Graduate Student Research Forum

The Ecology & Evolution Research Discussion Group (EERDG; pronounced "urge") provides a forum at which graduate students can present research in various stages of conception or completion. Its website includes a schedule and other information about graduate students and their research here in the E&E group at FSU.

Overview of the Graduate Program


The faculty in the Ecology and Evolution Group at Florida State University are strongly committed to the graduate program. We realize that the reciprocity between faculty and graduate students is very important: maintaining a dynamic and intellectually aggressive group of graduate students will improve the quality and enjoyment of our entire program. To this end, we help our graduate students to become creative, yet critical, scientists while maintaining a collegial and rewarding atmosphere.

Admission

Our program has no strict admission criteria, but we expect most applicants to have a strong background in biology or a related discipline, including some background in chemistry, calculus, and statistics. Deficiencies in these areas can be addressed by coursework at Florida State University. The program is primarily directed toward Ph.D. students and students who ultimately wish to obtain a Ph.D., but we provide complete guidance for students working towards master's degrees as well. We encourage prospective students to contact individual faculty in the program directly to explore mutual interests in research training opportunities. Interested students must complete the departmental and university applications and must have taken the Graduate Record Exam. Generally, students are selected from a competitive applicant pool each spring for fall-semester admission. After acceptance, we expect all students to be full-time in our program; all students are supported for the duration of their studies with full stipends (generally teaching or research assistantships) and tuition waivers.

Guidance and Course Work

Each student is accepted with a provisional major advisor but may switch advisors during the program. An advisory committee is generally formed in the second semester and consists of two (M.S.) or four (Ph.D.) additional faculty. Where appropriate, faculty from other institutions may be included on advisory committees. The major professor and the committee consult with the student on coursework and research opportunities, as well as evaluating the student annually.

A variety of graduate courses are offered, both in Biological Science and in related departments such as Statistics, Geological Sciences, and Oceanography. The program of studies for each student is unique and is determined through consultation between the student and the advisory committee, but a core group of courses is required. These courses, which take students through their first three semesters, include Advanced Field Biology, Experimental Design and Analyses, Advanced Population Biology, and Advanced Evolutionary Biology. Other courses include Community Ecology, Models in Ecology and Evolution, a "Mock NSF Panel" course on grants and grant writing, Marine Ecology, and a large and ever-changing variety of seminar/reading courses. A detailed description of the graduate requirements can be found on the departmental web pages.

Research Opportunities

Although north Florida provides some wonderful research areas, graduate students in Ecology and Evolution have worked literally all over the world. We encourage our students to explore the natural environments around Tallahassee, while also working with a variety of scientists at FSU to develop a broad base of knowledge and skills. Below are some examples of current graduate research—check back often, as we will highlight the research of different students monthly.

Examples of Current Graduate Student Research

Margaret S. Gunzburger

My research interests are the ecology and conservation of amphibians and reptiles. My dissertation research focuses on the effects of predation by multiple predators on tadpoles of the green treefrog, Hyla cinerea. I am interested in the factors that allow this species to occur across many different habitats when species of closely related treefrogs are limited to specific habitats. I have also worked on several other projects at FSU, including a project evaluating the effects of sediment removal from lakes and ponds on herpetofauna populations and a project investigating the early life history of the salamander Amphiuma means. I enjoy doing research in north Florida; this is an area rich in amphibian and reptile species diversity, and many of my field sites are really beautiful. The Department of Biological Science at FSU is a very supportive; we have an active graduate student discussion group that meets weekly to allow students to share their research and ideas in a relaxed setting with other students.

Eric Walters

I am interested in communities of species that depend on single discrete resources (e.g. dung patches, pitcher plants, and carcasses). Often, these types of discrete resources are ephemeral or temporary in nature. Through both empirical (i.e. field work in the nearby Apalachicola National Forest) and theoretical (i.e. modeling) work, I am examining the ways in which these dynamic resources determine the species assemblage associated with them.