Dr. Jesse Morris
About
Dr. Jesse Morris’ research interests center on forest disturbances, including the biogeochemical outcomes of bark beetle outbreaks and wildfire, and STEM education. Dr. Morris began his career in biogeography upon graduating magna cum laude in Geography from the University of South Carolina. He earned his MS and PhD from the University of Utah investigated the ecological and biogeochemical outcomes of spruce beetle outbreaks in subalpine forests. He then held a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Helsinki studying the impacts of long-term climate change in the high latitudes of Russia. He then worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Idaho, including work at Australian National University studying Gondwanan palynology and wildfire disturbances in Tasmania.
Dr. Morris currently works as a Director of Research and Science in the Office of the Vice President for Research. He is a Research Associate Professor in Environment, Society, And Sustainability and his research is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation. He currently leads an award to study the long-term climate and ecology of Fish Lake, Utah from NSF’s Paleo Perspectives of Climate Change (P2C2). He also has an award to enhance STEM research ethics training across public institutions in Utah from NSF’s Ethics and Responsible Research (ER2) programs. If you are looking to connect, you can reach Dr. Morris at jesse.morris@utah.edu.
Media
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Interviewed for St. George News: Is Logging the Best Fire Mitigation Strategy for Southern Utah? By Alysha Lungren, 2022.
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Interviewed for Utah Public Radio: Lake Mud Tells the History of Spruce Beetle Outbreaks on the Wasatch Plateau, by Leslie Forero, 2019.
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Interviewed for Superlatives: The Biology of Extremes by Matthew LaPlante, 2019.
https://www.amazon.com/Superlative-Extremes-Matthew-D-LaPlante/dp/1946885940
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Interviewed for Yale Environment 360: Small Pests, Big Problems: The Global Spread of Bark Beetles, by Cheryl Katz. 2017.
http://e360.yale.edu/features/small-pests-big-problems-the-global-spread-of-bark-beetles
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Interviewed for National Public Radio’s Marketplace: Obama visits a state that lives climate change: Alaska, by Andy Uhler. 2015. http://www.marketplace.org/2015/08/31/sustainability/obama-visits-state-lives-climate-change-alaska
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Interviewed for Utah Adventure Journal: Bark Beetles in Utah, by Luis Arevalo. 2013. http://utahadvjournal.com/index.php/beetle-mania
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Interviewed for Utah Forest News: Mud Provides Windows into Utah’s Forest History, Darren McAvoy. 2007. http://forestry.usu.edu/files/uploads/UFN/UFN1104.pdf
Projects
Research Ethics in STEM
This research is supported by the National Science Foundation’s Ethical and Responsible Research (ER2) Program and aims to develop research education materials designed to promote progress in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). R1 universities, like the University of Utah, often have dedicated offices to support ethical and responsible research education, while primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) tend to lack similar resources. Yet, there is a pressing need to engage faculty and students from PUIs and other academic institutions in STEM ethics training, especially on the topic of mentoring. This project addresses this need within the State of Utah and provides much benefit to students, faculty, and other personnel by generating accessible and permanent research ethics training materials that can be used in a variety of academic settings.
Funded by:NSF Award 2316243