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Faculty & Staff Directory

Emily E. Conway

  • Assistant Professor
  • Environmental Science, Conservation, Ecology

    Contact Info

    Emily Conway
    Name
    Emily E. Conway
    Job Title
    Assistant Professor
    Environmental Science, Conservation, Ecology
    Office Number
    David King Hall, Room 3048, MSN 5F2

    Affiliations

    Departments

    Research Areas

    • Urban Ecology
    • Restoration Ecology
    • Plant Ecology

    Education

    PhD, Plant Biology and Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Michigan State University, 2024
    B.S., Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, 2019

    About

    Dr. Emily E. Conway is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science, Conservation, and Ecology in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy. Dr. Conway's research aims to use fundamental ecological theory along with the practice of ecological restoration to better understand the controls over community assembly specifically in urban areas. Her research has primarily been conducted in the field and has been centered on urban forested communities as well as restored and reconstructed grasslands in the Midwest and along the East Coast, with specific emphasis on plant populations and communities as well as plant-pollinator interactions. 


     


     

    Current Research

    My current research is centered on understanding the outcomes of ecological restoration practices and management decisions within the context of eastern grasslands. I do this work in collaboration with the National Park Service (NPS) throughout various parks in the National Capital Region and beyond that have initiatives to restore and reconstruct native grassland communities.

    Seeding Success at Scale (SSAS): Monitoring to Implement Landscape Scale Restoration of Eastern Grasslands to Improve Ecosystem Health

    • Funder: U.S. National Park Service
    • Co-PI (with Dr. Andrea Weeks as Co-PI)

    Evaluate Long-Term Success of Grassland Restorations in NCR Parks

    • Funder: U.S. National Park Service
    • PI

    Teaching Focus

    As an educator, my teaching philosophy emphasizes giving students the tools to identify why we are covering the content we are as well as opportunities to demonstrate the connections they have made across their classes to better apply their learning. I strive to provide student-centered learning, to allow students to bring their unique knowledge and abilities to the classroom. I also challenge them to push beyond and begin to make connections across the course content and even across courses that they have taken before they come into my classroom. I value collaborative and hands-on learning through group work and discussion to help students make these connections.

    EVPP 377: Applied Ecology (UG)

    EVPP 318/BIOL 318: Conservation Biology (UG)

    EVPP 490/505: Plants in Virginia (UG/G)

    EVPP 607: Fundamentals of Ecology (G)

    EVPP 692/991: Theory and Applications of Restoration Ecology

    Selected Publications

    • Conway, E. E., & Brudvig, L. A. (2024). Local site conditions, not landscape context, influence restored plant communities within urban contexts. Restoration Ecology, e14109.
    • Smith, O. M., Davis, K. L., Waterman, R., Pizza, R. B., Mack, C., Conway, E. E., ... & Davis, C. L. (2024). Journals must expand access to peer review data. Trends in Ecology & Evolution.
    • Smith, O. M., Davis, K. L., Pizza, R. B., Waterman, R., Dobson, K. C., Foster, B., Conway, E. E., ... & Davis, C. L. (2023). Peer review perpetuates barriers for historically excluded groups. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 1-12.
    • Piana, M. R., Hallett, R. A., Aronson, M. F., Conway, E. E., & Handel, S. N. (2020). Natural regeneration in urban forests is limited by early‐establishment dynamics: implications for management. Ecological Applications, e2255.

    Contact Info

    Emily Conway
    Name
    Emily E. Conway
    Job Title
    Assistant Professor
    Environmental Science, Conservation, Ecology
    Office Number
    David King Hall, Room 3048, MSN 5F2

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