Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Laura Weiser-Erlandson
Associate Professor of Biology, Department Chair.
Presentation: Thursday, October 23 2025, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Talk by Dr. Laura Weiser-Erlandson.
Location: Founders Hall, Bernie Beck Lecture Hall (Doors open at 4:15 p.m.)
All are welcome to attend. Appetizers and light refreshments will be served!
Title: “Ecology in Practice: Integrating Community Stewardship into the Undergraduate Classroom”
Abstract:
In recent years, I’ve expanded my ecological and entomological research
through hands-on outreach and community certification programs like the
Master Gardener and Master Naturalist. These experiences have influenced
how I design and teach undergraduate courses—grounding concepts in
real-world applications and fostering student engagement through service
learning, citizen science, and ecological restoration projects. In this talk, I’ll
share examples of how I’ve used campus monarch refuge gardens,
biological control demonstrations, and local biodiversity monitoring
projects to cultivate a sense of stewardship, deepen content understanding,
and inspire students to connect science with civic action.
Dr. Weiser-Erlandson joined Texas A&M University – Central Texas in 2014 as its founding biologist and has since developed the BS Biology program and five state-of-the-art teaching laboratories. Prior to A&M-Central Texas, she spent 11 years at SUNY Polytechnic Institute where she also developed a BS Biology program and subsequently served as the biology program coordinator. She holds a MA in Biology from SUNY Binghamton and a Ph.D. in Entomology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Iowa State University.
Dr. Weiser-Erlandson is currently developing a biological control research program which focuses on insect predators and parasitoids of Central Texas. Her projects range from the biology and management of the sugarcane aphid in Central Texas sorghum to the population dynamics of lady beetles, lacewings, and other insect predators. Dr. Weiser Erlandson frequently includes her students in research projects and their presentations at professional conferences have won numerous awards. Dr. Weiser Erlandson has been a finalist for the TAMUCT Outstanding Faculty Quantitative Scholarship Award two years in a row.
