Eileen Zerba
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
M172 Guyot Hall
ezerba@princeton.edu
8-3698
Eileen Zerba (Ph.D.) is a Lecturer in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB), Freshman Seminars (FRS), and Director of Princeton Environmental Institute (PEI) Undergraduate Laboratories. She has conducted research in environmental biophysics and physiology, including animal responses to climate change with emphasis on effects of temperature on energy balance, locomotion and muscle function. Zerba’s pedagogy incorporates experiential learning with inquiry-based interdisciplinary projects of local environmental problems that are applicable to state, regional, and global environmental issues. For example, her FRS course traveled to Bermuda to conduct research on how climate change is expected to affect coral reefs and ocean systems. This year, she will teach a new upper-level course entitled, “Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Solutions”. This course, in addition to a summer undergraduate research training program she directs, focuses on how land use changes, driven by Campus and Sustainability Master Plans, impact the health of Lake Carnegie and the regional watershed. Student collaborative research projects will involve stream restorations, assessments of lake health, and storm-water mitigation and energy savings of Butler College green roofs. Zerba hopes this knowledge will inform future sustainability practices and policies. Her educational research model is also based on values of stewardship, with the goal of developing active partnerships with local community organizations.