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THOMAS S. B. AKRE

Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
The University of Georgia
Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802
Phone: (803) 725-4500
Fax: (803) 725-3309
E-mail: akre@srel.edu

Updated: December 2002

EDUCATION

  • Fall 1996-Present: George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia Doctoral program, Environmental Science and Public Policy Conferral of PhD, 11 January 2003
  • Fall 1991-1995: Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana
    Bachelor of Arts in Biology
  • Fall 1988-1990: Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

  • Fall 1996-Present: Graduate Teaching Assistant, George Mason University. Introductory Biology and Ecology. Multiple laboratory sections taught each semester.
  • Fall 1994: Teaching Assistant, Dr. Jerome Woolpy, Earlham College. Directed and assisted students with hypotheses formulation and experimental design for Animal Behavior; coordinated professor-student interaction.
  • Winter 1993: Teaching Assistant, Dr. Bill Buskirk, Earlham College. Designed and presented laboratory curriculum for Vertebrate Zoology; initiated student
    tutoring program; coordinated field trips.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

  • 2001-2002: Assistant Investigator. Principal Investigator; Dr. Thomas Pauley, Marshall University. Inventories of reptiles and amphibians of the National Capitol Area Parks. Contract with the National Park Service.
  • 1999-2001: Assistant Investigator. Principal Investigator; Dr. Carl Ernst, George Mason University. “Population dynamics, home range and habitat use of the wood turtle (Clemmys insculpta) in Virginia.” Contract with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF).
  • 1996-2000: Dissertation Research: “Reproductive ecology and conservation of the wood turtle (Clemmys insculpta) in Virginia.”
  • 1996: Assistant Investigator. Principal Investigator; Dr. Carl Ernst. “Shell disease in turtles in the Rappahannock River, Virginia.” Contracted with VDGIF.
  • 1996-1999: Research Assistant. Dr. Russell Mittermeier, President, Conservation International. Contributor to: (1) Mittermeier, R.A., P.R. Gil, and C.G. Mittermeier. 1997. Megadiversity: Earth’s Biologically Wealthiest Nations. Cemex S.A., Mexico City, Mexico. (2) Mittermeier, R.A., N. Myers, P.R. Gil, and C.G. Mittermeier. 1999. Hotspots: Earth’s Biologically Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions. Cemex S.A., Mexico City, Mexico. (3) Myers, N., R.A. Mittermeier, C.G. Mittermeier, G.A.B. da Fonseca, and J. Kent. 2000. Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403:853-858.
  • 1995: Research Assistant. Principal Investigator; Dr. John Iverson, Earlham College. Conservation of the copperbelly water snake (Nerodia e. neglecta)- an Indiana endangered species. Contracted with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (U.S.FWS), Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge, Seymour, IN.
  • 1993: Research Assistant. Principal Investigator; Dr. John Iverson. The reproductive biology of the bullsnake (Pituophis m. sayi), and, population dynamics of the yellow mud turtle (Kinosternon f. flavescens); Crescent Lake N.W.R., NE.
  • 1992: Student Investigator. Created independent research for academic credit on home range and behavior of the Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene c. carolina) in Richmond, Indiana.
  • 1992: Research Assistant. Principal Investigator; Dr. John Iverson. The conservation of the Allen’s Cay rock iguana (Cyclura i. inornata); Exuma Islands, Bahamas.
  • 1991-1995: Assistant Curator of Herpetology, Joseph Moore Museum of Natural History, Earlham College. Redesigned and reconstructed live snake exhibit; managed live reptile breeding and keeping; procured and maintained museum specimens; guided educational tours.
  • 1987: Research Assistant. Principal Investigator; Dr. Dan Groebner, International Wolf Center, Ely, Minnesota. Tracked and documented the circadian and circannual activity patterns of the Timber Wolf (Canis lupis) under supervision of Dr. David Mech, U.S.FWS.

GRANTS AND AWARDS

  • 2001: The population dynamics, habitat use and conservation of the wood turtle (Clemmys insculpta) in Virginia: a proposal for continued study. Center For Applied Biodiversity Science, Conservation International. Principal Investigator; Thomas Akre ($2500).
  • 1999-2001: “Population dynamics, home range and habitat use of the wood turtle (Clemmys insculpta) in Virginia.” Principal Investigator, Dr. Carl Ernst. Contract with VDGIF. ($25,000/year).
  • 1999: “Population dynamics, home range and habitat use of the wood turtle (Clemmys insculpta) in Virginia.” Principal Investigator, Dr. Carl Ernst. The U.S. Forest Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation ($7500).
  • 1997-1999: “Reproductive ecology and conservation of the wood turtle (Clemmys insculpta) in Virginia.” Conservation International ($1500), Chelonian Research Foundation ($1000), and the Washington Biologist’s Field Club ($2500).
  • 1998-2001: George Mason University College of Arts and Sciences Graduate Fellowship (~$2000/year).

PRESENTATIONS

  • 2001 George Mason University, Department of Biology Graduate Student Forum.
  • 2001 Virginia Herpetological Society, Annandale, VA.
  • 2000 Virginia Herpetological Society, Wintergreen, VA.
  • 1999 Powdermill 1999: 4th Occasional Freshwater Turtle Conference, Laughlin, NV.
  • 1999 American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Pennsylvania State University.
  • 1998 American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, University of Guelph, Ontario
  • 1995 Student Seminar Series, Earlham College.

PUBLICATIONS

  • Iverson, J.B. and T.S. Akre. 2001. Pituophis melanoleucus sayi (Bullsnake). Diet. Herpetological Review 32 (2):109-110.
  • Ernst, C.H., T.S. Akre, J.C. Wilgenbusch, T.P. Wilson, and K. Mills. 1999. Shell disease in turtles in the Rappahannock River, Virginia. Herpetological Review 30(4):214-215.
  • Akre, T.S. In review. Liochlorophis vernalis (smooth green snake): Geographic distribution. Herpetological Review.
  • Akre, T.S. and T.F. Robison. In review. Liochlorophis vernalis (smooth green snake): Geographic distribution. Herpetological Review.
  • Akre, T.S. and T.P. Wilson. In review. Alternative methods for sampling freshwater turtles. In M.S. Foster (Ed.). Measuring and Monitoring Biological Diversity: Standard Methods for Reptiles.
  • Wilson, T.P., T.S. Akre, and J.C. Mitchell. In review. Status and conservation of the genus Clemmys in Virginia: Prospects for the future. Proceedings of a symposium: Ecology and conservation of the turtles of the Mid-Atlantic region, October 30, 1999.
  • Akre, T.S. and T.F. Robison. Clemmys guttata (spotted turtle): Geographic distribution.
    In preparation for Catesbeiana.
  • Akre, T.S. and T.F. Robison. Ambystoma opacum (marbled salamander): Geographic distribution. In preparation for Catesbeiana.
  • Akre, T.S. and K.A. Hansknecht. Eurycea longicauda (long-tailed salamander): Geographic distribution. In preparation for Catesbeiana.
  • Mittermeier, R.A., T.S. Akre, and K.A. Buhlmann. Can biodiversity hotspot conservation preserve global turtle diversity? In preparation for Herpetologica.

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