About us. . .

This webpage was developed as a class project by students in Conservation Biology at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana.  This is an upper level class taught in the Department of Biological Sciences, which has students with a broad range of educational backgrounds and majors.  Throughout this semester-long course we discussed and explored topics such as biodiversity, applied ecology, and the biopolitical aspects of conservation of our natural world.  We created this website to fill what we found to be a considerable gap in resources and to apply what we learned to the area around us.

Dr. Travis Ryan, our fearless leader, has been teaching at                                                                                        Butler since 2001.  He earned a bachelor’s degree in                                                                                      Biology from Western Carolina University in 1993, and a                                                                                        Masters in 1995, and a PhD in Ecology and Evolution from                                                                                     the University of Missouri in May 2000.  He has earned                                                                                  several awards and honors within his field.  His research                                                                                          focuses on the basic ecology and conservation biology of                                                                                         amphibians and reptiles.  He has published several works on                                                                                   on topics such as status and conservation of amphibians,                                                                                          effects of habitat types and census techniques.  Through his                                                                              innovative and interactive teaching style he introduces the                                                                                fundamentals of conservation and ecology applications.

 For more information via e-mail, you can contact Dr. Ryan by clicking on his name or picture.