Ryan
Sensenig
Assistant
Professor of Biology, Director of Environmental Science Program,
Lindsey
Fellow at Merry Lea
Ph.D., University of California Davis, 2007
B.S.,
Eastern Mennonite University, 1992
Click here for curriculum vitae
Contact
info
Office: Science Center #212 on campus; Rieth Village at Merry
Lea
Phone: (574) 535-7489 on campus; (260) 799-5869 at Merry Lea
E-mail: rlsensenig@goshen.edu
Fall 2008 I am on campus M-W-F; at Merry Lea T-R
How
I became an ecologist:
I recall bumping around
the savannas of Kenya as a child hunting for the elusive tails
of cheetahs poking through the grasses of Nairobi National Park. Here I found beauty
and drama, and I always encountered the unexpected. Each
day’s excursion was a story with new actors and unscripted
plots.
These daily stories began to merge into larger and larger stories. How
did these systems come to be? How should they be managed? Ultimately,
I began to find one of life’s most interesting elements to
be how everything seems to be connected. Nothing stands alone
in the universe.
Perhaps, then, I “am an ecologist” for these two reasons:
1) because I am drawn to its aesthetic appreciation for natural things,
and (2) I am attracted to the discipline’s habits of mind… its
commitment to untangle the universe’s multitude of connections.
Ideas that matter to me
- There are no dividing lines between academic disciplines.
The boundaries between theology, ecology, psychology, and peace
and justice are ever so fuzzy.
- By learning to live as “creatures” on
this earth, as beings who are part of complex organic systems,
we also simultaneously learn how to be spiritual beings. Spirit
and matter are connected.
- We need to move beyond “environmentalism” and “sustainability” in order to create a momentum that is restorative, creative, and decidedly hope-filled.
I teach General Ecology, Principles of Environmental Science, Marine Biology, and The Biological World (“The Savanna Class”). In all of the courses, we emphasize science as a process by focusing on key paradigms and the world views that bred them. I also value the learning students provide me as we attempt to create a “corporate mind” that encompasses the thinking and contributions of all class members. Finally, the most important goal is to demonstrate habits of “ecological thinking” – the idea that any given thing is tied to a multitude of other things.
What students say
“The class was amazing. Even though biology isn't truly an interest of
mine, the class kept me interested...”
“This course helped to develop my understanding of the inter-connectedness
of all parts of education.”
“This course opened my eyes and got me talking/thinking about topics
I don’t usually talk/think about together.”
Research
Interests
I am currently involved in two research projects,
both of which focus on grassland systems. In Kenya’s Laikipia
savanna I am studying the important role grassland fires play in
creating forage heterogeneity for a suite of grazers ranging in body
size from hare to elephant. Colleagues and I have found a tight,
negative relationship between body size and preference for burned
areas, suggesting that fire processes have been vital to the evolution
of savanna megaherbivore diversity.
At Merry Lea I have started a Tallgrass prairie grazing experiment
to examine the effect of large herbivores on plant dynamics. Colleagues
and I are keen to learn if the missing Pleistocene megafauna present
in North America 12,000 years ago were important drivers of prairie
system dynamics. We are planning experiments that utilize domestic
grazers as surrogates for their missing counterparts.
I
am available to speak on the following topics
- Conservation of African wildlife
- Conservation and sustainable development
- Faith & evolution
- Fire ecology in grasslands
- Grazing ecology
- Tallgrass prairie ecology
Personal Interests
Playing baseball with our two five-year-olds; good conversation about most anything; spontaneous road-trips; camping in the African savanna; learning the names of new species.
International
Experience
Born in Kenya, I have lived in and
around Nairobi for more than 10 years as a child. My wife
and I returned to Laikipia, Kenya for 2 years for me to complete
my Ph.D. field research. Travels
to Israel/Palestine, Jordan, and Egypt were a formative part of my
undergraduate experience.