Biography
EDUCATION
- Ph.D. in Zoology, Duke University, Durham, N.C., 1994
- B.A. in Biology and Mathematics, summa cum laude, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, 1989
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Visiting Professor, Harlaxton College, England, 2015
- Steering Committee Member, Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Watershed Partnership, 2010 -
- Visiting Scientist, Utah State University, 2004
FACULTY-STUDENT COLLABORATION
- Weston Ranch Research Project – 2-5 students each summer for the past 10 years
- Advisor to the TLU Texas Academy of Science student organization
- Leader on 11 study abroad trips at TLU (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Belize, Ecuador, Mexico, England)
RESEARCH & GRANTS
Weston Ranch Foundation (with Dr. Alan Lievens). Biodiversity of the Weston Ranch.
National Science Foundation, IUSE-HSI, Senior Personnel (with Toni Sauncy, PI), “Building Capacity for Student Success in Science and Math: Culturally Responsive Teaching and Professional Engagement,” 2021-2026.
PUBLICATIONS
Gustafson, M. 2015. A Naturalist’s Guide to the Texas Hill Country. Texas A&M University Press.
Alan Lievens, Mark Gustafson and Shirley C. Tucker. 2011. Lichens of the Weston Ranch. Texas Lutheran University.
Gustafson, M. P. 2008. Effects of thermal regime on mayfly assemblages in mountain streams. Hydrobiologia 605:235-246.
RECENT PRESENTATIONS (undergraduate co-authors underlined)
Lopez, M., M. Gustafson, A. Lievens. 2022. Effects of huisache removal in areas of Blackland Prairie restoration in Guadalupe County, Texas. 125th Annual Meeting of the Texas Academy of Science, University of Houston Clear Lake, Houston, TX.
Ramos J, Gustafson M, Lievens A, Grove D, Perez S. 2022. Molecular identification of Oenothera
plant specimens collected from Guadalupe County, Texas. 125th Annual Meeting of the Texas Academy of Science, University of Houston Clear Lake, Houston, TX. Awarded Second Place Oral Presentation in Plant Biology.
Rauschuber C, Gustafson M, Lievens A, Grove D, Perez S. 2022. DNA barcoding of plant specimens in Poaceae from Guadalupe County, Texas. 125th Annual Meeting of the Texas Academy of Science, University of Houston Clear Lake, Houston, TX.
Sagstetter, J., M. Gustafson, A. Lievens. 2022. Plant diversity in a huisache-dominated area on the Weston Ranch, Guadalupe County, Texas 125th Annual Meeting of the Texas Academy of Science, University of Houston Clear Lake, Houston, TX. Awarded Third Place Poster Presentation, Conservation Ecology
Webster J, Gustafson M, Lievens A, Grove D, Perez S. 2022. DNA barcoding of Amaranthus
plant specimens from Guadalupe County, Texas. 125th Annual Meeting of the Texas Academy of Science, University of Houston Clear Lake, Houston, TX.
Young M, Gustafson M, Lievens A, Grove D, Perez S. 2022. DNA barcoding of plant specimens in Fabaceae in Guadalupe County, Texas. 125th Annual Meeting of the Texas Academy of Science, University of Houston Clear Lake, Houston, TX. Awarded Second Place Poster Presentation in Plant Biology.
ADDITIONAL PRESENTATIONS
Lievens, A., M. Gustafson, and S. Tucker. 2011. “Lichens of the Weston Ranch, Guadalupe County, Texas,” 114th Annual Meeting of the Texas Academy of Science, Austin, Texas.
Brown, R., N. Switzer, A. Lievens, and M. Gustafson. 2011. “Analysis of Plant Diversity on the Weston Ranch, Guadalupe County, Over a Four-Year Survey,” 114th Annual Meeting of the Texas Academy of Science, Austin, Texas.
Switzer, N., R. Brown, M. Gustafson, and A. Lievens. 2011. “Native and Non-Native Vascular Plants on the Weston Ranch,” Guadalupe County, Texas. 114th Annual Meeting of the Texas Academy of Science, Austin, Texas.
Gustafson, M. and E. Asahene. 2010. “Unusual Macroinvertebrate Assemblage of a Small Spring-Fed Spring.” 113th Annual Meeting of the Texas Academy of Science, Stephenville, Texas.
