Biology Department: Stacey L. Halpern

Dr. Stacey L. Halpern with pitcher plant

Education

Courses

Contact information:

Office/Lab
209/208 Strain
503-352-3109 (voice)
503-352-2933 (fax)
shalpern "at" pacificu.edu

Teaching

The impact I've seen teacher-scholars have on individuals and on society is the reason I'm passionate about education. To have that impact, I believe it's essential for teachers to foster student-directed learning and critical thinking. I do this by creating opportunities for students to practice problem-solving skills and the scientific process through case studies and experiential learning.

 

Research

Plants and insects make up more than half of all known species, and their interactions play key roles in both natural and agricultural systems. Both plants and plant-insect interactions are also strongly affected by changes in the environment, including human-caused changes. I study the responses of plant populations and plant-insect interactions to this environmental variation . I aim to do research that not only addresses fundamental questions in ecology and evolution, but also contributes to understanding and perhaps mitigating the ecological effects of environmental changes caused by human activities.

Changes in atmospheric composition are driving climate changes that have left an ecological "fingerprint" on species' phenologies and ranges. Despite the understanding that climate can also act as a strong selective agent, evolutionary responses to climate change have received little attention or have been discounted altogether. I've done work that addressed this gap in knowledge by evaluating the potential for adaptive evolution in an herbaceous perennial, Lupinus perennis. I found that although evolutionary responses to climate change may ameliorate the negative effects of changes in drought regimes, these changes may not keep pace with the rate of environmental change.

Undergraduates who participated in this research: Valerie Kurth, Zdana King, Bill Severud

Invasive plants may face novel environments in their introduced ranges, and some of these changes may contribute to invasion success. I am interested in how differences in plant-herbivore interactions may affect plant invasions. My collaborator (Nora Underwood) and I are exploring how density dependence in plant-herbivore interactions might influence plant invasions. In particular, we're interested in the potential effects of insect herbivores on population regulation in an invasive plant. This work will take place in Florida during the summers of 2006 and 2007; I encourage interested students to contact me about participating in the project.

Undergraduates who have participated in this research so far: Brian Bielfelt, Lauren Brothers

I am strongly committed to mentoring student researchers, and I encourage students to talk with me about possible research projects, either during the school year or over the summer.