Rachel Short
Education
- NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow in biology | 2020-2022
- Ph.D. in ecosystem science and management | Texas A&M University | 2020
- M.S.T. in secondary earth and life sciences teaching | University of Maine | 2016
- M.S. in geosciences | East Tennessee State University | 2013
- B.A. in biology | Illinois Wesleyan University | 2009
Academic and Professional Experience
Academic Responsibilities
Teaching:
- NRM 110 - People and the Environment
- AIS 498 - Undergraduate Research and Scholarship
- RANG 750 - Grazing Ecology and Management
- NRM 492/592 - Community Ecology
Research and Scholarly Work
Areas of Research
My research integrates ecology, biogeography and paleontology to generate a more complete temporal and spatial understanding of ecosystems, their evolution, their functions and the services they provide. The primary focus of my research program is on understanding how community structure arises over evolutionary time scales and how functional traits, such as locomotor morphology and dental characteristics, respond. By understanding past and current patterns, and the underpinning processes, I aim to leverage the data to support informed projections about the future of Earth’s threatened biodiversity. An additional aspect of my research focuses on facilitating rich place-based, informal STEM learning opportunities designed around ongoing scientific research. This work often merges quantitative and qualitative data focused on learner experiences and public understanding of science.
