{"id":2598,"date":"2026-06-14T16:40:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T21:40:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/biology\/?page_id=2598"},"modified":"2026-06-14T17:59:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T22:59:09","slug":"dr-carissa-n-ganong-research-profile","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/biology\/dr-carissa-n-ganong-research-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Carissa N. Ganong | Research Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Carissa<\/span><\/div>

Dr. Carissa N. Ganong<\/span><\/h2><\/div>

Title:<\/strong><\/span> Associate Professor<\/span><\/span>
\nEmail:<\/strong> cganong@missouriwestern.edu<\/a><\/span>
\nPhone:<\/strong> (816)271-4520<\/a><\/span>
\nAccepting Students:<\/strong> <\/span>Yes<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Quick Bio<\/span><\/h2><\/div>

Dr. Carissa Ganong has been at MoWest since 2016. Her research interests include aquatic ecology, entomology, invertebrate biology, tropical ecology and biogeochemistry.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

Education\/Academic Qualifications<\/span><\/h2><\/div>

Ph.D., Ecology, University of Georgia
\nM.S., Biology, University of Central Arkansas
\nB.S., Biology, Mansfield University
\nB.S., Chemistry, Mansfield University
\nB.S., Spanish, Mansfield University<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Distribution and Abundance of Burrowing Crayfish at Loess Bluffs NWR<\/h2><\/div>

Requirements<\/h3><\/div>

Students must be willing to work in potentially challenging (swampy) field conditions at Loess Bluffs. GIS\/GPS experience preferred but not required.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Anthropogenic effects on aquatic invertebrates and ecosystems<\/h2><\/div>

Our lab\u2019s broad research interest is the impacts of human activities on aquatic systems in both temperate and tropical environments, with a focus on aquatic insects and other invertebrates. In addition to a long term water quality monitoring effort of MoWest campus ponds, recent projects include quantifying the toxicity of a common organophosphate pesticide on tropical stream insects, and a comparison of thermal tolerance between closely related temperate and tropical aquatic insect taxa (in Costa Rica and Missouri).<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Biological Survey of the John Rushin Teaching and Research Prairie<\/h2><\/div>

One of the assets of the biology department at MoWest is the campus prairie, located just outside the campus. Encompassing 34 acres of unique prairie habitat, this area is a treasure trove for both the campus community, as well as botanists and nature lovers outside the campus. It provides a unique research opportunity. The initial goal of this project starts with the involvement of student researchers performing surveys of the plant communities present in this unique habitat.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Requirements<\/h3><\/div>

A grade of C or better in BIO105, BIO 225 preferred.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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From Viruses to Vertebrates: A Freshwater Biodiversity Survey<\/h2><\/div>

This research will use traditional and molecular tools to sample and categorize the biological entities in the freshwater environments that occur on the Missouri Western State campus. Students that work on this project will gain lab and field experience as well as experience working with large, complicated sets of data.<\/p>\n

This project is a collaborative effort between the labs of Dr. Elias, Dr. Ganong, Dr. Grantham, Dr. Mills, and Dr. Drake.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Requirements<\/h3><\/div>

Successful completion of at least one Biology course.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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\"campus<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"group<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"group<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"butterfly\"<\/a><\/div><\/div>
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\"checking<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"overlooking<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"fishing\"<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"elephant<\/a><\/div><\/div>
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