Nancy McCreary Waters

Nancy McCreary Waters serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Lafayette College, where she has taught since 1985. Her instructional responsibilities include Ecology, Limnology, Environmental Biology, General Biology 102, and a VaST course in Reproductive Technology.

Education

• Ph.D., Notre Dame University

Research Focus: Dr. Waters investigates freshwater ecosystem dynamics with emphasis on population/community-level phenomena and physiological adaptations to environmental stressors. Her work spans stream invertebrate distribution, aquatic macrophyte-invertebrate interactions, and mercury toxicity pathways in polluted ecosystems. Laboratory approaches integrate field sampling, greenhouse mesocosms, and analytical chemistry to examine competition, disturbance responses, and bioremediation potential.

Publication Trends: Recent work (2000-2005) demonstrates consistent focus on macroinvertebrate community responses to reservoirs, colonization timelines, and pollution impacts. Publications frequently feature undergraduate co-authors examining diel limnological cycles and mercury-resistant bacterial symbiosis, reflecting her commitment to student-integrated research in applied freshwater ecology.

Mentorship & Training: She supervises academic-year and summer research projects through programs like the Nalven Summer Fellowship. Student collaborations address stream invertebrate colonization, macrophyte competition dynamics, and effluent pollution impacts, with outcomes presented at conferences like Sigma Xi and the National Conference for Undergraduate Research.

Laboratory Operations: The Waters lab conducts multi-method investigations of freshwater systems using field sites in New Jersey streams and lakes. Current projects analyze mercury-bacteria-plant interactions, macroinvertebrate community assembly on artificial substrates, and physiological adaptations of submersed macrophytes under nutrient stress.