Profile for Meredith Thomsen

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Meredith Thomsen

Dean Grad & Extended Learning
Extended Learning University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

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Specialty area(s)

Academic leadership; graduate program support; credit and non-credit outreach program development. Primary contact for thesis/dissertation; graduate faculty status. 

Brief biography

I grew up in Duluth, MN, and attended Carleton College in Northfield, MN. After working at the MIssouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis for a year, I headed west to attend graduate school in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of California-Berkeley. I happily returned to the upper midwest after I graduated, and I have been at UWL ever since. 

Education

Ph.D., Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley: 2005

B.A., Biology, Concentration in Environmental Studies, Carleton College: 1997

Career

Teaching history

I taught in the UWL Biology Department for 15 years, from 2006 - 2021. My focus was on ecological and organismal biology courses, along with the biology graduate course on scientific communication. 

Professional history

Dean, Graduate & Extended Learning: 2021 - present

River Studies Center member: 2006 - present

Graduate Studies Director: 2017 - 2021

Professor: 2014 - 2021

Environmental Studies Program Director: 2015-2017

Associate Professor: 2010-2014

Assistant Professor: 2006-2010

Research and publishing

My primary research areas are plant ecology, invasive species, ecological restoration, and habitat fragmentation. I primarily work in local floodplain forest and sand prairie habitats. 

I continue to advise Biology graduate students and welcome inquiries from students interested in the UWL MS program. 

You can find a complete listing of my publications at my Google Scholar page. 

Kudos

served

Brenda Leahy, Michele Nauman and Kalia Vang, all Academic Advising Center & Career Services; Ana Mendoza and Corey Sjoquist, both Admissions; Kaylie Connaughty, Heather Dutcher, Britney Heineman, Jake Speer and Maren Walz, all Advancement; Michael Abler and Renee Redman, both Biology; Zac Knutson, Budget Office; Dawn Hays, Campus Child Center; Mark Sandheinrich, College of Science & Health; Ashley Jochimsen, Counseling & Testing; Ryan Friesen, English; Samuel Schmidt, Exercise & Sport Science; Meredith Thomsen, Extended Learning; Ka Lia Smith, Financial Aid; John Kelly, Geography & Earth Science; James Longhurst, History; Natalie Solverson, Institutional Research, Assessment & Planning; Christine Manno, Management; Suzanne Anglehart, Microbiology; Anthony Chergosky, Regina Goodnow and Sean Hurtubise, all Political Science & Public Administration; Sandra Grunwald and Betsy Morgan, both Provost's Office; Nathan Barnhart and Jeff Keenan, both Rec Sports; Vitaliano Figueroa, Student Affairs; Kara Ostlund, Student Life; and Kyle Burke, University Centers; served Verification Tent Staffing during Move In Week. THANK YOU to the many staff and faculty who greeted students and their families at the Verification Tent during Residence Life Move In Week. These welcoming faces helped ensure those who are vaccinated are recorded as such and those who are not vaccinated had completed a negative COVID test prior to move in. We could not have completed this large task without their assistance. They have helped keep our community healthy and contributed to the campus-wide endeavor of welcoming students back to campus.

Submitted on: Sept. 13, 2021

 

published

Veronica Yovovich, University of California-Berkeley; Christopher Wilmers, University of California-Santa Cruz; and Meredith Thomsen, Biology; co-authored the article "Pumas' fear of humans precipitates changes in plant architecture" in Ecosphere and was accepted for publication by John Wiley & Sons.

Submitted on: Aug. 3, 2020

 

published

Daniel Gibson-Reinemer, Adams State University; Scott Collins, Texas Tech University; Kristen Bouska, Nathan De Jager, Deanne Drake and Jeffrey Houser, all USGS; and Meredith Thomsen, Biology; co-authored the article "Conceptualizing alternate regimes in a large river floodplain: water clarity, invasive fish, and floodplain vegetation" in Journal of Environmental Management published on April 15 by Elsevier.

Submitted on: May 4, 2020

 

published

Olivia Clark, Biology BS and Meredith Thomsen, Biology, co-authored the article "Restoring wetlands dominated by Phalaris arundinacea with haying, spraying, and aggressive competitors" in Ecological Restoration published on March 4 by University of Wisconsin Press.

Submitted on: Mar. 9, 2020