The Biology Department at the University of Akron invites graduate student applications for Fall 2006. With strengths from molecular to ecosystem levels, the Department strives to foster integrative approaches to biological questions, and makes graduate education to this end a high priority. Faculty and students are strongly collaborative, both with each other and with those in other programs on campus (including Geology, Geography and Planning, Anthropology, Biomedical Engineering, Education, and others).
For those interested in studying Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal biology, the Department offers a strong program and a very interactive group of faculty and graduate students. Many students and faculty conduct research in the University's Bath Nature Preserve and Field station, and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Areas of strength for this group include physiological ecology, behavioral ecology, plant and fungal ecology, aquatic ecology, evolution of mating systems, experimental evolution, systematics, and molecular evolution. The University of Akron is one of Ohio's largest State Universities (24,000 students), and is located in the heart of Akron, in Northeastern Ohio. The University of Akron is completing a broad revamp of the campus including a new and well-designed recreation center, expanded campus green-space, and extensive building renovation. The University is also promoting redevelopment of areas near campus to provide new businesses and housing opportunities. Akron is a mid-sized and very livable city (population of ~210,000), with good amenities and quality of life, including a vibrant remodeled downtown (art museum, symphony, baseball stadium), a thriving arts area, and a strong public spirit. Akron is only half an hour south of Cleveland, which provides access to an even wider range of cultural and arts programs, including many museums, a world-renowned symphony orchestra, the Blossom outdoor auditorium, and several major Universities, in a relaxed and friendly Midwestern atmosphere. Aside from these cultural resources, Akron has strong natural amenities. In particular, the city and University are directly adjacent to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, with over 33,000 acres of deciduous forests, steep ravines, rocky ledges, open meadows, wetlands, streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes. Furthermore, much of Lake Erie is within an hours' drive. The cost of living in the area is modest. The Biology Department is composed of 21 full-time faculty members, approximately 35 Master's students, 6 PhD students, and 600 undergraduates. Graduate Teaching Assistantships, including stipend and tuition scholarship, are available to successful applicants. Summer research fellowships and summer teaching assistantships are also available to continuing students. Students applying for a teaching assistantship should submit an application no later than May 1 for an assistantship starting Fall semester of the same year. Admissions requirements include GRE scores for advanced biology. Applications and further information are available over the internet at http://www3.uakron.edu/biology/. More information is also available by surface mail (Dept. of Biology, Akron, OH 44325-3908), or by phone (at 330-972-7155). Faculty with interests in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology include: Dr. Brian Bagatto Environmental effects on developing vertebrates, evolution of developmental processes http://www3.uakron.edu/biology/bagatto/ Dr. Todd Blackledge Behavioral ecology, evolution of behavior, spider silk biomechanics, evolutionary ecology of spider webs http://www3.uakron.edu/biology/blackledge/tab.htm Dr. R Joel Duff Land Plant Phylogeny, Characterization of plant mitochondrial genomes, Molecular evolution of plant ribosomal DNA genes http://www3.uakron.edu/biology/duff/duff.htm Dr. Peter Lavrentyev Marine and freshwater microbial food webs, trophic cascades, nutrient dynamics http://www3.uakron.edu/biology/peterl/Home/PeterL.htm Dr. Richard L Londraville Cell physiology, Ichthyology, temperature adaptation in ectotherms, proteomics http://www2.uakron.edu/londraville/rll.htm Dr. Randall J Mitchell Plant-animal interactions, plant evolutionary ecology, plant mating patterns, conservation biology, foraging behavior of nectar feeders http://www3.uakron.edu/biology/mitchell/ Dr. Francisco B.G. Moore Evolutionary consequences of gene-gene interactions, theoretical population genetics, experimental evolution in bacteria, the interface between micro and macro evolution, the evolution of novelty http://www3.uakron.edu/biology/facultyresearch.htm#Dr.%20Francisco%20(Pa co)%20Moore Dr. Peter H Niewiarowski Ecology and population biology of reptiles, Physiological ecology, evolution of life histories, individual-based computer simulation models http://www3.uakron.edu/biology/peter/index.html Dr. Donald W. Ott. Study of algal and fungal flora in aquatic systems with emphasis on the genus Vaucheria using light and electron microscopy. Phycology, Mycology http://www3.uakron.edu/biology/facultyresearch.htm#Ott Dr. Jean Pan Plant and microbial ecology, plant fungal interactions, clonal plant biology http://www3.uakron.edu/biology/facultyresearch.htm#Stinner Dr. Stephen C. Weeks Invertebrate zoology, evolution of sex-determining mechanisms, behavioral ecology population biology of aquatic animals http://www3.uakron.edu/biology/hmpg1.html ____________________________________________ Dr. Randall J. Mitchell Department of Biology University of Akron Akron, OH 44325-3908 330-972-5122 Fax 330-972-8445 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.uakron.edu/biology/mitchell/ ____________________________________________
