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About
The Best View of Campus is Your Own
Experience the beauty of the Hudson River Valley. We offer tours and on-campus visit programs daily.
About
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Academics
The Best View of Campus is Your Own
Experience the beauty of the Hudson River Valley. We offer tours and on-campus visit programs daily.
Academics
-
Admission & Financial Aid
The Best View of Campus is Your Own
Experience the beauty of the Hudson River Valley. We offer tours and on-campus visit programs daily.
Admission & Financial Aid
-
Student Life
The Best View of Campus is Your Own
Experience the beauty of the Hudson River Valley. We offer tours and on-campus visit programs daily.
Student Life
- Athletics
Two students participating in a psychological study
Ramesh Laungani
Associate Professor of Environmental Science
Bio
Dr. Laungani has been teaching at the undergraduate level for more than 20 years. His background in climate change, nutrient cycling, and plant ecology allow his students to explore the world across scales, from the molecular to the ecological.
In his teaching, Dr. Laungani fosters a classroom environment where students are encouraged to take intellectual risks and engage in hypothesis-driven exploration. He aims to show that scientific inquiry is accessible to anyone with curiosity and organized thinking, and he seeks to empower his students to tackle significant challenges and contribute to a more just world.
Education
PhD, Ecology and Evolution, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2010
BA, Biology, New York University, 2002
Research Interests / Areas of Focus
Plant Ecology, Climate Change, Nutrient Cycling, Biochar and other climate change solutions
Selected Publications
MacDougall, A., Esch, E., Chen, Q., Carroll, O., Bonner, C., Ohlert, T., Siewart, M., Sulik, J., Schweiger, A., Borer, E., Naidu, D., Bagchi, S., Hautier, Y., Wilfahrt, P., Larson, K., Olofsson, J., Cleland, E., Muthukrishnan, R., O'Halloran, L., Alberti, J., Anderson, T.M., Arnillas, C.A., Bakker, J.D., Barrio, I.C., Biederman, L., Boughton, E.H., Brudvig, L., Bruschetti, M., Buckley, Y., Bugalho, M.N., Cadotte, M.W., Caldeira, M.C., Catford, J.A., D'Antonio, C., Davies, K., Daleo, P., Dickman, C.R., Donohue, I., DuPre, M.E., Elgersma, K., Eisenhauer, N., Eskelinen, A., Estrada, C., Fay, P.A., Feng, Y., Gruner, D.S., Hagenah, N., Haider, S., Harpole, S., Hersch-Green, E., Jentsch, A., Kirkman, K., Knops, J.M.H., Laanisto, L., Lannes, L.S., Laungani, R., Lkhagva, A., Macek, P., Martina, J.P., McCulley, R.L., Melbourne, B., Mitchell, R., Moore, J.L., Morgan, J.W., Muraina, T.O., Niu, Y., Pärtel, M., Peri, P.L., Power, S.A., Price, J.N., Prober, S.M., Ren, Z., Risch, A.C., Smith, N., Sonnier, G., Standish, R.J., Stevens, C.J., Tedder, M., Tognetti, P., Veen, C.G.F., Virtanen, R., Wardle, G.M., Waring, E., Wolf, A.A., Yahdjian, L., Seabloom, E. 2024. Widening global variability in grassland biomass since the 1980s. Nature: Ecology and Evolution 1-12
Laungani, R., Tanner, C., Durham-Brooks, T., Clement, B., Clouse, M., Doyle, E., Dworak, S., Elder, B., Marley, K., Schofield, B. 2018. Finding some good in an invasive species: Introduction and assessment of a novel CURE using invasive species to improve experimental design in undergraduate biology classrooms. J. of Microbiology and Biology Education 19(2): 1-8.
Laungani, R., Elgersma, K., McElligott, K., Juarez, M., Kuhfahl, T. 2016. Biochar amendment of grassland soil may promote woody encroachment of Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana). Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 16(4): 941-954.
Laungani, R., Knops, J. 2009. Species-driven changes in nitrogen cycling can control plant invasions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106(30): 12400-12405.
Creative Work
- Co-hosted the climate change podcast, Warm Regards, with Dr. Jacquelyn Gill from the University of Maine
- Given multiple Nerd Nite talks on topics in science to the general public
- Founder of 1000 STEM Women Project
- Curates a library of 90 second video introductions of scientists for K-12 classrooms (with more than >30,000 views)
- Designed/conducted a science communication workshop in collaboration with International Fund for Science (http://www.ifs.se/ifs-news/amplifying-the-voices-of-our-women-grantees-in-the-ifs-1000-stem-women-workshop.html)
Selected Presentations
Laungani, R. Impact of using EdTech to connect K-12 and University STEM classrooms on science communication and curiosity. 2018 SciComm Conference (Lincoln, NE)
Laungani, R. Soil biochar additions fight climate change by storing carbon, but its impact on plants is unclear. BTCon2018 (Twitter Conference)
Laungani, R. C. Tanner; T. Durham-Brooks; B. Clement; M. Clouse; E. Doyle; S. Dworak; B. Elder; K. Marley; B. Schofield. Finding some good in an invasive species: Introduction and assessment of a novel CURE using invasive species to improve experimental design in undergraduate biology classrooms (Poster) – 2017. 103rd Ecological Society of America (ESA) Annual Meeting (New Orleans, LA)
Laungani, R.; M. Juarez*; T. Kuhfahl*; K. Elgersma. Biochar amendment of grassland soil may promote woody encroachment of Eastern Red Cedar. 2016. 100th ESA Annual Meeting (*denotes undergraduate authors)