Cameron Hale Douglass

I am a plant ecologist and weed scientist, and am passionate about science education and communication. For additional information on my professional experiences and academic qualifications view my LinkedIn profile.

I currently work as a biologist for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in the Office of Pesticide Program’s Environmental Fate and Effects Division. The main focus of my work is evaluating, synthesizing and integrating ecological toxicity and environmental fate data to develop ecological risk assessments for pesticides, but I also lead outreach and engagement efforts with diverse stakeholders on pollinator protection, and am developing a model that simulates the effects of pesticides (along with pests and other environmental stressors) on honey bee colonies.

In addition to my current work with the U.S EPA, I have the following academic experience:

Teaching. I’ve taught a wide range of science courses, including introductory Biology at Cornell University, Plant Biology, Plants & Civilization and Ecology & Management of Weeds at Colorado State University, and various courses as a postdoc with Trinity College’s Environmental Science Program. Take a look at a Science in the Media, a blogging project that I developed as part of an Introductory Environmental Science course aimed at both science majors and non-majors, or a syllabus that I designed for a course on Biological Invasions.

Research. I’m experienced in designing and carrying out quantitative ecological field research, and have extensive analytical laboratory skills focused on studies of the environmental fate of pesticides and other pollutants. I’ve worked in diverse ecosystems, from early successional fields to forests and saltwater marshes in the northeast, and arid western U.S. rangeland and riparian systems. Most of my past research has focused on understanding and minimizing the ecological and environmental impacts of invasive plant management efforts.

For my postdoc research I studied the role that assemblages of invasive vines and shrubs play in habitats along the Connecticut coast, and the effect these impacts have on the functional value of affected communities for birds. I managed 6-8 undergraduate students working both on my primary research and other related projects (check out a blog on our work at Trinitycology), such as:

• Abiotic drivers of plant community assembly;
• Role of invasive woody species assemblages – and the impacts of their removal – in altering the functional value of coastal woodlands;
• Development of habitat and bird species educational signs for Knox Preserve, Mystic (CT).

Contact me at cameron.douglass@gmail.com