Sherri Morris

Biography

Sherri Morris studies carbon cycling in terrestrial systems. Her research currently examines alterations to carbon and nitrogen dynamics as a consequence of land-use change. Her research program has involved more than 45 undergraduates, plus numerous high school students and K-12 educators, as research interns, providing them opportunities to experience a breadth of scientific approaches and to connect with a diversity of researchers. She serves on the editorial board for two journals and is past president of the Soil Ecology Society. Sherri has also received the Caterpillar Inc. New Faculty Achievement Award for Teaching (October 2005) and for Scholarship (October 2003) and was a member of the NSF sponsored Biology Scholars Program Research Residency in 2008.

Teaching

Courses taught for biology majors include Introduction to Biology (BIO 150), Organismal Biology (BIO 250), Biostatistics (BIO 260, 261, 502), Ecology (BIO 460), Ecosystems Ecology (BIO 420, 520), Plant Ecology (BIO 463) and Thesis Proposal Preparation (BIO 500). Courses for non-majors include Populations, Resources and Environment (BIO 300) and multiple courses for the Professional Masters of Arts programs in STEM and Environmental Science including Introduction to Environmental Science (MST 615), The Science of Global Climate Change (MST 635), Systems A and B (MST 665, 666), and Environmental Science Math (MST 616). 

Scholarship

Publications

Selected Refereed Journal Articles

• Morris, S.J., R. Conant, N. Mellor*, E. Brewer+, and  E.A. Paul. 2010. Controls on Soil Carbon Sequestration and Dynamics: Lessons from Land-use Change. Journal of Nematology 42:78–83. 
• Morris, S.J., S. Bohm, S. Haile-Mariam, and E.A. Paul. 2007. Evaluation of carbon accrual in afforested agricultural soils. Global Climate Change 13:1145-1156.
• Paul, E. A., S.J. Morris, R.T. Conant and A.F. Plante. 2006. Does the Hydrolysis- incubation method measure meaningful soil carbon pools? Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 70:1023-1035.
• DeGryze, S., J. Six, K. Paustian, S.J. Morris, E.A. Paul and R. Merckx. 2004. Soil organic matter pool changes following land-use conversions. Global Change Biology 10: 1120-1132.Edited Book Chapters
• Morris, S.J., McConnaughay, K.D., R. Wolffe. 2008. Engaging Researchers with Different Levels of Experience and Perspectives: Planning and Payoffs. In: Broadening Participation in Undergraduate Research (Boyd, M. and J. Wesemann, Eds). Washington, D.C. Council on Undergraduate Research.
• Morris, S.J., C.F. Friese, and M.F. Allen. 2007. Disturbance in natural ecosystems: Scaling from fungal diversity to ecosystem functioning. In: R.J. Howard and N.A. R. Gow (Eds). The Mycota IV. Biology of the Fungal Cell, 2nd Edition. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg. Pg 27-41.
• Morris, S.J., Blackwood, C. 2007. The Ecology of Soil Organisms. In: E.A. Paul (Eds.) Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry, Academic Press, 3rd Edition. Academic Press, San Diego Pg. 195-209.

Service

Biology Graduate Program Coordinator, Science 101 Steering Committee, Heartland Water Resources Council