Nick Schooler

About Nick Schooler

I am an educator in biology with a background as an interdisciplinary marine scientist and research interests in the structuring of ecological communities. I engage students from diverse cultures, experiences, and learning styles using evidence-based teaching techniques with a little humor sprinkled in. I see distance education as a valuable tool that will increase diversity in STEM by breaking down barriers. My research focused on exploring how abiotic and biotic processes, including human impacts, act on biodiversity and community structure at a range of spatial and temporal scales. I combine comparative surveys and field experiments at relevant spatial and temporal scales and interdisciplinary collaboration to advance ecological theory, inform ecosystem-based management, and engage the public.At the core of my teaching philosophy is the belief that good science comes from good questions. A good question is original and insightful. It integrates background information to paint a knowledge gap and contains a hypothesis within its core. My goal as an instructor is to foster a drive and enthusiasm for science through active learning. Whether teaching an introductory or advanced level course, employing evidence-based teaching techniques will provide students with an understanding of the scientific concepts and skill sets necessary to become inquisitive learners, a skill that can be applied to any field of study that these students decide to pursue. I have applied these concepts across all of my teaching positions at Ventura College, UC Santa Barbara, California Lutheran University, and Allan Hancock College to reduce equity gaps and improve student success.For the majority of my research, I have focused on sandy beaches as a model ecosystem. Current and past research has provided new insight into marine biogeography and beach ecology, particularly the importance of subsidies in structuring ecological communities. I have shown that wrack subsidies can influence biogeographic patterns such as latitudinal gradients in species richness, yielding a peak in species richness in temperate as opposed to tropic latitudes. My research also highlights the vulnerability of taxa that are associated with macrophyte wrack subsidies to climatic and anthropogenic impacts. As a postdoctoral scholar, I explored how gradients in productivity and subsidies influence beach food webs using environmental DNA (eDNA) and baited remote underwater video (BRUV) to survey fish populations and stable isotopes and stomach content analyses to evaluate diet.

Experience

1. Assistant Professor of Biology

   Ventura College

   Jun 2023 — Present · Ventura, CA, US

Education

• University of California, Santa Barbara

  Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

  2002 — 2006

• University of California, Santa Barbara

  Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

  2009 — 2018

Skills

• Oceanography
• Fluorescence Microscopy
• Coastal
• Experimental Design
• Scientific Writing
• Field Work
• Aquatic Ecology
• Statistics
• Analysis
• Microscopy
• Marine Biology
• Environmental Issues
• Pcr
• Science
• Leadership
• Sigmaplot
• Climate Change
• Scuba Diving
• Gel Electrophoresis
• Research