focuses on genetics and ecology to study evolutionary processes in contemporary populations.

“My research program emphasizes integration of laboratory experimentation with field studies. Field sites at which research has been conducted include the Great Smoky Mountains, the Sonoran Desert ecosystem, Australia, Costa Rica, Fiji, New Caledonia and Mexico.”

Denis Conover, field service associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, McMicken College of Arts & Sciences

"My research focuses on various aspects of ecological restoration," says Conover. "This involves conducting vascular plant surveys of natural areas such as wetlands, forests and prairies. During such surveys, on several occasions I have been fortunate enough to discover previously unknown populations of rare native plants, such as the federally endangered running buffalo clover. After locating such populations, I then make recommendations on how to properly manage the sites for their protection. My research also includes studying ways of controlling invasive alien species such as Amur honeysuckle in natural areas. Such invasive species present a major threat to the preservation of native plant species."

Tim Keener, P.E., QEP
Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research
Professor of Environmental Engineering
Director, Air Pollution Control Program
Director, UC Environmental Training Institute
Member of the Air and Waste Management Association
Member of the American Chemical Society
Member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Environmental Division
Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Environmental Division

As part of a team with fellow College of Engineering researcher Mingming Lu, Keener has developed workshops on air quality that they have led internationally.

Keener offered his lab recently to WCPO's John Matarese for testing mercury in compact fluorescent lightbulbs.

Watch the WCPO video here.

Eric F. Maurer, director of the Center for Environmental Studies, McMicken College of Arts & Sciences

"My research interests focus on how environmental changes interact with and influence patterns of distribution and diversity and the evolution of species traits, such as life history, morphology and behavior," says Maurer. "I use a combination of research techniques in both the laboratory and the field to examine these issues and to test the predictions of ecological and evolutionary theory with respect to changes in the environment, both abiotic and biotic. I have worked with a variety of organisms, utilizing vertebrates (fish and amphibians) and invertebrates (macroinvertebrates and zooplankton) to address questions about how animals respond to environmental variation at both ecological and evolutionary time scales."