do you have the clarkson gene?
Dr. Tom Langen
Associate Professor
Psychology Department
163 Science Center
PO Box 5825
Potsdam, NY 13699-5825
Phone: 315-268-7933
Fax: 315-268-7118
E-mail: tlangen@clarkson.edu
Education:
Ph.D. University of California, San Diego 1994
Courses Taught:
Behavioral Ecology, Animal Learning & Cognition.
Research Interests:
Animal behavior, ecology and conservation biology
My research is in the areas of animal behavior, ecology and conservation biology. Currently, I investigate how infrastructure and land-use affect the environment, and what policies, technologies, and best-practices aid at reducing environmental impacts of human activities. Three projects target roads: (1) What are the environmental impacts of deicing road salt, and how might winter road management practices be modified to reduce these impacts? (2) Where in a road network are hotspots of herpetofauna road mortality, what are the population consequences of road-kill, and what management options are most effective at reducing road mortality? (3) What are the environmental impacts of highways that bisect national parks in Costa Rica, and how can roadside habitat be managed to reduce these impacts? Another focus of my research is on management of wetlands, including whether wetlands restored on private land by federal agency partnership programs are effective at conserving native species, and what management practices and landowner incentives may be most effective in these programs.
Publications (last five years):
Langen, T.A., K. Ogden, and L. Schwarting. 2009. Predicting hotspots of herpetofauna road mortality along highway road networks: model creation and experimental validation. Journal of Wildlife Management 73: in press.
Grimberg, S.J., T.A. Langen, S.E. Powers, L.D. Compeau. 2008. A theme-based seminar on environmental sustainability improves participant satisfaction in an undergraduate summer research program. Journal of Engineering Education. 97:95-103.
Langen T.A., A. Machniak, E. Crowe, C. Mangan, D. Marker, N. Liddle, and B. Roden. 2007. Methodologies for surveying herpetofauna mortality on rural highways. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:1361-1368.
Gouvea S.P., C. Melendez, M.J. Carberry, G.S. Bullerjahn, S.W. Wilhelm, T.A. Langen, and M.R. Twiss. 2006. Assessment of phosphorous-microbe interactions in Lake Ontario by multiple techniques. Journal of Great Lakes Research 32: 455-470.
Langen T.A., and S. Grimberg. 2006. Balanced activities increase student satisfaction in a mentored summer research program. American Society for Engineering Education, Proceedings of the 2006 Annual Conference and Exposition 2006-846.
Steen D.A., M.J. Aresco, S.G. Beilke, B.W. Compton, C.K. Dodd Jr., H. Forrester, J.W. Gibbons, J. Greene-McLeod, G. Johnson, T.A. Langen, M.J. Oldham, D.N. Oxier, R.A. Saumure, F.W. Schueler, J. Sleeman, L.L. Smith, J.K. Tucker, and J.P. Gibbs. 2006. Relative vulnerability of female turtles to road mortality. Animal Conservation 9:269-273.
Langen T.A., and R. Welsh. 2006. Effects of a problem-based learning approach on attitude change and science and policy content knowledge. Conservation Biology 20:600-608.
Twiss M.R., T.A. Langen, M.G. Giroux, S.M. Johns, N.E. Liddle, A.R. Snyder, D.P. Zeleznock, and J. Wojcik. 2006. Land use influence on water quality in the Saint Regis River, a north-flowing tributary of the St. Lawrence. Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies 13:26-32.
Langen T.A., M.R. Twiss, G.S. Bullerjahn, and S.W. Wilhelm. 2005. Pelagic bird survey on Lake Ontario following Hurricane Isabel, September 2003: Observations and remarks on methodology. Journal of Great Lakes Research 31:219-226.
Twiss, M.R., T.A. Langen, G.S. Bullerjahn, S.W. Wilhelm, and D.C. Rockwell. 2005. The Lake Ontario Great Lakes Science Practicum: A model for training limnology students on how to conduct shipboard research in the Great Lakes. Journal of Great Lakes Research 31:236-242.
Luttbeg B., and T.A. Langen. 2004. Comparing alternative models to empirical data: cognitive models of Western Scrub-Jay foraging behavior. American Naturalist 163:263-276.
Langen TA. 2004. Cognition: Food Storing. In Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, Volume 1 (M. Bekoff, ed.), pp. 290-293. Greenwood Press, Westport CT.
Langen, T.A. 2004. What is right with 'teaching the controversy'? Trends in Ecology and Evolution 19:114-115.
Funding (current):
St. Lawrence River Research & Education Fund “Proposed Wildlife Barrier for Reptiles & Amphibians along New York State Highway 68 at Upper and Lower Lakes Wildlife Management Area” (PI, co-PIs: K. Janoyan, G. Johnson (SUNY Potsdam), Partners: St. Lawrence County (New York) Board of Legislatures, New York Department of Transportation, New York Department of Environmental Conservation; $10,020) 2008-2009
US Fish & Wildlife Service / New York State Department of Environmental Conservation State Wildlife Grants Program
(PI, co-PI: G. Johnson (SUNY Potsdam); Partners: US Fish & Wildlife Service, USDA National Resource Conservation Service, $148,433) 2008 – 2010
US Fish & Wildlife Service / New York State Department of Environmental Conservation State Wildlife Grants Program
(co-PI, PI: G. Johnson (SUNY Potsdam), other co-PIs: A.R. Breisch (NYSDEC), M.B. Kolosvary (NYS Biodiversity Institute);
$118,494) 2008 - 2010
US Environmental Protection Agency / National Fish & Wildlife Foundation 5 Star Partnership Program, (PI, co-PI: G. Johnson (SUNY Potsdam), Partners: St. Lawrence County (New York) Board of Legislatures, New York Department of Transportation, New York Department of Environmental Conservation; $11,701) 2008
New York State Department of Education Math and Science Partnership Program (co-PI, PI: P. Turner, other co-PIs: S. Powers, D. Wick, K. Fowler, S. Minor, R. Partch, J. Carroll; $328,476.00) 2007-2009
Fulbright Scholar Program, “Impacts of Public Roads on Costa Rican National Parks; Animal Behavior with Applications to Conservation Biology” (PI, Full semester salary & expenses to teach & conduct research at the International Institute of Wildlife Conservation & Management, National Autonomous University of Costa Rica) 2007-2008
National Geographic Society Committee for Research & Exploration, “Impact of public roads on Costa Rican National Parks” (PI, co-PI: J. Saenz (National University of Costa Rica), G. Johnson (SUNY Potsdam) $12,100) 2007-2008
N.S.F. FSML Program, “FSML: Planning Grant for the Great Rivers Center Field Station” (co-PI, PI: M. Twiss; Award number DBI-0628054, $13,264) 2007-2008
Undergraduate Research Paper Authorships (Students are in bold):
Langen, T.A., K. Ogden, and L. Schwarting. 2009. Predicting hotspots of herpetofauna road mortality along highway road networks: model creation and experimental validation. Journal of Wildlife Management 73: in press.
Langen T.A., A. Machniak, E. Crowe, C. Mangan, D. Marker, N. Liddle, and B. Roden. 2007. Methodologies for surveying herpetofauna mortality on rural highways. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:1361-1368.
Gouvea S.P., C. Melendez, M.J. Carberry, G.S. Bullerjahn, S.W. Wilhelm, T.A. Langen, and M.R. Twiss. 2006. Assessment of phosphorous-microbe interactions in Lake Ontario by multiple techniques. Journal of Great Lakes Research 32: 455-470.
Twiss M.R., T.A. Langen, M.G. Giroux, S.M. Johns, N.E. Liddle, A.R. Snyder, D.P. Zeleznock, and J. Wojcik. 2006. Land use influence on water quality in the Saint Regis River, a north-flowing tributary of the St. Lawrence. Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies 13:26-32.
Undergraduate Student Presentations:
Olesheski P. ('04, Environmental and Occupational Health), Wright, M. ('04 Bowdoin University, Environmental Science and Engineering REU program) & Langen T.A. 2004 (5th annual) SURE Conference: Frequency of road crossings by radiotracked turtles along New York State Highway 68 in St. Lawrence County.
Langen, T.A, Machniak A., Crowe E. ('05, Biology, Environmental Science and Engineering REU program), Mangan C. ('05, Biology), Marker D. ('06, Biomolecular Science, Clarkson Honors Program) 2004 Northeast Natural History: Impact of roads on St. Lawrence County NY herptiles.
Liddle N. ('06, Biology), Roden B. ('05, Environmental Science and Policy) & Langen T.A. 2004 (6th annual) SURE Conference: Road induced altered sex ratios of Chelydra serpentina and Chrysemys picta along New York State Highway 68 in Upper & Lower Lakes Wildlife Conservation Area.
Michel, J. ('05, SUNY Canton, NIH 2+2 Bridge Program) & Langen T.A. 2004 (6th annual) SURE Conference: Are roadside turtle nests warmer than other nesting sites?
Black, T. ('05, Lycoming College, Environmental Science and Engineering REU Program) & Langen T.A. 2004 (6th annual) SURE Conference: Roadsides provide preferred nesting sites for Chelydra serpentina
Rose, A. ('08, Clarkson School) & Langen T.A. 2005 (6th annual) Spring SURE Conference: Effects of deicing road salt on benthic macroinvertebrates in Adirondack Lakes.
Ogden, K. ('05, Biology) & Langen T.A. 2005 (6th annual) Spring SURE Conference: Land use as a predictor of amphibian and reptilian mortality on roads in Northern NY.
Liddle, N. ('05, Biology) & Langen T.A. 2005 (6th annual) Spring SURE Conference: Road mortality induced adult sex ratios of Chelydra serpentina and Chrysemys picta in Upper and Lower Lakes.
Ghosh, A. ('07, Environmental Science & Policy) & Langen T.A. 2005 (6th annual) Spring SURE Conference: Assessing the impact of road salt use on chloride levels of the Adirondack Lakes.
Rose, A. ('08, Honors Program) & Langen T.A. 2005 (7th annual) Spring SURE Conference: Success of snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) nests constructed along paved roads.
McSherry, M.('06, Cornell University, Environmental Science and Engineering REU Program) & Langen T.A. 2005 (7th annual) SURE Conference: Movement patterns of nesting Chelydra serpentina females across sites bordering NYS Highway 68, St. Lawrence County, NY.
Schwarting S. ('08 Biology, Honors Program) & T.A. Langen 2006 (8th) Annual SURE Conference: Surveying and predicting hotspots of herpetofauna road mortality on New York State roads.
Brown J. ('07 Environmental Science and Policy) & T.A. Langen 2006 (8th) Annual SURE Conference: Monitoring turtle nest predation along barrier fencing using camera traps.
Fitzgerald D. ('07 Biology, McNair Program) & T.A. Langen 2006 (8th) Annual SURE Conference: & T.A. Langen 2006 (8th) Annual SURE Conference: Impacts of a protective roadside barrier on turtle nest mortality.
Briita Orwick ('07 Lewis & Clark College, Environmental Science and Engineering REU Program) & T.A. Langen 2006 (8th) Annual SURE Conference: Culvert use by Cheydra serpentina to move between wetlands bisected by a highway
Grasek M ('07 LeMoyne College, Environmental Science and Engineering REU Program) & T.A. Langen 2006 (8th) Annual SURE Conference: Effectiveness of two wildlife barriers at preventing animals from approaching a highway.
Davis A. ('10 Biomolecular Science, Honors Program) & T.A. Langen 2006 (8th) Annual SURE Conference: Microclimate of turtle nests beside protective roadside barriers vs. roadside nests.
Benson C. (’08 Environmental Science & Policy) 2007 (10th) Annual SURE Conference: Effectiveness of two road barrier designs at preventing herpetofauna from approaching a highway.
Boulerice J. (’07 Biology) 2007 (10th) Annual SURE Conference: Connectivity and spatial patterns of restored wetlands in the St. Lawrence Valley of New York
Turnquist M. (’07 University of Wisconsin, Madison) 2007 (10th) Annual SURE Conference, 2007 Midwest Regional Conference of the Wildlife Management Society: Demographic impact of road mortality on turtle populations.
Psychology Department
163 Science Center
PO Box 5825
Potsdam, NY 13699-5825
Phone: 315-268-7933
Fax: 315-268-7118
E-mail: tlangen@clarkson.edu
Education:
Ph.D. University of California, San Diego 1994
Courses Taught:
Behavioral Ecology, Animal Learning & Cognition.
Research Interests:
Animal behavior, ecology and conservation biology
My research is in the areas of animal behavior, ecology and conservation biology. Currently, I investigate how infrastructure and land-use affect the environment, and what policies, technologies, and best-practices aid at reducing environmental impacts of human activities. Three projects target roads: (1) What are the environmental impacts of deicing road salt, and how might winter road management practices be modified to reduce these impacts? (2) Where in a road network are hotspots of herpetofauna road mortality, what are the population consequences of road-kill, and what management options are most effective at reducing road mortality? (3) What are the environmental impacts of highways that bisect national parks in Costa Rica, and how can roadside habitat be managed to reduce these impacts? Another focus of my research is on management of wetlands, including whether wetlands restored on private land by federal agency partnership programs are effective at conserving native species, and what management practices and landowner incentives may be most effective in these programs.
Publications (last five years):
Langen, T.A., K. Ogden, and L. Schwarting. 2009. Predicting hotspots of herpetofauna road mortality along highway road networks: model creation and experimental validation. Journal of Wildlife Management 73: in press.
Grimberg, S.J., T.A. Langen, S.E. Powers, L.D. Compeau. 2008. A theme-based seminar on environmental sustainability improves participant satisfaction in an undergraduate summer research program. Journal of Engineering Education. 97:95-103.
Langen T.A., A. Machniak, E. Crowe, C. Mangan, D. Marker, N. Liddle, and B. Roden. 2007. Methodologies for surveying herpetofauna mortality on rural highways. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:1361-1368.
Gouvea S.P., C. Melendez, M.J. Carberry, G.S. Bullerjahn, S.W. Wilhelm, T.A. Langen, and M.R. Twiss. 2006. Assessment of phosphorous-microbe interactions in Lake Ontario by multiple techniques. Journal of Great Lakes Research 32: 455-470.
Langen T.A., and S. Grimberg. 2006. Balanced activities increase student satisfaction in a mentored summer research program. American Society for Engineering Education, Proceedings of the 2006 Annual Conference and Exposition 2006-846.
Steen D.A., M.J. Aresco, S.G. Beilke, B.W. Compton, C.K. Dodd Jr., H. Forrester, J.W. Gibbons, J. Greene-McLeod, G. Johnson, T.A. Langen, M.J. Oldham, D.N. Oxier, R.A. Saumure, F.W. Schueler, J. Sleeman, L.L. Smith, J.K. Tucker, and J.P. Gibbs. 2006. Relative vulnerability of female turtles to road mortality. Animal Conservation 9:269-273.
Langen T.A., and R. Welsh. 2006. Effects of a problem-based learning approach on attitude change and science and policy content knowledge. Conservation Biology 20:600-608.
Twiss M.R., T.A. Langen, M.G. Giroux, S.M. Johns, N.E. Liddle, A.R. Snyder, D.P. Zeleznock, and J. Wojcik. 2006. Land use influence on water quality in the Saint Regis River, a north-flowing tributary of the St. Lawrence. Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies 13:26-32.
Langen T.A., M.R. Twiss, G.S. Bullerjahn, and S.W. Wilhelm. 2005. Pelagic bird survey on Lake Ontario following Hurricane Isabel, September 2003: Observations and remarks on methodology. Journal of Great Lakes Research 31:219-226.
Twiss, M.R., T.A. Langen, G.S. Bullerjahn, S.W. Wilhelm, and D.C. Rockwell. 2005. The Lake Ontario Great Lakes Science Practicum: A model for training limnology students on how to conduct shipboard research in the Great Lakes. Journal of Great Lakes Research 31:236-242.
Luttbeg B., and T.A. Langen. 2004. Comparing alternative models to empirical data: cognitive models of Western Scrub-Jay foraging behavior. American Naturalist 163:263-276.
Langen TA. 2004. Cognition: Food Storing. In Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, Volume 1 (M. Bekoff, ed.), pp. 290-293. Greenwood Press, Westport CT.
Langen, T.A. 2004. What is right with 'teaching the controversy'? Trends in Ecology and Evolution 19:114-115.
Funding (current):
St. Lawrence River Research & Education Fund “Proposed Wildlife Barrier for Reptiles & Amphibians along New York State Highway 68 at Upper and Lower Lakes Wildlife Management Area” (PI, co-PIs: K. Janoyan, G. Johnson (SUNY Potsdam), Partners: St. Lawrence County (New York) Board of Legislatures, New York Department of Transportation, New York Department of Environmental Conservation; $10,020) 2008-2009
US Fish & Wildlife Service / New York State Department of Environmental Conservation State Wildlife Grants Program
(PI, co-PI: G. Johnson (SUNY Potsdam); Partners: US Fish & Wildlife Service, USDA National Resource Conservation Service, $148,433) 2008 – 2010
US Fish & Wildlife Service / New York State Department of Environmental Conservation State Wildlife Grants Program
(co-PI, PI: G. Johnson (SUNY Potsdam), other co-PIs: A.R. Breisch (NYSDEC), M.B. Kolosvary (NYS Biodiversity Institute);
$118,494) 2008 - 2010
US Environmental Protection Agency / National Fish & Wildlife Foundation 5 Star Partnership Program, (PI, co-PI: G. Johnson (SUNY Potsdam), Partners: St. Lawrence County (New York) Board of Legislatures, New York Department of Transportation, New York Department of Environmental Conservation; $11,701) 2008
New York State Department of Education Math and Science Partnership Program (co-PI, PI: P. Turner, other co-PIs: S. Powers, D. Wick, K. Fowler, S. Minor, R. Partch, J. Carroll; $328,476.00) 2007-2009
Fulbright Scholar Program, “Impacts of Public Roads on Costa Rican National Parks; Animal Behavior with Applications to Conservation Biology” (PI, Full semester salary & expenses to teach & conduct research at the International Institute of Wildlife Conservation & Management, National Autonomous University of Costa Rica) 2007-2008
National Geographic Society Committee for Research & Exploration, “Impact of public roads on Costa Rican National Parks” (PI, co-PI: J. Saenz (National University of Costa Rica), G. Johnson (SUNY Potsdam) $12,100) 2007-2008
N.S.F. FSML Program, “FSML: Planning Grant for the Great Rivers Center Field Station” (co-PI, PI: M. Twiss; Award number DBI-0628054, $13,264) 2007-2008
Undergraduate Research Paper Authorships (Students are in bold):
Langen, T.A., K. Ogden, and L. Schwarting. 2009. Predicting hotspots of herpetofauna road mortality along highway road networks: model creation and experimental validation. Journal of Wildlife Management 73: in press.
Langen T.A., A. Machniak, E. Crowe, C. Mangan, D. Marker, N. Liddle, and B. Roden. 2007. Methodologies for surveying herpetofauna mortality on rural highways. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:1361-1368.
Gouvea S.P., C. Melendez, M.J. Carberry, G.S. Bullerjahn, S.W. Wilhelm, T.A. Langen, and M.R. Twiss. 2006. Assessment of phosphorous-microbe interactions in Lake Ontario by multiple techniques. Journal of Great Lakes Research 32: 455-470.
Twiss M.R., T.A. Langen, M.G. Giroux, S.M. Johns, N.E. Liddle, A.R. Snyder, D.P. Zeleznock, and J. Wojcik. 2006. Land use influence on water quality in the Saint Regis River, a north-flowing tributary of the St. Lawrence. Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies 13:26-32.
Undergraduate Student Presentations:
Olesheski P. ('04, Environmental and Occupational Health), Wright, M. ('04 Bowdoin University, Environmental Science and Engineering REU program) & Langen T.A. 2004 (5th annual) SURE Conference: Frequency of road crossings by radiotracked turtles along New York State Highway 68 in St. Lawrence County.
Langen, T.A, Machniak A., Crowe E. ('05, Biology, Environmental Science and Engineering REU program), Mangan C. ('05, Biology), Marker D. ('06, Biomolecular Science, Clarkson Honors Program) 2004 Northeast Natural History: Impact of roads on St. Lawrence County NY herptiles.
Liddle N. ('06, Biology), Roden B. ('05, Environmental Science and Policy) & Langen T.A. 2004 (6th annual) SURE Conference: Road induced altered sex ratios of Chelydra serpentina and Chrysemys picta along New York State Highway 68 in Upper & Lower Lakes Wildlife Conservation Area.
Michel, J. ('05, SUNY Canton, NIH 2+2 Bridge Program) & Langen T.A. 2004 (6th annual) SURE Conference: Are roadside turtle nests warmer than other nesting sites?
Black, T. ('05, Lycoming College, Environmental Science and Engineering REU Program) & Langen T.A. 2004 (6th annual) SURE Conference: Roadsides provide preferred nesting sites for Chelydra serpentina
Rose, A. ('08, Clarkson School) & Langen T.A. 2005 (6th annual) Spring SURE Conference: Effects of deicing road salt on benthic macroinvertebrates in Adirondack Lakes.
Ogden, K. ('05, Biology) & Langen T.A. 2005 (6th annual) Spring SURE Conference: Land use as a predictor of amphibian and reptilian mortality on roads in Northern NY.
Liddle, N. ('05, Biology) & Langen T.A. 2005 (6th annual) Spring SURE Conference: Road mortality induced adult sex ratios of Chelydra serpentina and Chrysemys picta in Upper and Lower Lakes.
Ghosh, A. ('07, Environmental Science & Policy) & Langen T.A. 2005 (6th annual) Spring SURE Conference: Assessing the impact of road salt use on chloride levels of the Adirondack Lakes.
Rose, A. ('08, Honors Program) & Langen T.A. 2005 (7th annual) Spring SURE Conference: Success of snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) nests constructed along paved roads.
McSherry, M.('06, Cornell University, Environmental Science and Engineering REU Program) & Langen T.A. 2005 (7th annual) SURE Conference: Movement patterns of nesting Chelydra serpentina females across sites bordering NYS Highway 68, St. Lawrence County, NY.
Schwarting S. ('08 Biology, Honors Program) & T.A. Langen 2006 (8th) Annual SURE Conference: Surveying and predicting hotspots of herpetofauna road mortality on New York State roads.
Brown J. ('07 Environmental Science and Policy) & T.A. Langen 2006 (8th) Annual SURE Conference: Monitoring turtle nest predation along barrier fencing using camera traps.
Fitzgerald D. ('07 Biology, McNair Program) & T.A. Langen 2006 (8th) Annual SURE Conference: & T.A. Langen 2006 (8th) Annual SURE Conference: Impacts of a protective roadside barrier on turtle nest mortality.
Briita Orwick ('07 Lewis & Clark College, Environmental Science and Engineering REU Program) & T.A. Langen 2006 (8th) Annual SURE Conference: Culvert use by Cheydra serpentina to move between wetlands bisected by a highway
Grasek M ('07 LeMoyne College, Environmental Science and Engineering REU Program) & T.A. Langen 2006 (8th) Annual SURE Conference: Effectiveness of two wildlife barriers at preventing animals from approaching a highway.
Davis A. ('10 Biomolecular Science, Honors Program) & T.A. Langen 2006 (8th) Annual SURE Conference: Microclimate of turtle nests beside protective roadside barriers vs. roadside nests.
Benson C. (’08 Environmental Science & Policy) 2007 (10th) Annual SURE Conference: Effectiveness of two road barrier designs at preventing herpetofauna from approaching a highway.
Boulerice J. (’07 Biology) 2007 (10th) Annual SURE Conference: Connectivity and spatial patterns of restored wetlands in the St. Lawrence Valley of New York
Turnquist M. (’07 University of Wisconsin, Madison) 2007 (10th) Annual SURE Conference, 2007 Midwest Regional Conference of the Wildlife Management Society: Demographic impact of road mortality on turtle populations.