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Tom Langen

Professor of Biology / Associate Dean Lewis School of Health & Life Sciences / Acting Chair of Physical Therapy
Department(s) / Center(s)

Biology , Physical Therapy

School(s)

Lewis School of Health & Life Sciences

Tom Langen Headshot

Biography

I have been a member of the Biology and Psychology Departments at Clarkson University since 1999. I teach courses in the areas of Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation Science. I also work with various national efforts to improve university education in ecology and other areas of biology, and have done workshops for K-12 science teachers on integrated math and ecology. I enjoy field-based environmental education, and regularly teach field courses in the Adirondack Mountains of New York and Costa Rica. My research focuses on environmental management, including wetland restoration, road ecology, and endangered species conservation. I am a consultant to NGOs, state and federal agencies on environmental management issues, and I conduct workshops on road ecology and management for agencies and academic institutions in the US, Canada, and Latin America. I work as a volunteer for the local (St. Lawrence ) Land Trust, Northern New York Audubon, and Grasse River Heritage. My little free time is spent with my family cooking, gardening, or exploring the Adirondacks.

Curriculum Vitae

Education Background

Biology Postdoc - University of California, Los Angeles
Biology Ph.D. - 1994 University of California, San Diego
Biology (Honors) B.S. - 1984 Purdue University

Teaching Interests

Dr. Langen’s teaching interests include how to best apply problem-based learning and inquiry approaches to improve teaching in ecology and conservation biology, use of publicly-available ‘big data’ including citizen science data for undergraduate teaching and research, and how to design undergraduate summer research internship programs to best achieve program objectives. He has served as a Director or Co-Director of several Research Experience for Undergraduates, Undergraduate Bio-Math, and Organization for Tropical Science Programs, and has been involved in K-12 STEM professional development. He teaches courses on ecology, animal behavior, conservation science, and global environmental change.

Research Interests

Aim: To use science and education to improve conservation and management of nature in human-dominated landscapes.

Methods: Fieldwork (experiments, observational studies) on species, habitat assessments, computer modeling using Geographical Information Systems (GIS), meta-analysis.

Applications: Adaptive Management of natural resources, conservation of threatened species and habitats, infrastructure design, curricular development.

Broader impacts: Environmental quality, conservation of threatened species, improved infrastructure design and management, conservation education and capacity building.

Dr. Langen conducts research on the environmental impact of roads, on the effectiveness of public-private partnerships for wetland restoration, and on habitat management and conservation of birds and other animals. His road-related research has included the impacts of winter road management on roadside vegetation and lakes in the Adirondack Park, predictive modeling of hotspots of road mortality of amphibians and reptiles, design and functioning of wildlife barriers and passageways for turtles, and the impact of highways on habitat connectivity in Costa Rican National Parks. He leads professional development workshops in Latin America and North America on the environmental impact of roads and other infrastructure. Dr. Langen’s wetland research focuses on the environmental, economic, and social benefits and costs of wetland restoration to private landowners. His research on habitat management in birds focuses on cooperative projects between land-owners and conservationists for threatened species such as the golden-winged warbler or spruce grouse. Dr. Langen’s teaching interests include how to best apply problem-based learning and inquiry approaches to improve teaching in ecology and conservation biology, use of publically-available ‘big data’ including citizen science data for undergraduate teaching and research, and how to design undergraduate summer research internship programs to best achieve program objectives.

Awards

EXTERNAL AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

  • Editor’s Choice of December 2014 issue of Biological Conservation, for Consentino et al. (2014) Biological
    Conservation 180:31-38. December, 2014
  • Network of Conservation Educators & Practitioners (NCEP) Professor of the Month October, 2011
  • Ecological Society of America Education Scholar Award 2011
  • Fulbright Scholar, Costa Rica 2007-2008
  • Presidential Award, Society of American Naturalists for the best paper of the previous year in the journal
    American Naturalist, as judged by the Society’s President 2005
  • National Institutes of Health National Research Service Award 1994-1996


CLARKSON UNIVERSITY AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

  • Clarkson University Outstanding Advisor Award 2011
  • Accommodative Services RESPECT Award Nominee 2011
  • US Professor of the Year Award Nominee 2007
  • Clarkson University Student Association Outstanding Teacher Award 2003

Publications

(Last 5 years)

  • Carberry, B., T.A. Langen, M.R. Twiss. 2021. Surface water quality differs between functionally similar restored and natural wetlands of the Saint Lawrence River Valley in New York. Land 10(7): 676. https://doi.org/10.3390/land10070676
  • Abeyrathna, W.A.N.U., T.A. Langen. 2021. Effect of daylight savings time clock shifts on deer- vehicle collision rates. Journal of Environmental Management 292: 112774. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112774
  • Langen, T.A., C.H. Cannon., D.C. Blackburn, E.L. Morgan, P.E. Mera. 2021. Defining and applying the urban rules of life to design sustainable and healthy cities. Journal of Integrative and Comparative Biology icab065. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icab065
  • Ellwood, E.R., J.A. Sessa, J.K. Abraham, A.E. Budden, N. Douglas, R. Guralnick, E. Krimmel, T. Langen, D. Linton, M. Phillips, P.S. Soltis, M. Studer, L.D. White, J. Williams, and A.K. Monfils (2020) Biodiversity science and the twenty-first century workforce. Bioscience 70:119-121. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biz147
  • Benson C., B. Carberry, and T.A. Langen. (2019) Public-private partnership wetland restorations provide good waterfowl vegetative forage quality. Journal of Fish & Wildlife Management, 10(2): 323-335.
  • Stryszowska-Hill, K.M., M.R. Twiss, C. Benson, B. Carberry, and T.A. Langen. (2019) Performance of wetland environmental quality assessment indicators at evaluating palustrine wetlands in northeastern New York State. Ecological Indicators 98: 743-752. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.11.051
  • Wilke, A., J. Lydick, V. Bedell, T. Dawley, J. Treat, S. Pedersen, and T.A. Langen. (2018) Spatial dependency of local resource distributions. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences 12 (3), 163-172.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000134
  • Willmert, H.M., J.D. Osso Jr., M.R. Twiss, and T.A. Langen. (2018) Impacts of winter road management on roadside soil and vegetation along a mountain pass in the Adirondack Park, New York, USA. Journal of Environmental Management 225: 215-223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.07.085
  • Welsh, R., M.E. Webb, and T.A. Langen. (2018) Factors affecting landowner enrollment in wetland restoration in Northeastern New York State. Land Use Policy 76: 679-685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.02.051
  • Rogers, S.W., C.E. Shaffer, T.A. Langen, M. Jahne, and J.R. Welsh. (2018) Prevalence of zoonotic disease agents shed by free-ranging white-tailed deer is spatially associated with land-applied livestock manure and human waste biosolids. EcoHealth 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-018-1316-7
  • Colino-Rabanal, V.J., T.A. Langen, S.J. Peris, and M. Lizana. Ungulate – vehicle collision rates are strongly associated with the phase of the moon. 2018. Biodiversity & Conservation  27: 681–694. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-017-1458-x
  • Benson, C., B. Carberry, and T.A. Langen. 2018. Public-private wetland restoration programs benefit Species of Greatest Conservation Need in agricultural landscapes. Wetlands Conservation and Management 26: 195-211.https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-017-9565-8

Book Chapters

  • Jackson, S.D., T.A. Langen, D.M. Marsh, and K.M. Andrews. 2015. Chapter 2: Natural history and physiological characteristics of small vertebrates in relation to roads. In (K.M Andrews, P. Nanjappa, S. P.D.Riley eds.) Roads and Ecological Infrastructure: Concepts and Applications for Small Animals. Johns Hopkins Press.
  • Langen, T.A., K.M. Andrews, S.P. Brady, N.E. Karraker, and D.J. Smith. 2015. Chapter 4: Road effects on habitat quality for small animals. In (K.M Andrews, P. Nanjappa, S. P.D. Riley eds.) Roads and Ecological Infrastructure: Concepts and Applications for Small Animals. Johns Hopkins Press.
  • Kintsch, J., K.E. Gunson, and T.A. Langen. 2015. Chapter 5: Engaging the public in the transportation planning process. In (K.M Andrews, P. Nanjappa, S. P.D. Riley eds.) Roads and Ecological Infrastructure: Concepts and Applications for Small Animals. Johns Hopkins Press.
  • Langen, T.A., K.E. Gunson, K., S.D Jackson, D.J. Smith, and W. Ruediger. 2015. Chapter 8: Planning to mitigate road effects on small animals. In (K.M Andrews, P. Nanjappa, S. P.D. Riley eds.) Roads and Ecological Infrastructure: Concepts and Applications for Small Animals. Johns Hopkins Press.
  • Andrews, K.M., T.A. Langen, andR.P.J.H. Struijk.2015Chapter 26: Reptiles: Overlooked but often at risk from roads. In (R. van der Ree, D.J. Smith, and C. Grilo eds.). Handbook of Road Ecology. John Wiley &Sons.

Contact

Email: tlangen@clarkson.edu

Office Phone Number: 315/268-7933

Office Location: 131 Bertrand H. Snell Hall

Clarkson Box Number: CU Box 5805

CV file:

Office Hours

  • Monday: 10-12
  • Wednesday: 10-12
  • Friday: 10-12