The Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology offers graduate students the opportunity to participate in leading-edge research in a variety of study areas. Graduate students have:
•studied ecological and genetic mechanisms underlying the success of invasive plants
•examined the developmental biology and molecular evolution of sex-determining mechanisms using engineered strains of the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
•investigated distributions and behavior of Plethodon cinereus and P. electromorphus as researched patterns and processes of genome size evolution
•examined molecular phylogenetics and shape variation in the eye-bar patterns of map turtles (genus: Graptemys).
In addition to research opportunities, graduate students in EEOB also gain valuable experience in the classroom as Teaching Assistants. Students have been appointed Teaching Assistant positions with Animal Behavior, Human Anatomy and Physiology, Ecology, Biological Evolution, as well as many other courses.
Each semester, EEOB and EEB provide graduate students with the opportunity to discover the latest scientific findings in ecology, evolution, and biology. Held weekly, these seminars host speakers from around the country, as well as Iowa State University’s own faculty.
In addition, numerous campus organizations allow graduate students to meet people with similar interests and expand on their knowledge and professional skills. Such organizations include:
•Graduate Research in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology (GREBE)
•EEOB Graduate Student Organization (EEOB GSO)