Roles at Waubonsee
During the Spring 2024 semester I have two roles on campus.
- Assistant Professor of Biology
- Interim Assistant Dean for Visual and Performing Arts, Education, and Sciences
As a full-time faculty member my focus is on delivering quality content to students, working with colleagues to develop course materials, participating in assessment of student learning, and performing other tasks as needed to ensure we are working to achieve our Mission.
As an Interim Assistant Dean I strive to help Waubonsee achieve our Mission, but in a different capacity. I work with Adjunct faculty to serve our students, assist students with issues in their coursework, and plan for future semesters with a team of other administrators, as well as a variety of other tasks.
I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to serve Waubonsee, its students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community in a variety of ways and my goal is to always do my best.
Office Hours
Spring 2024
Tuesday 11:30am-12:30pm: Aurora Downtown room 363
Wednesday 11:10am-12:10pm: Sugar Grove Science Building 218
Thursday 11:10am-12:10pm: Aurora Downtown room 363
About Me
We live on a planet covered in life and the study of biodiversity is my primary interest. At Waubonsee Community College I strive to enrich the student experience by helping them recognize the diversity they share Earth with, while simultaneously exploring why organisms do the things they do, live where they live, participate in ecosystems, etc.
Courses I Teach
BIO 100: Introduction to Biology (Lecture)
BIO 101: Introduction to Biology (Lab)
BIO 110: Environmental Biology (Lecture)
Education
University of Colorado Boulder (Boulder, CO)
- Ph.D., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (2009–2016), Advisor: Dr. A.P. Martin
- Dissertation: Exploring species boundaries in the diatom genus Rhoicosphenia using morphology, phylogeny, ecology, and biogeography
Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH)
- M.S., Biological Sciences (2005–2007), Advisor: Dr. R.L. Lowe
- Thesis: The role of wave disturbance on lentic, benthic algal community structure and diversity
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)
- B.A., Program in the Environment: Specialization - Environmental Justice (2001–2005)
- Faculty Mentor: Dr. B. Bryant
Research Interests and Publications
In addition to teaching, I am interested in a group of hyper-diverse, photosynthetic microbes - the Diatoms. Using a variety of methods I study their taxonomy, relationships (phylogeny), and ecology in local and distant freshwater ecosystems. They are small, yet beautiful, and provide ample research and teaching opportunities for undergraduates. If you are interested in learning more about them, please contact me via email or drop by my office. To learn more about them you can browse the publications below.
Al-Handal, A., Pennesi, C., & Thomas, E.W. (2018) Marine benthic diatoms in the newly discovered coral reefs, off Basra coast, Southern Iraq. Phytotaxa 372(2):111-152. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.372.2.1
Al-Handal, A., Thomas, E.W., Torstensson, A., Jahn, R., Wulff, A. 2018. Gomphonemopsis ligowskii, a new diatom (Bacillariophyceae) from the marine Antarctic with comparison to other described Gomphonemopsis. Diatom Research https://doi.org/10.1080/0269249X.2018.1428916
Thomas, E.W. & Ligowski, R. 2016. Rhoicosphenia klöseri, a new isopolar Rhoicosphenia Grunow (Bacillariophyta) species from the Antarctic with comparison to other isopolar Rhoicosphenia. Phytotaxa 265: 50–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.265.1.4
Thomas, E.W., Stepanek, J.G., & Kociolek, J.P. 2016. Historical and Current Perspectives on the Systematics of the ‘Enigmatic’ Diatom Genus Rhoicosphenia (Bacillariophyta), with Single and Multi-Molecular Marker and Morphological Analyses and Discussion on the Monophyly of ‘Monoraphid’ Diatoms. PLoS ONE 11(4): e0152767. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0152797
Ress, J.R., Thomas, E.W. & Kociolek, J.P. 2016. Newly described Gomphonema and Gomphosphenia from Rocky Mountain Front Range streams, Colorado, U.S.A., with additional discussion of rarely reported taxa. Diatom Research 31: 55–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0269249X.2016.1141802
Ress, J.A. & Thomas, E.W. 2015. Algal community ecology of two Rocky Mountain Front Range streams. Algological Studies 149 (1): 3–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1127/algol_stud/2015/0216
Majewska, R., Kociolek, J.P., Thomas, E.W., De Stefano, M., Santoro, M., Bolaños, F., & Van de Vijver, B. 2015. Chelonicola and Poulinea, two new gomphonemoid diatom genera (Bacillariophyta) living on marine turtles from Costa Rica. Phytotaxa 233 (3): 236–250. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.233.3.2
Thomas, E.W., Van de Vijver, B., & Kociolek, J.P. 2015. Transfer of Rhoicosphenia vanheurckii Grunow to Planothidium Round & Bukhtiyarova. Diatom Research 30: 339–342. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0269249X.2015.1084949
Thomas, E.W. & Kociolek, J.P. 2015. Taxonomy of three new Rhoicosphenia (Bacillariophyta) species from California, USA. Phytotaxa 204: 1–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.204.1.1
Thomas, E.W., Kociolek, J.P. & Karthick, B. 2015. Four new Rhoicosphenia Grunow species from fossil deposits in India and North America. Diatom Research 30: 35–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0269249X.2014.961554
Thomas, E.W. 2015. Rhoicosphenia californica. In Diatoms of the United States. http://westerndiatoms.colorado.edu/taxa/species/rhoicosphenia_californica
Thomas, E.W. 2015. Rhoicosphenia stoermeri. In Diatoms of the United States. http://westerndiatoms.colorado.edu/taxa/species/rhoicosphenia_sp._1
Kociolek, J.P., Laslandes, B.S., Bennett, D., Thomas, E.W., Brady, M. & Graeff, C. 2014. Diatoms of the United States. Vol. 1: Taxonomy, Ultrastructure, and Descriptions of New Species and Other Reported Taxa from Lake Sediments in the Western U.S.A. Bibliotheca Diatomologica 61. 80 plates, 1 table, 188 pp.
Kociolek, J.P., Graeff, C. & Thomas, E.W. 2011. A description of the frustular morphology of Frustulia creuzburgensis (Krasske) Hustedt, with comments on its systematic position. Diatom Research 26: 29–41.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0269249X.2011.562421
Kociolek, J.P. & Thomas, E.W. 2009. Taxonomy and Ultrastructure of Five Naviculoid Diatoms (Class Bacillariophyceae) from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado (USA), with the description of a New Genus and Five New Species. Nova Hedwigia 90: 195–214.http://dx.doi.org/10.1127/0029-5035/2010/0090-0195
Thomas, E.W., Kociolek, J.P., Lowe, R.L. & Johansen, J.R. 2009. Taxonomy, ultrastructure and distribution of Gomphonemoid diatoms (Bacillariophyceae) from Great Smoky Mountains National Park (U.S.A.). Nova Hedwigia Beiheft 135: 201–237.
Thomas, E.W. & Kociolek, J.P. 2008. Taxonomy and ultrastructure of two new Neidium species (Bacillariophyceae) from lakes in the Sierra Nevada mountains of northern California (U.S.A.). Diatom Research 23: 471–482.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0269249X.2008.9705770
The views and opinions expressed on this page are those of the employee and not necessarily those of Waubonsee Community College, its Trustees, or its administration.
