Biology
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Dr. Tom D. Schultz
Ph.D. in Zoology from University of Texas at Austin, 1983
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Academic Positions
Teaching at Denison
I find it very satisfying and fun to explore the natural world, but my real passion is for the learning process. The challenge of being exposed to a new idea, questioning it, evaluating it, and even testing it, is very fulfilling for me. I especially enjoy making connections between seemingly disparate ideas or concepts in different disciplines (an important ability in a time when boundaries between scientific disciplines are becoming blurred). The courses I teach all involve integrating different approaches and levels of organization. Sometimes I think I have the perfect job in that I am paid to learn new things and share them with students, and to help them to develop a "Swiss Army Knife" of critical thinking skills. With these skills, they can become good leaders and thoughtful citizens in any field, and better able to face the uncertainty of the future.
Senior Research
One of the best aspects of being at a small college is the opportunity for close faculty-student collaboration on independent research. I have had the pleasure of advising a number of undergraduate students who have conducted a variety of outstanding research projects, many of which have been presented at national scientific meetings. As a research advisor, I involve students in my studies of insect behavioral ecology or enlist students interested in conservation biology in conducting inventories and monitoring studies at the Bio Reserve and other sites in Licking County. In almost all cases, these projects require a summer of field work prior to the senior year. In the past, my summer research students have been supported with Anderson Research Fellowships or stipends provided through the Denison University Research Foundation.
See research projects for a list of recent projects advised.
See senior research syllabus for requirements of senior research under my supervision.
Research
Interests
- Function of Animal Coloration and Visual Signals.
- Ecology and Evolution of Predator Defense Colorations in Insects.
- Conservation Biology of Insects and their Use as Indicator Taxa.
- Biology of Tiger Beetles.
- Behavioral Ecology of Dragonflies and Damselflies.
My scholarship involves two different areas of research involving insects:
the behavioral ecology of insect coloration, and the use of insects as
indicator taxa in bio-monitoring. Much of my previous work
has focused on tiger beetles and how habitat preferences influence thermoregulatory
behavior and anti-predator defenses. Recently, I have explored adaptive
colorations in other insects, including the intraspecific signals of damselflies,
in the context of the light environment of their preferred habitats. I am also engaged in long-term monitoring studies of the species richness
and abundance of odonates and other insects.
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Memberships
- Animal Behavior Society
- Coleopterist's Society
- Dragonfly Society of America
- Ecological Society of America
- International Society of Behavioral Ecology
- Ohio Odonata Society
- Society for the Study of Evolution