The Department of Biology is proud to announce that the newest member of our faculty will be joining the department in January.
11/24/2009
Dr. David Richardson has already staked a claim to his office—CSB 227—and is working on getting his lab space set up.
Dr. Richardson attended Cornell as an undergraduate and obtained a BS degree in “Operations Research and Industrial Engineering”.
(Fun trivia: The Biology Department now has 10 full time members, and 50% of them have degrees from Cornell. Can you name them all????)
Following this, he went on to obtain a PhD in “Stream Ecology, Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Sciences”, from the University of Maryland. His research focused on understanding how differences in the time of day and time of year affect the ecology and health of streams.
For the past year or so, he has been busily working on his post-doctoral project at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in nearby Millbrook, NY. This work will pave the way for the type of systems he wishes to study upon starting his job here.
Dr. Richardson will teach a variety of courses in the department. Next semester, he is teaching Bio 302 “Field Biology”. Because of his expertise in freshwater ecosystems, he will use this as a focus in the course, which he describes below:
BIO302: FIELD BIOLOGY (FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS)
PROF. DAVID RICHARDSON
Prerequisites (BIO201 or 15201) and (BIO202 or 15202)
This course (BIO302: Field Biology) focuses on the study of freshwater ecosystems: lakes, human created ponds and reservoirs, and streams.
Physical and chemical properties of the aquatic ecosystems impact organisms in important ways and organisms influence physics and chemistry. As a result, lakes and streams provide excellent systems for understanding the links between biology (organismal dynamics), physical (flow patterns, temperature patterns, and mixing), and chemical (dissolved elements). Also, freshwater ecosystems provide humans with a number of goods and services including drinking water, food, and recreation. We will explore human impacts and interactions with aquatic systems.
SUNY New Paltz is ideally situated to explore freshwater ecosystems with the Wallkill River at the edge of town, several lakes within the Mohonk Preserve, and NYC drinking water reservoirs within a short drive. The class will have weekly laboratories and field trips aimed at the study of the biological, chemical, and physical properties of lakes, streams, and reservoirs. We will visit a wide range of freshwater environments including local (e.g. the Gunk, Wallkill River) and regional (e.g. Lake Mohonk, NYC drinking water reservoirs) sites. Classroom, lab, and field exercises will focus on increasing scientific literacy, understanding the freshwater environment, experimentation, and understanding ecological processes with lakes and streams.
