Faculty Profile
Kristin Strock
Associate Professor of Environmental Studies; Director, Norwich Humanities Program in England, 2024-26 (2014)
Contact Information
Kaufman Hall
717-254-8008
Bio
Dr. Strock uses modern aquatic ecology and fossil records contained in lake sediments, to explore issues that are critical to effectively managing freshwater resources. Her interests include freshwater and ecosystem ecology and paleoecology, ecosystem response to changes in climate and atmospheric deposition, watershed biogeochemistry, algal ecology, food-web interactions, and freshwater resource management. As an “Explorer” with National Geographic, Dr. Strock is studying carbon cycling in the ice, rivers, and lakes of Arctic environments, such as Iceland and Greenland. She is also leading an effort to better understand toxic algae as an emerging threat in Pennsylvania waterways. This work is a collaboration with local, state, and federal partners to develop data-driven methods that allow us to better manage our freshwater resources in the face of environmental change.
Education
- B.S., James Madison University, 2006
- M.S., University of Maine, 2010
- Ph.D., 2013
2026-2027 Academic Year
Fall 2026
ENST 335 Analysis/Mgmt of Aquatic Env
An interdisciplinary study of the aquatic environment, with a focus on the groundwater and surface waters of the Chesapeake Bay drainage basin. This course provides a scientific introduction to the dynamics of rivers, lakes, wetlands, and estuarine systems as well as an appreciation of the complexity of the political and social issues involved in the sustainable use of these aquatic resources. Students conduct an original, cooperative, field-based research project on a local aquatic system that will involve extensive use of analytical laboratory and field equipment. Extended field trips to sample freshwater and estuarine systems and to observe existing resource management practices are conducted. Three hours classroom and four hours laboratory a week. Prerequisite: 162.
Spring 2027
ENST 305 Conservation Biology
We appear to be entering the sixth major extinction of biodiversity in the history of life on earth. Unlike the previous five mass extinctions, this one is largely a result of human activity. The field of conservation biology has developed to face the challenge of protecting the world's biological diversity and to better understand human impacts on species, communities, and ecosystems. In this course, we will examine the biological diversity of life on Earth: what is it, where is it, and how do we measure it? As a class, we will explore the history of diversity change through geologic time and discuss the implications of human activities on biodiversity. Through a series of readings, case studies, and hands-on activities, this course will cover the principles of conservation biology, as well as the ways in which we value biodiversity, including ecological, economic, and ethical perspectives. This course may count as a theme course in both the Environmental Science and Environmental Studies major or as an Applications of Environmental Science course.