Ecology Research Center
at Miami University
About Us
Staff
Dr. Ann L. Rypstra
(rypstral@muohio.edu) is the Director of the ERC and a Distinguished Professor of Zoology at Miami University. Ann is an ecologist interested in predator/prey interactions and how those interactions might influence the evolution of spacing patterns, species interactions, and social behavior.
Rodney Kolb
(kolbrj@muohio.edu) is the manager of the ERC. Rodney also provides expertise in designing sampling or experimental equipment, as well as assisting with locating vendors for unusual items. Contact Rodney at (513) 529-5634 if you would like more information about the Ecology Research Center or would like to schedule a visit to the ERC.
Administration
The director and manager regularly report to the ERC Policy Committee, which includes members from 7 different Miami University departments.
Visiting the ERC
The ERC is located just north of Oxford, OH, approximately 2 miles from Miami University's main campus (about 40 miles northwest of Cincinnati and about 100 miles southeast of Indianapolis). Follow St. Rt. 732N onto Somerville Rd (to the right). Stay on Somerville Rd. for about 1/2 mile. The ERC is located at the top of the hill to the right (the first driveway on the right side of the road).
[Click icon above to view larger map.]
[View a schematic map of the Ecology Research Center facilities.]
[Get directions to Oxford, directions to ERC from your location, or schedule a campus visit.]
Funding
The College of Arts and Sciences at Miami University and external grants from governmental agencies have funded a wide variety of ecological research at the ERC. Those agencies include:
- United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- Department of Energy (DOE)
- Ohio Biological Survey (OBS)
Undergraduate Research
Miami University's Ecology and Environmental Science Research Experience for Undergraduates (Eco-REU) program provides an opportunity for undergraduates to perform ecological research at the ERC, attend professional meetings, participate in field trips, and hear well-known scientists speak. Students also have the opportunity to present their research results at a public symposium. Participants receive up to 12 free tuition credit hours, free housing, and a stipend for the work they complete.
Gary W. Barrett Research Grant: The Ecology Research Center is pleased and honored to offer an annual award of the Gary W. Barrett Research Grant. This grant provides funds, up to $1000, for materials and supplies for undergraduate research conducted at the ERC.
Dr. Gary W. Barrett, currently Odum Professor Emeritus of Ecology at the University of Georgia, was the founding director of the ERC in 1969 and served as its director until 1992. He is a strong supporter of undergraduate research and, while at Miami, fostered numerous undergraduate research projects, many of whom published their work in peer-reviewed journals. This grant is supported by an endowment donated primarily by Dr. Barrett to continue the tradition of quality and excellence in undergraduate research at the Ecology Research Center.
Proposals for undergraduate research are accepted each fall by the Office for the Advancement of Research and Scholarship (OARS). OARS encourages, initiates, assists, and celebrates faculty research, scholarship and effective teaching at Miami University by providing both internal and external grant funding opportunities. The Barrett Award Committee will review all ecologically related proposals that are received by OARS and will make their awards separately from OARS. For more information on the Gary W. Barrett Research Grant contact the Director, Ann Rypstra (rypstral@muohio.edu).
Cost sharing: The ERC is occasionally able to provide a small amount of support for research conducted on site. The ERC can typically provide matching costs for equipment or materials that individuals need as long as those items are kept at the ERC and are available for use by other researchers. If cost sharing interests you please submit a brief description of the item, how the item will be used and an estimate of the cost to the ERC director, Ann Rypstra (rypstral@muohio.edu).