John Kricher
Meneely Professor of Biology
Office: Science Center 156A
Phone: 286-3950
Email: jkricher@wheatoncollege.edu
Degrees
Ph.D., Rutgers University
B.A., Temple University
Main Interests
Ecology, Evolution, Charles Darwin, Birds, Dinosaurs.
Research Interests
I write extensively about ecology and natural history, especially about the ecology of the Americas, thus I spend much time in the field in Central and South America. My principal area of expertise is ornithology, thus I commit a great deal of effort watching birds, an activity in which I take much pleasure. I have studied North American migrant birds on their wintering grounds in the tropics and have led trips to many tropical regions.
Teaching Interests
I offer a variety of courses in ecology and evolution. I enjoy showing students the importance, power, and logic of organic evolution as an explanation for patterns of life both present and past, as well as how evolution has shaped the human species and its behavior, including development of moral values. My courses include a historical perspective emphasizing the history of life on Earth.
Other Interests
I spend much time birding and am involved in both professional and amateur bird organizations. I am currently president of the Wilson Ornithological Society and past president of the Association of Field Ornithologists and the Nuttall Ornithological Club. I serve on the board of directors of the American Birding Association and have served on the boards of New Jersey Audubon Society and the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences. I also like to study dinosaurs, visiting museums and field sites and I very much enjoy amateur astronomy, from reading about cosmology to star-gazing.
Student Projects
I have sponsored numerous student research projects ranging from laboratory studies of ecological microcosms to field studies of birds. Once recent study dealt with the ecology of migrant waterfowl at local reservoirs.
Selected Publications, Creative Work or Performances
I have authored the following books:
1. A Neotropical Companion: A Guide to the Animals, Plants, and Ecosystems of the New World Tropics. Princeton University Press, 1989, second edition 1997.
2. A Field Guide to Eastern Forests (1988, revised 1998), A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain and Southwestern Forests (1998), A Field Guide to California and Pacific Northwest Forests (1998), each published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
3. Darwin's Eden: A Natural History of the Galapagos Islands. To be published Spring 2001 by Smithsonian Institution Press.
I have also authored numerous popular articles and scientific papers.