Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Conservation Program
The Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Conservation (EEBC) Program includes faculty who research a wide variety of topics and contribute to diverse areas of the biology curriculum. Research laboratories investigate how organisms interact and relate to their environment, how evolution shapes these organisms through time, and how human activities affect biodiversity. Many of our research programs seek to identify strategies to reduce negative impacts on biodiversity through a deeper understanding of organisms and the ecosystems they inhabit. Students can learn the skills necessary to pursue a career in wildlife management, natural resource management and education, ecosystem restoration, or to enter graduate programs.
The EEBC area awards The Dennis Larsen Memorial Scholarship to an outstanding undergraduate with interests in ecological research. Several faculty are also associated with the interdisciplinary NIU Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability and Energy.
EEBC faculty and their research interests:
- Neil W. Blackstone, invertebrate evolutionary biology
- Holly P. Jones, restoration ecology and conservation biology
- Bethia H. King, behavioral ecology, entomology
- Richard B. King, herpetology, evolution and conservation
- Jennifer Koop, invasive species ecology and evolution
- Virginia L. Naples, comparative morphology and vertebrate paleontology
- Karen E. Samonds, paleontology and paleobiogeography
- Wesley D. Swingley, microbial ecology
