The faculty teaching in RCTC’s Environmental Science program bring both their academic knowledge and also their industry work experience. This combination of academics and industry experience is another valued aspect of the RCTC program.
Dr. Cory Rubin, Instructor of Biology at RCTC, has MS and PhD degrees from the University of Illinois in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, as well as a BS from University of Illinois in Animal Sciences. His main focus of study is in the field of Conservation Biology. Dr. Rubin has extensive experience working with imperiled wildlife and vegetation, ranging from the threatened Blanding’s turtle and endangered greater prairie chicken to prairie ecosystems. Other organisms Dr. Rubin has studied include migratory songbirds, waterfowl, and small mammals.
Prior to teaching at RCTC, Dr. Rubin was a Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) in northwestern North Dakota (Des Lacs, Lostwood, and Upper Souris NWRs). During that time, he did research on wildlife and vegetation inhabiting northern mixed-grass prairies that included migratory bird nesting success and the effects of controlled fire and grazing on prairie restoration. Dr. Rubin has extensive experience using GPS and GIS technology to map, locate, and analyze wildlife and vegetation. Dr. Rubin brings a combination of diverse academic and field experience in Environmental Sciences and Conservation Biology, experience with diverse organisms and habitats, and a variety of teaching experiences to the Environmental Science Program at RCTC.
Links:
- University of Illinois (www.uiuc.edu/)
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (http://nres.illinois.edu)
- USFWS (www.fws.gov/)
- Des Lacs NWR (www.fws.gov/jclarksalyer/deslacs/)
- Lostwood NWR (www.fws.gov/lostwood/)
- Upper Souris NWR (www.fws.gov/uppersouris/)
Dr. Jennifer Rubin, Instructor of Biology at RCTC, has MS and PhD degrees from University of Illinois in Plant Biology, as well as a BA in Biology from St. Olaf College. She has field experience in global change biology in forest trees in Tennessee and North Carolina undergoing experimental enrichment of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, primarily addressing how young trees respond to these changes.
She has post-doctoral research experience in the mixed-grass prairies of North Dakota, studying effects of prescribed burning and grazing on plant communities, especially how these management techniques affect plant species that invade native prairies on Des Lacs and Lostwood NWRs. Her experience in the forests and the prairies included wide-ranging use of mapping, GIS, and GPS technology monitor plant growth and physiology and larger-scale vegetation changes.
Dr. Rubin has taught a variety of courses at RCTC, including Concepts of Biology, Elements of Biology, Microbiology, Plant Biology, and Environmental Biology in Fall 2008. She brings a combination of education and research in environmental and plant ecology, field work in a variety of habitats and communities, and many teaching experiences to the Environmental Science Program at RCTC.
Links:
- University of Illinois (www.uiuc.edu/)
- Department of Plant Biology (http://www.life.illinois.edu/plantbio)
- Biology Department (wp.stolaf.edu/biology)
- St. Olaf College (www.stolaf.edu)
- Des Lacs NWR (www.fws.gov/jclarksalyer/deslacs/)
- Lostwood NWR (www.fws.gov/lostwood/)
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Phone Contact: 507-285-7557