Biography
Stanley A. Rice was born in Cushing, Oklahoma and grew up in Lindsay,
California. He is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
at Southeastern Oklahoma State
University
in Durant. He has a B.A. in Environmental Biology from the
University of California at Santa Barbara and a Ph.D. in Plant Biology
from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has held
faculty positions in New York, Indiana, and Minnesota. He is a
science educator, scientific researcher, and science writer.
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
Stan’s primary scientific research involves the ecology of a very rare
tree, the seaside alder (Alnus
maritima). This species consists
of three subspecies: one lives in just two counties in Oklahoma; one
lives in a single swamp in northwestern Georgia; and one lives only on
the Delmarva Peninsula east of Chesapeake Bay. This is the entire
range of the species in the whole world.. Stan and his fellow
botanists have studied the ecological adaptations, genetics, and other
biological aspects of this rare tree.
Stan and colleagues have also studied: the defenses of post oaks
(Quercus stellata) against
insect herbivores during wet and dry years
in Oklahoma; and the ecological impacts of the Red Imported Fire Ant
(Solenopsis invicta) in
Oklahoma. He has also studied the
strength of the wood in branches of bois-d’arc (Maclura pomifera).
Stan’s PhD work examined environmental variability and phenotypic
flexibility in plants. Working with Fakhri A. Bazzaz at the
University of Illinois (recently retired from Harvard University), Stan
developed an allometric system for quantifying phenotypic plasticity
and acclimation by comparison of plants at a common weight, and
published these results in two articles that have been frequently cited
since their publication in 1989. Stan also found that weedy
fields had more environmental variability than prairies, which had more
than the forest floor; and that herbaceous species had greater
phenotypic flexibility if they lived in more variable environments.
SCIENCE EDUCATION
Stan has developed creative laboratory activities that integrate
biology and mathematics.
Stan has also managed three grants from the Oklahoma Center for the
Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) that hires student
interns in botany, environmental science, and related areas to conduct
research with the Agricultural Research Service, and present these
results at scientific meetings. For more information click on
these links:
OCAST
USDA research
facility at Lane, Oklahoma
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Stan is part of the leadership of the Citizens
for the Protection of the Arbuckle Simpson Aquifer, a citizen’s
group dedicated to the stewardship of the only source of water for
people and natural areas (including the rare Oklahoma seaside alder) in
a large region of south central Oklahoma.
PRESENTATIONS
Stan is also a highly-sought speaker on evolutionary and environmental
topics.
Stan has been involved (in minor roles) with the leadership of several
organizations and wishes to recommend them to his fellow science
educators.
Botanical Society
of America (Teaching Section)
Project Kaleidoscope
National Association
of Biology Teachers
Oklahoma Academy of
Science
Oklahoma
Native Plant Society
Oklahomans
for Excellence in Science Education
