Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology at The Ohio State University

Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology at The Ohio State University We provide an academic and departmental home to Zoology Majors and Evolution and Ecology Majors and

Department Vision

The Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology has a rich tradition of blending basic and applied research. We promote scientific discovery and scientific literacy through teaching and public outreach. We strive for leadership in our scholarly disciplines combined with excellence in the classroom. To those ends, our service to the University and the community is built on the strength of a diverse, collegial workplace and the free flow of ideas.

If you're interested in Physiology, EEOB has a great course sequence to set you on your way this year! Take a look and j...
05/29/2026

If you're interested in Physiology, EEOB has a great course sequence to set you on your way this year! Take a look and join us!
Or
Are you asking what Physiology includes? AU26 will teach functional systems in invertebrates and vertebrates: respiration, circulation, water, ion, and energy balance; communication; locomotion; and reproduction.
In SP27 Physiological Ecology, you'll learn: Study of the physiological adjustment, tolerance, and acclimatization to the abiotic and biotic environment by animals and plants.

This week’s inspiration comes from recent MS graduate, Lizzy Sakulich, who focused their own research on pollinator co...
05/24/2026

This week’s inspiration comes from recent MS graduate, Lizzy Sakulich, who focused their own research on pollinator communities, including the Rusty-patched Bumble Bees.

Lizzy asked us to spotlight Dr. Sheila Colla: author of field guides and gardening for pollinator books, many prominent papers on bumble bee conservation and the importance of biodiversity, a Professor of Environmental and Urban Change at York University, Canada, and an advocate for diversity & inclusion within the field of entomology and environmental studies, and a consistent educator--from K-12 "bee talks" to her university and graduate students.

Dr. Colla was one of the first scientists to study the endangered Rusty-patched Bumble Bee and went on to use this species as a model for education about conservation in her lab's research and outreach efforts which included their students, the general public, and government offices and pertinent corporations to explain their dangerous impacts on all our pollinators and their populations. Sadly, Dr. Colla passed away in 2025, at the age of 43 but her work remains inspiring to conservation, outreach, and advocacy.
Thanks for sharing one of your inspirations, Lizzy!

You can participate through Citizen Science projects and Bumble Bee research wherever you are by submitting photos to BumblebeeWatch.org, learn more here: https://www.savethebumblebees.ca/citizen-science/

Congratulations, Dr. Jeanne Serb and lab!They just had their fantastic work on bivalve opsins published in Proc B. Link...
05/23/2026

Congratulations, Dr. Jeanne Serb and lab!
They just had their fantastic work on bivalve opsins published in Proc B. Link in comments. Take a few moments to read this exciting research happening!
"Ocular and extraocular expression of opsins reveals evolutionary trends underlying visual and non-visual functions in bivalves (Pteriomorphia)"

You may not have been aware.... TODAY (May 22) is INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY! Of course, EEOB is devote...
05/22/2026

You may not have been aware.... TODAY (May 22) is INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY! Of course, EEOB is devoted to studying and conserving biological diversity. If you would like to support our students, graduate students and on-going research efforts, we hope you'll visit our fundraising/donation page linked through our annual newsletter (link in comments).

And more to learn here: https://www.cbd.int/biodiversity-day/2026

Are you still looking for a course this Autumn? Feeling a bit science-y? Check out these courses from EEOB...
05/22/2026

Are you still looking for a course this Autumn? Feeling a bit science-y?
Check out these courses from EEOB...

As EEOB continues to use to pay tribute to educators & scientists throughout history, we’ve asked members of our depar...
05/17/2026

As EEOB continues to use to pay tribute to educators & scientists throughout history, we’ve asked members of our department to share figures who have inspired them!

Thanks to PhD candidate Madison Von Deylen for reminding us those can be much more personal inspiration by sharing one of her inspirations – her undergraduate Evolution professor at the University of Kentucky, Dr. James Krupa.

Madison shares that Dr. Krupa “had an impressive knack for storytelling that turned every lecture into a captivating experience full of learning and impacted thousands of young scientists at the University of Kentucky.” Now an Emeritus professor at the University of Kentucky, Krupa has also published a number of papers in ecology and evolution as well as a book, The Embattled Wilderness, about the ecology and conservation of Robinson Forest in Eastern Kentucky.

Are you looking at Med School? Is your schedule for Autumn semester built to help you? Check out all EEOB offers to help...
05/14/2026

Are you looking at Med School? Is your schedule for Autumn semester built to help you?
Check out all EEOB offers to help you get ready...

As EEOB continues to use to pay tribute to educators & scientists throughout history, we’ve asked members of our depar...
05/10/2026

As EEOB continues to use to pay tribute to educators & scientists throughout history, we’ve asked members of our department to share figures who have inspired them!
Thanks to PhD candidate Sarah White for sharing some of her inspirations, continuing with legendary biologist and nature writer Rachel Carson.
Rachel Carson was educated in marine biology and worked for the Bureau of Fisheries where she turned to science writing, publishing three well-received books about the sea before turning her attention to conservation.
Silent Spring, Carson’s most influential work, was published in 1962 and condemned the use of the pesticide DDT for its contribution to an environmental crisis affecting entire ecosystems. Although fiercely opposed by the chemicals industry at the time, Silent Spring became a foundation for the environmental movement of the 1960s as well as modern ecofeminism. DDT use was phased out in the US by 1972 & Silent Spring is also cited as a reason for the 1970 formation of the EPA, although Carson died of breast cancer (which she hid from the public eye) in 1964 before these changes were implemented. Her work continues to inspire conservation and public health movements to this day (and Silent Spring remains a bestseller).

Who inspires you?

Further reading: Silent Spring by Rachel Carson and Women's History, linked below.

Taking a moment to celebrate those EEOB graduate students who defended their thesis or dissertation this academic year. ...
05/09/2026

Taking a moment to celebrate those EEOB graduate students who defended their thesis or dissertation this academic year. We're so proud of all of you!

05/05/2026

Have you listened to our own Dr. John Hunter yet??

As EEOB continues to use to pay tribute to educators & scientists throughout history, we’ve asked members of our depar...
05/03/2026

As EEOB continues to use to pay tribute to educators & scientists throughout history, we’ve asked members of our department to share figures who have inspired them!
Thanks to PhD candidate, Sarah White, for sharing some of her inspirations, continuing with prominent evolutionary biologists Peter and Rosemary Grant.
Now emeritus faculty at Princeton University, the Grants have conducted field studies surrounding the evolution of finch species in the Galapagos islands since 1973, which has showcased the impacts of natural selection in real time. ‘Darwin’s finches’, as they are commonly known, now serve as a universally-taught example of evolution, which would not be possible without the Grants’ painstaking work capturing, tagging, and collecting samples of finch populations mainly on the island. Daphne Major.
Futher reading: The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner
or check out the interview linked in comments.
Image from the Galapagos Conservation Trust.

Address

318 W 12th Avenue, 300 Aronoff Laboratory
Columbus, OH
43210

Opening Hours

Monday 7:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 7:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 5pm
Thursday 7:30am - 5pm
Friday 7:30am - 5pm

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