About

Dr. Shannon McCarragher

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Assistant Professor of Geography
Department of Geography and Geographic Information Sciences
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Research Interests:  Biogeography, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and STEM Education and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Projects that incorporate more than one of these interests are especially exciting, as they tend to create innovative, multidisciplinary research opportunities.

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  • The Biogeography realm primarily focuses on topics within ecological biogeography, informed by urban ecology, dendroecology, invasion biology, landscape ecology, invasion genomics, landscape genetics, and phylogeography. Specifically, research projects that explore abiotic and biotic factors influencing vegetation communities in relation to plant invasion dynamics, biodiversity conservation, urban sustainability, restoration, plant physiology and productivity, plant-soil interactions, genetics relationships within and between populations, and human-environment interactions – with a specific focus on Midwestern and Southeastern US, wetlands, Midwestern oak savannas, and greenspaces in urban/human-dominated built environments.
  • The GIS, Cartography, and Remote Sensing realm includes projects that incorporate geospatial analyses, remote sensing, and/or the design, use, and visual communication of geographic information using Geographic Information Systems (e.g. ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS StoryMaps, etc.). The role of GIS technology in increasing scientific literacy, facilitating place-making, and leading to civic engagement also of particular interest.
  • The STEM Education realm concentrates on research related to (but not limited to): 1) pedagogy and scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) – theory, practice, and effectiveness of teaching STEM; 2) gender, diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM; and 3) scientific literacy – citizen science, public outreach, civic engagement, and K-12 STEM education.

Explore this site to learn more about geography, see what’s new in the McCarragher Biogeography Research Group, and find out how you can get involved with geography at SIUE.

All are welcome.