معرفی
Dr. Carissa N. Ganong serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Missouri Western State University, where she has been a faculty member since 2016. Her research program centers on human impacts on aquatic ecosystems across temperate and tropical environments, with specialization in invertebrate communities and ecological monitoring.
Her academic credentials include:
- Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Georgia
- M.S. in Biology from the University of Central Arkansas
- Triple B.S. degrees in Biology, Chemistry, and Spanish from Mansfield University
Current research initiatives involve:
- Distribution studies of burrowing crayfish at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge requiring fieldwork in swampy conditions
- Anthropogenic impact assessments including organophosphate pesticide toxicity on tropical stream insects (Costa Rica)
- Comparative thermal tolerance analyses between temperate (Missouri) and tropical aquatic insect taxa
- Ongoing water quality monitoring of campus ponds
- Biological survey of the 34-acre John Rushin Teaching and Research Prairie
- Collaborative freshwater biodiversity project "From Viruses to Vertebrates" using molecular tools
She actively integrates undergraduate students into all research projects, providing hands-on field and laboratory experience while maintaining long-term ecological monitoring programs. Her work bridges campus-based studies with international field sites in Costa Rica, emphasizing practical applications of ecological principles.
