TRACY S. FELDMAN

CURRICULUM VITA

June 2009

 

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Address:         Department of Biology                                                           Telephone:                 (715) 342-5340

                        167 TNR Building                                                                  Fax:                            (715) 346-3624

                        The University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point                        Website:                     www.tracysfeldman.com

                        Stevens Point, WI 54481                                                        E-mail:                          tfeldman@uwsp.edu

 

POSITIONS HELD:

 

·         Assistant Professor of Biology (Plant Ecologist), The University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI, August 2008 – present

Projects: demography of Fassett’s Locoweed, an endemic plant in WI; morphological evolution in swallowtail caterpillars; biology and diversity of endophytic fungi in WI; biology of karner blue butterflies.

 

·         Postdoctoral Research Associate, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Ardmore, OK, January 2006-August 2008

Project: Viruses of plant-associated fungi: their ecology, diversity, and effects on host fungi and plant parasitism (as part of a larger NSF-EPSCoR funded project on plant virus biodiversity).

Supervisor: Dr. Marilyn J. Roossinck

 

EDUCATION:

 

·         Ph.D. in Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC (May 2005).

Dissertation: Can pollination facilitation mitigate the Allee effect? 

Advisor: Dr. William F. Morris

 

·         M.S. in Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (May 1998).

Thesis: Effects of an introduced plant on oviposition choice and larval survival of native butterflies (Anthanassa spp.) in Monteverde, Costa Rica

Main advisor: Dr. Thomas C. Emmel

 

·         B.A. in Biology, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY (May 1995). 

Thesis: Island biogeography of goldenrod-associated insects

Advisor: Dr. William Maple

 

 

FELLOWSHIPS, GRANTS AND AWARDS:

 

·         Certificate in Teaching in Biology, committee, Duke University Biology Department, 2003-2004

 

·         National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (received May 2002)

 

·         Duke University Graduate Student Teaching Mini-grant for Insect Biology using the case study method (received spring 2002; see below)

 

·         Biology Department grant-in-aid-of research (received 2001)

 

·         Duke University Graduate Student Teaching Mini-grant for re-writing laboratory exercises for Ecology (Biology 110) (received spring 2001, in conjunction with Jason McLachlan, Jennifer Nelson, and Colin Saunders)

 

·         Sigma Xi grant-in-aid-of-research (received winter 1998)

 

·         National Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship (received 1997)

 

PUBLICATIONS

 

Published in Refereed Journals:

  

      Xu P., Chen F., Mannas J. P., Feldman T. S., Sumner. L.W., Roossinck M.J. 2008. Virus infection improves drought tolerance. The New Phytologist 180(4): 911-921.

 

      Feldman T.S. 2008. The plot thickens: Does low density affect visitation and reproductive success in a perennial herb, and are these effects altered in the presence of a co-flowering species? Oecologia. 156(4):807-817.

 

      Feldman T.S., O’Brien H.E. and Arnold A.E. 2008. Moths transport fungi associated with Claviceps paspali and the grass Paspalum. Microbial Ecology 56(4):742-750.

 

Feldman, T.S. 2006. Pollinator aggregative and functional responses to flower density: Does pollinator response to patches of plants accelerate at low-densities? Oikos 115: 128-140.

 

Fleet, C.M., Rosser, M.F.N., Zufall, R.A., Pratt, M.C., Feldman, T.S., and Lemons, P.P.  2006. Hiring Criteria in Biology Departments of Academic Institutions. Bioscience 56(5):430-436.

 

      Feldman, T.S., Morris, W.F., and Wilson, W.G.  2004.  When can two plant species facilitate each other’s pollination?  Oikos 105:197-207.

 

Feldman, T.S. and Haber, W.A. 1998. Oviposition behavior, host plant use, and diet breadth of Anthanassa butterflies using plants in the Acanthaceae in a Costa Rican community. The Florida Entomol. 81(3):396-406.

 

Feldman, T.S. 1998. Fatal Interactions?: when exotic plants are lethal to native insects.  Wildland Weeds.

 

Publications in Preparation:

 

Feldman, T.S. and Morris, W.F. Effects of density-dependence in fecundity, growth, and survival on the Allee effect in a perennial plant.

 

Feldman, T.S. Consequences of ovipositing on an unsuitable plant: oviposition choice, enemy-free space, and larval dispersal in Anthanassa ardys (Nymphalidae: Melitaeini).

 

PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS (last 5 years):

 

Feldman, T.S. and Roossinck, M.J. 2008. Patterns of fungal virus biodiversity in a natural community of fungi. Ecological Society of America meetings.

 

Feldman, T.S. and Roossinck, M.J. 2007. A field survey of fungal viruses associated with a parasitic plant and its host. Ecological Society of America meetings.

 

Feldman, T.S., Blinkova, O. and Walker, N. 2007. Mycoparasites in symbiotic plant-fungal interactions. Ecological Society of America meetings (given on behalf of O. Blinkova).

 

Feldman, T.S., O’Brien, H.E. and Arnold, A.E. 2006. Moths carry viable propagules of fungal associates of a grass and its pathogen. Ecological Society of America meetings.

 

Feldman, T.S. 2005. Population-level effects of pollination facilitation. Ecological Society of America meetings.

 

Feldman, T.S. 2004. Can one species rescue another from low-density effects? Ecological Society of America meetings.

 

Feldman, T.  S., Morris, W.F. and Wilson, W.G.  2003. When can two plant species facilitate each other’s pollination? (theory and data). Ecological Society of America meetings.

  

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

 

Course Instructor and Curriculum Development:  

 

·         Full-time faculty, UWSP Department of Biology (fall 2008-present; responsible for all aspects of these courses):

·         General Ecology: a lecture course introducing the major subfields of ecology, stressing mathematical ecology and the scientific method

·         Ecological Methods: a laboratory course with an emphasis on doing ecological studies, from experimental design to data collection and analysis, to writing lab reports.

·         Plant Ecology: an advanced lecture and laboratory course on ecological principles applicable to plants

·         General Biology: a lecture and laboratory course for non-majors, covering basic principles and ideas in ecology and evolution.

·         seminars in various topics, including “mutualisms” and “virus evolution and ecology”. 

 

·         Part-time faculty, teaching Introductory Botany for the Continuing Education Program at Guilford College (fall 2003).  I developed and taught the entire course, including syllabus, seven 2.5-hour lecture classes, six 2.5-hour laboratory classes, quizzes, exams, written assignments on three readings, all grading.

 

·         Co-designed and co-taught an introductory course in insect biology for advanced undergraduates (using the case study method) at Elon University, during January term 2003, with Lisa Carloye, professor of biology.  I designed and facilitated two activities involving case studies during the course.

 

·         Designed and implemented a laboratory on Arthropoda for an Organismal Evolution class, Duke University (spring 2004).

 

Guest Lecturer

 

·         Lecture on Jewish family values and traditions for a course on multicultural values at UWSP (fall 2008)

 

·         Lecture on pollination ecology for an ecology class at Texas Women’s University (fall 2007)

 

·         Lecture on species interactions for an ecology class at Midwestern State University (spring 2006)

 

·         Lecture on mutualisms for an ecology class at Duke University (fall 2004)

 

·         Lecture on the Insecta for an organismal evolution class at Duke University (spring 2003)

 

Student Mentor:

 

·         Mentored 1 undergraduate student researching the demography of Fassett’s Locoweed, a rare plant in central Wisconsin (summer 2009)

·         Mentored 1 undergraduate student in an independent study to develop a course on prairie plant ecology at UWSP (fall 2008)

·         Mentored 1 undergraduate student in an independent project on Patterns of evolution in the endornaviruses; at the Noble Foundation (summer 2008).

·         Wrote several bootstrapping programs used to analyze sequence data (mutations, insertions, and deletions in virus genomes) for studies on virus evolution in the Roossinck lab. (spring-fall 2007)

·         Mentored 1 undergraduate student in PCR and nucleic acid extraction techniques at the Noble Foundation (summer 2007)

·         Mentored 1 undergraduate student who worked with me during my dissertation work this student was funded under an NSF REU program (summer 2002)

·         Mentored 2 undergraduate students who worked with me during my masters research at the University of Florida (fall 1997)

 

Teaching Assistant and Laboratory Instructor:

 

·         Organismal Evolution at Duke University (spring 2003 and 2004). I taught one lab section, wrote and graded quizzes and a lab practical, graded exams and individual student projects involving presentations and papers.

 

·         The Diversity of Life at Duke University (fall 2002). I co-taught a lab section (two times per week), graded exams and lab practicals.

 

·         Introduction to Ecology at Duke University (fall 2000, 2004, and 2005). I taught one lab section, graded exams and student projects.

 

·         Animal Physiology at Duke University (spring 2000). I taught one lab section, graded exams and student projects.

 

·         Introductory Biology at Duke University (fall 1999). I taught one lab section and one seminar section (leading small-group discussions), graded exams, student projects.

 

·         Introductory Biology at the University of Florida (fall 1996). I taught two lab sections, grading student writing assignments and lab practicals.

 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

 

·         Summer Teaching Workshop on learning goals and assessment, Stevens Point, WI (June 2009)

 

·         Faculty College (UW system), Richland Center, WI (May 2009)

 

·         Women & Science workshop on teaching and learning, Green Lake, WI (September 2008)

 

·         Workshop on Hierarchical Bayesian Modeling, Ecological Society of America meetings (Aug 2007)

 

·         Teaching workshop Duke University (spring 2001).

 

·         Organization for Tropical Studies course in Tropical Biology (Jan-Mar 1997); Independent post-course research on incidental pollination of Begonia by beetles at La Selva biological station in Costa Rica.

 

·         Independent research project in Monteverde, Costa Rica (Jan-Mar 1996). 

Studied oviposition behavior, host plant use, and diet breadth of Anthanassa butterflies using plants in the family Acanthaceae

Supervisor: Dr. William Haber

 

SYNERGISTIC ACTIVITIES AND OUTREACH:

 

·         Graduate Committee, University of Florida Zoology Department, fall 1998

·         Sierra Club Inner-City Outings group: assisted on excursions with young children from urban and low-income neighborhoods to area parks for hiking and some environmental education (2001-2005).  

 

COLLABORATIONS:

 

·         Dr. Marilyn J. Roossinck, Professor of Plant Biology, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation

·         Dr. Richard S. Nelson, Professor of Plant Biology, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation

·         Dr. Heath E. O’Brien, Biology, Duke University

·         Dr. A. Elizabeth Arnold, Professor of Plant Pathology, University of Arizona

·         Dr. William A. Haber, Biology, Missouri Botanical Gardens

·         Dr. William F. Morris, Professor of Biology, Duke University

·         Dr. William G. Wilson, Professor of Biology, Duke University

 

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:

 

·         Ecological Society of America (1998-present)

 

REVIEWER FOR:

 

·         Agricultural and Forest Entomology

·         American Journal of Botany

·         American Naturalist

·         Agricultural and Forest Entomology

·         Biological Invasions

·         Ecology Letters

·         Journal of General Virology

·         Madrono

·         Oecologia

·         Oikos

 

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

 

·         Moderate facility with Spanish (I have spent over ten months in Costa Rica and Panama)

 

OTHER ACTIVITIES:

 

·         Violin, guitar and voice: perform solo and in groups (contemporary folk, classical, etc.), write songs, compose music. Recordings: 1. Standing Room Only (1999).  2. Sea of Lucky Numbers (2003). 3. Survivin’ in the ‘Burbs (2006). 4. Middle of the Road (2009). Organized yearly benefit concerts (2001-2005) to raise funds for causes that further peace in situations that affect international stability.

 

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