faculty portrait if available
Thomas Sasek
Associate Professor
School of Sciences
CNSB 325
318-342-1792
ULM logo

Thomas W Sasek, PhD
Associate Professor, Biology
Biology Program Coordinator

Education

Ph D

1985, Botany
Duke University

MS

1983, Botany
Duke University

BA

1979, Biology
Dartmouth College

Biographical Sketch

Received a Fulbright Graduate Research Fellowship to study at Kobe University, Japan. Was a Research Fellow in the School of the Environment, Duke University. Has been a faculty member at the University of Louisiana at Monroe since 1992.

Research Interests

Response of plants to global environmental change, including CO2 enrichment, global warming, acidic precipitation, and tropospheric ozone pollution; comparative morphology, physiology, and ecology of introduced and native species in relation to invasibility of ecosystems; physiological ecology of vines; natural variability within and among ecotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana; selection and seed production of native wildflowers suitable for roadside beautification.

Recent Publications

Hanauer, D. I. (2017). An inclusive Research Education Community (iREC): Impact of the SEA-PHAGES program on research outcomes and student learning (pp. 13531-13536). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Nelson, G., et al., . (2015). Digitization workflows for flat sheets and packets of plants, algae, and fungi (pp. 1500065). Applications in Plant Sciences.
Poudel, D. D., Wollard, D., Foret, J., Simon, M., Anzalone, C., Guedry, S., Sasek, T. W. (2010). Louisiana Roadside Wildflower Establishment and Management Guidelines (pp. 60). Lafayette, LA: University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Poudel, D. D., Guedry, S., Sasek, T. W., Simon, M., Foret, J., Wollard, D., Anzalone, C., Bell, D. (2008). Wildflower Seed Bank, Highway Beautification, and Tourism Promotion in Louisiana (pp. 32-47). Lake Charles, LA: Journal of the Louisiana State Horticulture Society.
Bounds, H. B., Collins, J., Qin, Z., Sasek, T. W. (1998). Effects of length”width ratio and stress on rock”plant filter operation (pp. 4-14). Small Flows Journal.
Sasek, T. W., Flagler, R. B. (1995). Physiological and biochemical effects of air pollutants on southern pines (pp. 415-453). Impact of Air Pollutants on Southern Pine Forests, Ecological Studies Vol. 118. Springer-Verlag.
Dizengremel, P., Sasek, T. W., Brown, K. J., Richardson, C. J. (1994). Ozone-induced changes in primary carbon metabolism enzymes of loblolly pine needles (pp. 300-306). Journal of Plant Physiology.
Tsugawa, H., Kawasaki, N., Sasek, T. W., Hirose, D., Takahashi, T., Yamamoto, K., Nishikawa, K. (1993). Changes in the network of a natural kudzu (Pueraria lobata Ohwi) stand, established in a field left abandoned for about 15 years, during the period of current year’s foliage development (pp. 246-256). Journal of Japanese Society of Grassland Science.
Tsugawa, H., Kawasaki, N., Sasek, T. W., Takahashi, T., Yamamoto, K., Nishikawa, K. (1993). Dry matter production and leaf area expansion of the current year’s canopy in a natural kudzu (Pueraria lobata Ohwi) stand, established in a field left abandoned for about 15 years (pp. 440-452). Journal of Japanese Society of Grassland Science.

Research Grants

Sasek, T. (Principal), "Intro Biology Lab Computers" (Funded), Sponsored By ULM Student Technology Access Plan (STAP), The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $20,934. (February 14 2022 - June 30 2022).
Gissendanner, C., Garlapati, S., Findley, A., Sasek, T., "Assessment of microbial diversity in a "Pond in a Jar" ecosystem: Phase 2 Proposal (BIOL 1021)" (Funded), Sponsored By NSF-STEM CURE Mini-Grants Program, External to The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $5,000. (February 2020 - September 2021).
Gissendanner, C. (Principal), Garlapati, S. (Co-Principal), Findley, A. (Co-Principal), Sasek, T. (Co-Principal), "Assessment of microbial diversity in a "Pond in a Jar" ecosystem: Phase 1 Proposal (BIOL 1021)" (Funded), Sponsored By NSF-STEM CURE Mini-Grants Program, External to The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $5,000. (January 2018 - December 2019).
Sasek, T. (Principal), "Digitization TCN: Collaborative Research: The Key to the Cabinets: Building and sustaining a research database for a global biodiversity hotspot" (Funded), Sponsored By National Science Foundation, External to The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $88444. (August 01 2014 - July 31 2019).
Carr, J. L. (Principal), Sasek, T. W. (Principal), "Mobilizing Museum Collections into the Biology Curriculum and Beyond" (Funded), Sponsored By ULM Academic Innovation Center, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $2000. (March 6 2017 - June 30 2017).
Sasek, T. W. (Principal), "Earth and Environmental Science on a Sphere" (Not Funded), Sponsored By Board of Regents - Traditional ENH Program, External to The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $65650. (July 01 2016 - June 30 2017).
Carr, J. (Principal), Sasek, T. (Co-Principal), "CSBR: Natural History: Compaction, Digitization, and Curation of Collections in the ULM Museum of Natural History" (Not Funded), Sponsored By National Science Foundation, External to The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $487864. (April 01 2016 - March 31 2017).
Sasek, T. (Principal), "Comparing LED and fluorescent lighting for plant growth" (Funded), Sponsored By CAES Research Hub Fund, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $985. (May 2016 - February 2017).
Findley, A. (Principal), Garlapati, S. (Co-Principal), Sasek, T. W. (Co-Principal), Talbert, M. (Co-Principal), Wiedemeier, A. (Co-Principal), "Development of a CNSB Quantitative Biology Center" (Funded), Sponsored By STAP, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $10700. (September 2015 - May 2016).
Carr, J. (Principal), Sasek, T. (Co-Principal), "CSBR: Natural History: Compaction, Digitization and Curation of Collections in the ULM Museum of Natural History" (Not Funded), Sponsored By National Science Foundation, External to The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $495743. (March 01 2014 - February 28 2016).
Sasek, T. (Principal), "New computers for the introductory Biology laboratory" (Funded), Sponsored By STAP, The University of Louisiana at Monroe, $17428. (February 15 2014 - May 15 2014).

Awards & Honors

2017 Foundation Awards (CAES Service).

September 1999 Favorite Professor.

Courses Taught

BIOL 1001LIVING WORLD, 2 course(s)

BIOL 1020PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY I, 32 course(s)

BIOL 1021PRINCIPLES BIOLOGY I LAB, 28 course(s)

BIOL 2001ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, 10 course(s)

BIOL 2004Plant Diversity, 5 course(s)

BIOL 2030PLANT ANIMAL FORM FUNCTION, 14 course(s)

BIOL 3020CONSERVATION BIOLOGY, 8 course(s)

BIOL 4012PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, 6 course(s)

BIOL 4040Taxonomy of Vascular Plants, 1 course(s)

BIOL 4099SENIOR BIOLOGY SEMINAR, 3 course(s)

BIOL 5007SEMINAR, 1 course(s)

BIOL 5013PHYSIOLOGICAL ECOLOGY, 2 course(s)

BIOL 5024BIOGEOGRAPHY, 6 course(s)