people in the lab
steve hamilton
My curriculum vitae can be found here
Please note that I am retired now and no longer mentor students or postdocs, though I remain academically active. I live in northern Michigan.
My principal research interests involve ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry, with particular attention to aquatic environments and the movement of water through landscapes. I am especially interested in streams, rivers, wetlands and floodplains because they represent an interface between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems that is often biologically diverse and productive. I also like to consider ecosystem processes at the landscape or watershed scale, and I prefer to do research that contributes to our understanding of environmental problems or improves our ability to manage ecosystems.
I believe that to understand how ecosystems work, we frequently need to integrate approaches from varied disciplines such as geology, chemistry, remote sensing, and hydrology as well as ecology. Therefore I have always liked to be involved in multidisciplinary investigations that seek to improve our understanding of ecosystems and environmental problems.
In addition to freshwater research, I gained experience with agricultural ecosystems at MSU. For many years, I was one of the Principal Investigators for the NSF-funded Long-term Ecological Research site at Kellogg Biological Station, which studies agricultural ecosystems (lter,kbs.msu.edu). I also led the Environmental Performance research area within the DOE-funded Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (glbrc.org) and helped set up the USDA Long-term Agroecosystem Research site at KBS.
I have studied various aspects of aquatic ecosystems in southern Michigan, including wetlands, streams, lakes, and watersheds. I have also worked on tropical ecosystems in South America (particularly in the Pantanal) and on dryland river ecosystems in Australia, where I did two sabbaticals with the Australian Rivers Institute of Griffith University.
I am fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, having lived in South America for nearly seven years, and I continue to collaborate with a number of investigators in Brazil.
I have long been active in environmental organizations, and I served as President of the Kalamazoo River Watershed Council for many years.
Please note that I am retired now and no longer mentor students or postdocs, though I remain academically active. I live in northern Michigan.
My principal research interests involve ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry, with particular attention to aquatic environments and the movement of water through landscapes. I am especially interested in streams, rivers, wetlands and floodplains because they represent an interface between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems that is often biologically diverse and productive. I also like to consider ecosystem processes at the landscape or watershed scale, and I prefer to do research that contributes to our understanding of environmental problems or improves our ability to manage ecosystems.
I believe that to understand how ecosystems work, we frequently need to integrate approaches from varied disciplines such as geology, chemistry, remote sensing, and hydrology as well as ecology. Therefore I have always liked to be involved in multidisciplinary investigations that seek to improve our understanding of ecosystems and environmental problems.
In addition to freshwater research, I gained experience with agricultural ecosystems at MSU. For many years, I was one of the Principal Investigators for the NSF-funded Long-term Ecological Research site at Kellogg Biological Station, which studies agricultural ecosystems (lter,kbs.msu.edu). I also led the Environmental Performance research area within the DOE-funded Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (glbrc.org) and helped set up the USDA Long-term Agroecosystem Research site at KBS.
I have studied various aspects of aquatic ecosystems in southern Michigan, including wetlands, streams, lakes, and watersheds. I have also worked on tropical ecosystems in South America (particularly in the Pantanal) and on dryland river ecosystems in Australia, where I did two sabbaticals with the Australian Rivers Institute of Griffith University.
I am fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, having lived in South America for nearly seven years, and I continue to collaborate with a number of investigators in Brazil.
I have long been active in environmental organizations, and I served as President of the Kalamazoo River Watershed Council for many years.
lab alumni
- Mir Zaman Hussain (Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center)
- Dustin Kincaid (Univ. Vermont)
- Bonnie McGill (Carnegie Museum of Natural History)
- Micaleila Desotelle (Baltimore)
- Jorge Celi (IKIAM Amazon Regional University, Ecuador)
- Jason Martina (Texas A&M University)
- Lauren Kinsman-Costello (Kent State University)
- Jonathan O'Brien (Canisius College)
- Ajay Bhardwaj (Central Soil Salinity Research Inst., India)
- Amy Burgin (Univ. Kansas)
- Amanda Kurzman (General Motors)
- Markus Ruchter (Bayer Corp, Germany)
- Nicole Reid (Sweden)
- David Raikow (National Park Service, Hawaii)
- Stefanie Whitmire (Clemson Univ.)
- Eric Thobaben (Oak Creek Schools)