Formal College Courses
The courses that I regularly teach at KU are the 3-credit Stream Ecology lecture course (Biol 661) and its accompanying 2-credit Stream Ecology Lab course (Biol 671) in the Spring of odd-numbered years and the 3-credit course Biology of Freshwater Invertebrates Biol 669 in Spring semesters of even-numbered years. I occasionally teach Marine Biology in the summer and offer an accompanying 8-day field trip to the Caribbean Sea.
Graduate Student Research Opportunities
Research opportunities are open on a continuing basis for students seeking a masters or doctoral degree in aquatic ecology (fundamental ecological questions) and freshwater environmental biology (more applied research questions). If you're interested in discussing a graduate program in my lab after reviewing my research interests and graduate student philosophy and if you believe you have the academic preparation to be accepted in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, please contact me at thorp@ku.edu or stop by my office for a visit.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Research opportunities for undergraduates take many forms and are funded (or unfunded) in many ways. Students may work on semi-independent research projects with federal support (e.g., NSF's REU program) or with no financial support but with the benefit of gaining college course credit. Many other less-independent opportunities for gaining research training come through employment in labs on extramural research grants to the professor. Sometimes I advertise for student openings in my lab; at other times I just ask students who I know (usually from class); and occasionally students inquire directly on their own. If you are interested in gaining more training in aquatic sciences and have a strong academic background, contact me in person or send me an email message.
