![Matt Orr in front of shrubbery](https://ib.oregonstate.edu.prod.acquia.cosine.oregonstate.edu/sites/ib.oregonstate.edu/files/styles/600_x_var/public/2020-01/Orr-Matt.jpg?itok=9o7RONNo)
Matthew R. Orr
Matthew R. Orr
Background
Biography
I came to OSU-Cascades after studying grasshopper speciation in the Sierra Nevada and the influence of parasitic flies on ant behavior and community ecology in Costa Rica and Brazil. I became interested in restoration ecology while working in the sand dunes of San Francisco during my ant post doc at UC Berkeley.
Education
- PhD, Population Biology, University of California - Davis, 1994.
- B.A., Biology, Amherst College, 1987.
Research
I conduct research in topics spanning behavioral ecology of scavengers; restoration ecology of forest, field, and streams; and the application of restoration ecology to medicine. Being a scientific generalist has helped me to explore fields from a trans-disciplinary perspective and offer my undergraduate students a wide array of research experiences that match their interests.
Teaching
In my classes I try to give students hands-on experience, whether it is identifying aquatic insects, doing fieldwork in restoration, or working with data sets in ecology.
Courses Taught at OSU-Cascades
- BI 370 – Ecology
- BI 371 – Ecological Methods
- BI 375 – Field Studies in Ecological Restoration
- Z 477 – Aquatic Entomology
Awards
- OSU-Cascades Teaching Award. 2017.
- OSU-Cascades Outreach Award for work with local resource agencies and landowners. 2012.