Thomas (Tom) Luhring
Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences
(First Generation)
I'm an ecologist with a warm spot for ectotherms (environmental chambers). Our lab investigates the effects of variable environmental conditions on ectotherms and how ecological contexts constrain their responses.
(Photo: Dexter Mardis)
Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences
(First Generation)
I'm an ecologist with a warm spot for ectotherms (environmental chambers). Our lab investigates the effects of variable environmental conditions on ectotherms and how ecological contexts constrain their responses.
(Photo: Dexter Mardis)
Graduate Students
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Molly Russell
M.S. Student, Biological Sciences (Fall 2024 - Present) Highlights Investigating anuran development at different temperatures and chemical signatures across varied times of system rewetting. |
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Parker Binns
M.S. Student, Biological Sciences (Fall 2024 - Present) Highlights Conducting a field mesocosm experiment investigating the effects of the timing of drying, refilling, and density on larval anuran growth and vital rates and wetland function. |
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Sydney Falcon
M.S. Student, Biological Sciences (Spring 2023 - Present) Highlights Investigating the initial and cumulative stress impacts of PIT tags vs image recognition in wild, free ranging Siren intermedia. Working on a collaborative Wild Animal Initiative project investigating factors affecting individual juvenile salamander welfare in Eastern Texas (Co-PIs: Drs. Caitlin Gabor, Carmen Montaña, and Christopher Schalk). |
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Jacob Kearns
M.S. Student, Biological Sciences (Fall 2022 - Present) Highlights Investigating the efficacy and costs of PIT tags versus image recognition in wild, free ranging Siren intermedia. Working on a collaborative Wild Animal Initiative project investigating factors affecting individual juvenile salamander welfare in Eastern Texas (Co-PIs: Drs. Caitlin Gabor, Carmen Montaña, and Christopher Schalk). |
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Shania Burkhead-Harris
M.S. Student, Biological Sciences (Fall 2022 - Spring 2024) Highlights Conducted a field mesocosm experiment investigating the effects of drying, refilling, and density on larval caudate growth and vital rates and odonate communities. Awards 2022 - Alan H. Kamb Grant for research on Kansas snakes (Kansas Herpetological Society) 2023 - Student Travel Award (MW PARC) 2023 - Eva J. Gann Scholarship for Women in Herpetology (Kansas Herpetological Society) Manuscripts Burkhead et al., 2022 Aquatic Systems of the Wichita State University Biological Field Station: Youngmeyer Ranch, Elk County, Kansas. Trans. KS Acad. Sci. 125:109-118 Ward et al., 2023 No free refills: Prior drying and vertebrate colonization alter ecological functioning and vertebrate fitness within experimental aquatic systems. Freshwater Biology 68:1614-1626 (Photo: Dexter Mardis) |
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Stephanie Bristow
M.S. Student, Biological Sciences (Summer 2021 - Spring 2023) Highlights Investigated constraints on phenotypic plasticity under multiple ecological constraints and contexts. Awards (also see undergrad awards) 2022 - Student Travel Award (MW PARC) 2022 - George Toland Award for Ecological Research on North American Herpetofauna (Kansas Herpetological Society) (Photo: Dexter Mardis) |
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Samantha (Sam) Skerlec
M.S. Student, Biological Sciences (Summer 2021 - Spring 2023) Highlights Conducted a field mesocosm experiment investigating the effects of drying, refilling, and density on larval amphibian growth and vital rates. Awards 2022 - Student Travel Award (MW PARC) 2022 - Rachel Snyder Memorial Scholarship (Grassland Heritage Foundation) (Photo: Dexter Mardis) |
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Krista J. Ward
(LinkedIn Profile) M.S. Student, Biological Sciences (Summer 2020 - Spring 2022) Highlights Conducted a field mesocosm experiment investigating the effects of drying, refilling, and fish colonization on larval amphibian growth and vital rates. Procured funding for, designed, and initiated a long-term snake monitoring project at the Ninnescah Reserve (WSU Biological Field Station) Investigated the ecology of fish-amphibian interactions in intermittent streams at Youngmeyer Ranch in the Flint Hills. Over 10 Lead or Coauthored presentations at regional or national meetings Awards 2022 Best Poster Award (Kansas Natural Resources Conference) 2021 Howard K. Gloyd-Edward H. Taylor Scholarship (Kansas Herpetological Society) 2021 Walter Meshaka Award for Excellence in Ecology (Kansas Herpetological Society) 2021 Rachel Snyder Memorial Scholarship (Grassland Heritage Foundation) 2020 Alan H. Kamb Grant for Research on Kansas Snakes (Kansas Herpetological Society) Manuscripts Ward et al., 2023 No free refills: Prior drying and vertebrate colonization alter ecological functioning and vertebrate fitness within experimental aquatic systems. Freshwater Biology 68:1614-1626 |
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Christine Streid
M.S. Student, Biological Sciences (Fall 2019 - Summer 2021) Highlights Christine investigated the ecology of freshwater invertebrates in intermittent streams at Youngmeyer Ranch in the Flint Hills. She also ran a full-fledged manipulative mesocosm experiment in her backyard because of COVID-19! |
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Jake Wright
M.S. Student, Biological Sciences (Fall 2019 - Spring 2021) Highlights Jake investigated the ecology of amphibians in intermittent streams at Youngmeyer Ranch in the Flint Hills. Awards 2020 Howard K. Gloyd-Edward H. Taylor Scholarship (Kansas Herpetological Society) |
Undergraduate Students |
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Jamie Joiner (Fall 2024)
Conner Murphey (Fall 2024) Nikki Delay (Spring 2024) Gavin Dupler (Spring 2024) Logan Miller (Spring 2024) Megan Pappan (Spring 2024) Rachel Linhardt (Fall 2023 - Spring 2024) Jacob Anderson (Summer 2023 - Fall 2023) Miranda Williams (Summer 2023) Grace Pastor (Summer 2023 - Spring 2024) Magaly Benitez Castillo (Summer 2023) David Bohorquez (Summer 2023 - Spring 2024) John Suenram (Summer 2022 - Summer 2023) Caelan Schuman (Fall 2022 - Spring 2023) Erin Schaefer (Summer 2022 - Spring 2023) Amani Saber (Summer 2022 - Fall 2022) Corbin Mai (Summer 2022 - Fall 2022) Wyatt Mills (Summer 2022 - Spring 2023) Cindy Gilbert (Summer 2022) Angela Nguyen (Spring 2022 - Spring 2023) Makena Frazier (Spring 2022 - Summer 2022) William Cook (Fall 2022 - Spring 2023) Parker Binns (Fall 2022 - Fall 2023) Lindsey "LC" Choi (Spring 2022 - Spring 2024)
Sydney Falcon (Fall 2021 - Fall 2022) Jacob Kearns (Summer 2021 - Spring 2022) Justin Oettle (Spring 2020 - Spring 2022)
Adam Rogers (Fall 2021 - Summer 2022) Mitch Baker (Summer 2021 - Fall 2021) Ashley Carpenter (Fall 2021) Stephanie Bristow (Spring 2020 - Spring 2021)
Shania Burkhead (Spring 2020 - Spring 2021)
Tiffani Holman (Summer 2020 - Fall 2020) Morgan Simon (Fall 2020 - Spring 2021) Emily Stybr (Spring 2020 - Spring 2021)
Jessica Gulaskey (Summer 2021) Phi Long Huang (Spring 2020, Fall 2020 - Graduated Fall 2020) Ariel Langenberger (Fall 2020, Spring 2021) Zane Liu (Fall 2020) Raven Feldkamp (Fall 2020) Annie Pham (Spring 2020, Fall 2020 - Graduated Fall 2020) Sarah Pulliam (Spring 2020 - Graduated Spring 2020) Jessica Tran (Fall 2020, Spring 2021) |
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Other Members
Shania Burkhead-Harris, M.S.
Research Lab Manager, Biological Sciences
Shania helped with research in the lab as an undergrad and later joined the lab as a graduate student. She loved the lab and the research projects so much that she decided to stay and become the lab manager!
Research Lab Manager, Biological Sciences
Shania helped with research in the lab as an undergrad and later joined the lab as a graduate student. She loved the lab and the research projects so much that she decided to stay and become the lab manager!
Dexter Mardis
WSU Field Station Manager, Biological Sciences
Dexter is a general naturalist with an extensive knowledge of Kansas flora & fauna. He also takes most of the photos of people on the site! Also also, he facilitates our use of field station properties!
Dexter Mardis
WSU Field Station Manager, Biological Sciences
Dexter is a general naturalist with an extensive knowledge of Kansas flora & fauna. He also takes most of the photos of people on the site! Also also, he facilitates our use of field station properties!
Clarke Burgert
Field Technician
Clarke helped extensively with Sam Skerlec's 2022 mesocosm project.
Field Technician
Clarke helped extensively with Sam Skerlec's 2022 mesocosm project.
WSU Watkins Summer Fellows
Ethan Oltean (Summer 2021)
High School Science Teacher at North High School, USD 259
Traci Kalloff (Summer 2021)
High School Science Teacher at Southeast High School, USD 259
High School Science Teacher at North High School, USD 259
Traci Kalloff (Summer 2021)
High School Science Teacher at Southeast High School, USD 259