The Graduate Program in Ecology
at Miami University
Facilities
Students in the Graduate Program in Ecology have access to state-of-the-art research equipment and facilities within the participating departments, as well as many shared facilities, including:
Ecology Research Center
Miami University's Ecology Research Center, located less than 3 miles from campus, is a 175-acre field site dedicated to research and education in ecology and environmental science. The center is a focal point for faculty and student research and field exercises for undergraduate and graduate-level courses.
Natural Areas
Miami University's Natural Areas, within walking distance of Oxford and the main campus, consist of over 1000 acres and 15 miles of trails. Some of the research that has been conducted here include: competitive effects of the invasive shrub, Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii), on forest herbs; soil, vegetation, surface runoff, streamflow and landform analysis; land-use history, vegetation analysis and soil analysis related to runoff rates and infiltration.
Hueston Woods State Park
Hueston Woods State Park, located 5 miles north of Oxford and on the west side of Acton Lake, comprises 2936 land acres and 625 water acres. Hueston Woods State Nature Preserve consists of 200 acres representing the beech-maple forest that once covered much of Ohio.
Center for Animal Behavior
Miami University's Center for Animal Behavior provides opportunities to study animal behavior at many levels. The work at the center helps us better understand how animal and human behavior is generated and how it has been maintained over time.
Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics
Miami University's Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics is a state-of-the-art research and training facility available to all members of the university. The center also maintains equipment to assist in bioinformatic and functional genomic research.
Miami University Libraries
The Miami University Libraries contain an extensive collection of information, including books, maps, sound recordings, journals, magazines, newspapers, movies, videos, DVDs, and microfilm. The Brill Science Library contains materials related to the sciences, mathematics, and technology.
Electron Microscopy Facility
The Center for Advanced Microscopy and Imaging at Miami University is an all-university research, teaching and service facility located in Pearson Hall on Miami's main campus. The facility houses 2 scanning electron microscopes, 2 transmission electron microscopes, 2 laser scanning confocal microscopes, a deconvolution light microscope, and a wide-field multimode light microscope.
Botany Research Facilities
The Department of Botany's facilities include greenhouses, a plant growth chamber facility, the largest herbarium in the state of Ohio, as well as cloning, tissue culture, microcomputer room, and other preparation and analysis equipment.
Zoology Research Facilities
The Department of Zoology's facilities include an animal care facility, 2 large aquatic animal rooms for maintaining marine and freshwater organisms, living stream tank systems, environmental chambers, flow-through respirometers, refrigerated water baths, and a Porta-Cool Porta-Temp System for maintaining animals under various temperature conditions.
Geology Research Facilities
The Department of Geology & Environmental Earth Science's facilities include numerous laboratories (e.g. geomicrobiology, hydrogeology, elemental geochemistry, radiogenic isotopes, stable isotopes, x-ray diffractometry), the Limper Geology Museum, 20-channel DC plasma spectrometer, atomic force/scanning tunneling microscope, electrophoretic mobility analyzer, HPLC ion chromatograph, and thermal ionization mass spectrometers.