Faculty Profile

Ryan Sensenig

Associate Professor of Biology/Env Science, Lindsey Field Researcher
Department Chair

Education

BS, Eastern Mennonite University, 1992
CT, James Madison University, 1998
PHD, University of California Davis, 2007

Personal Webpage

VISIT MY PERSONAL WEB-PAGE

Lectures & Presentations

SCIENTIFIC PRESENTATIONS

Sensenig, R.L., E.A. Laca, and M.W. Demment. 2011. Body size and fire-grazing interactions in an East African savanna. Ecological Society of America, Austin Texas.

Gerig, A., J. Good, and R.L. Senseing. 2009. The effects of deer herbivory on Tallgrass prairie forbs. Indiana Academy of Sciences annual meeting, Bloomington, IN.

Sensenig, R.L. 2008. Integrating allometric scaling, landscape ecology, and fire ecology to explain the coexistence of East African grazers, Indiana University South Bend.

Sensenig, R.L., E.A. Laca, and M.W. Demment. 2006. Spatial ecology of fire in an East African savanna: effects of burn size and patchiness on the foraging ecology of grazers of varying body size. Society for Conservation Biology International Convention, San Jose, CA (Student Award Finalist).

 

Selected Publications

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Riginos, R., L.M. Porensky, K.E. Veblen, W.O. Odadi, R.L. Sensenig, F. Keesing, D. Kimuyu, M.L. Wilkerson, and T.P. Young.  2012. Lessons on the relationship between pastoralism and biodiversity from the Kenya Long-term Exclosure Experiment (KLEE). Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice, in press.

Sensenig, R.L., E.A. Laca, and M.W. Demment. 2010. Spatial ecology of fire in an East African savanna: effects of burn size and patchiness on the foraging ecology of grazers of varying body size. Ecology 91:2898–2907.

Gregory, N.C., R.L. Sensenig, and D.S. Wilcove, 2010. Effects of controlled fire and livestock grazing on bird communities in East African savannas. Conservation Biology 24(6):1606-1616.

Demment, M.W., M.M. Young, and R.L. Sensenig. 2003. Providing micronutrients through food-based solutions: A key to human and national development. Journal of Nutrition 133 (11): 3879S-3885S.

Honors & Awards

2006-07

Achievement Reward for College Scientists, Northern California Chapter ($7,500)

2006

Student Award Finalist, Society for Conservation Biology 20th Annual Meeting, San Jose, CA, Spatial ecology of fire in an East African savanna: effects of burn size and patchiness on the foraging ecology of grazers of varying body size.

1999

National Educator Award, Milken Family Foundation, (Chosen as one of 172 teachers from across the nation to receive a $25,000 teaching award by the Milken Family Foundation and the Virginia Department of Education)

1999

Earth Science Teacher of the Year, Virginia Association of Science Teachers

1999

Ray A. Kroc Teacher Achievement Award, Chosen by the 1999 Ray A. Kroc Student Scholar, Mr. Hanley Chiang, as the teacher most influential in his education.

1999

Teacher of the Year, Regional winner, Virginia National Teacher Training Institute

1997

Teacher of the Year, American Association of University Women regional teacher of the year, Virginia.

Grants & Fellowships

2012    National Geographic Society, “Ants, Elephants and Fire: a synergistic examination of savanna tree densities.” Co-PI with Truman Young ($26,950.00)

2012    Goshen College Mininger Grant, Grazing Ecology in Kenya. ($2000).

2011    Goshen College Mininger Grant, Grazing Ecology in Kenya. ($2000).

2010    Goshen College Mininger Grant, Multi-species grazing in tallgrass prairies. ($2000).

2008    Indiana Academy of Science Research Grant, The influence of white-tailed deer on establishment and long-term composition of plant communities in tallgrass prairie restorations, ($2950)

2006-07     Switzer Foundation Environmental Fellowship ($13,000) (Selected as one of six PhD students from California) http://www.switzernetwork.org/fellowships.taf

2006-07     UC Davis Chancellor’s Teaching Fellowship (Selected as one of five UCD graduate students to co-teach a university course with a faculty mentor.)

2006-07     Office of the President’s Dissertation Year Fellowship University of California, Davis (declined)

2004     National Science Foundation Dissertation Improvement Grant, Spatial Ecology of Fire in an East African Savanna: Effects of Burn Size and Patchiness on the Foraging Ecology of Herbivores of Varying Body Size ($13,000)

2003-06     National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Spatial Ecology of Fire in an East African Savanna: Effects of Burn Size and Patchiness on the Foraging Ecology of Herbivores of Varying Body Size ($89,000 stipend 3 years, plus tuition)

2001-03     Research Assistantship Agronomy & Range Science Department, University of California, Davis ($36,000 plus tuition)

2002-04     UC Davis Grants: Jastro Shields research grants, (2002, 2003, & 2004 total: $7,500)

1999     Toshiba American Foundation Grant, Planting for the Future Greenhouse Project,
($7500)