University of Wisconsin Stout | Wisconsin's Polytechnic University

Appointments

• Associate Professor of Biology, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI (Current)
• Assistant Director, UW-Stout Honors College (2012-2013)
• Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI (2008-2012)
• Assistant Professor (Non-tenure track), University of Minnesota-Duluth, Duluth, MN (2005-2008)
• Consultant, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota-Duluth, Duluth, MN (2005-2008)
• Full-time Adjunct Teaching Faculty, Edgewood College, Madison, WI (2004-2005)
• Graduate Teaching Assistant, UW-Madison Department of Biology, Madison, WI (2001-2004)
• Student Biological Technician, US Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD (2000-2005)

Recent Grants & Awards

• 2013, A.M. Little and J. Church. NSF DEB: RUI: Testing metacommunity models in forested vernal wetlands using a multi-taxa, multi-year approach. NSF-DEB. Awarded for $549,999. (DEB-1256142)
• 2011, UW-Stout College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Outstanding Teaching Award.
• 2011, Participant in UW-Stout Using Calibrated Peer Review to Improve Writing within the Discipline grant (NTLC). $600.
• 2011, Participant in UW-Stout Infusing Diversity into the Curriculum Program (NTLC). $1800.
• 2011, Thorson, C.* and A.M. Little. The Literal Knowledge Spiral Transformation of the Campus Outdoor Classroom: Stories, Relationships, Goals, and Outcomes, Midwest Regional Collaborative for Sustainability Education. $2000.
• 2011, Little, A.M. and D. Demezas. Portals of Discovery Collaboration Grant with UW-Fond du Lac. National Science Foundation. $7300.
• 2011, Kuchta, M. and A.M. Little. Status surveys and habitat suitability modeling of terrestrial gastropods in Wisconsin, Wisconsin DNR State Wildlife Grant. $30,000.
• 2010, Little, A.M., M. Hashmi, and J. Grant. NTLC Lesson Study Community of Practice: Plants, Drugs, and Depression. $2000.
• 2010, Carlson, K., A. Little, and M. Kuchta. UW-Stout laboratory modernization request: Environmental sustainability suite. $72,378.
• 2010, Paulson, N., S. Nold, and A. Little. Phosphorus in the Red Cedar Basin: An interdisciplinary approach to a more sustainable community. UW-Stout Research Incubator Grant Proposal. $10,000.
• 2010, University of Wisconsin Teaching Fellow
• 2010, A.M. Little. Red Cedar River riparian habitat restoration, Red Cedar River Enhancement Fund. $5000.
• 2009, Perez, K.E., J. Theler, J. Nekola, T. Hyde, M.A. Kuchta, and A.M. Little. Wisconsin land snail database and surveys in the Driftless area. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources State Wildlife Grant. $49,971.
• 2008, A.M. Little and J.A. Handley. UW-Stout Faculty Research Initiative. Reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) in west-central Wisconsin watersheds: factors affecting its distribution and control. $11,500.
• 2008, Hoel, A. and A.M. Little. Team-teaching in a biology and business senior capstone course. Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center Grant. $500.
• 2008, Carlson, K. and A.M. Little. Creation, implementation and marketing of a plant science minor at UW-Stout. UW-Stout Curriculum Incubation Center Grant. $6000.
• 2006, PI: Little, A.M. Sphagnum in Acadia National Park. L. L. Bean Acadia Research Fellowship Grant. $5000.

Recent Publications

• Hoopes, M.F., D.M. Marsh, K.H. Beard, N. Goldberg, A. Aparicio*, A. Arbuthnot*, B. Hixon*, D. Laflower*, L. Lee*, A. Little, E. Mooney, A. Pallette*, A. Ravenscraft, S. Scheele*, K. Stowe, C. Sykes, R. Watson*, and B. Yang*. Invasive Plants in U.S. National Wildlife Refuges: A Coordinated Research Project with Undergraduate Ecology Students. BioScience in press.
• Bernier, C.* 2013. Wet prairie restoration methods affect species richness and transplant survival. UW-Stout Journal of Student Research 12: 281-288. (A. Little, advisor)
• Lynum, C.*, R. Amundson*, M. Kuchta, A. Little, T. Hyde, and K.E. Perez. 2013. Hendersonia occulta (Say 1831), the Cherrystone drop snail (Gastropoda, Helicinidae), extended geographic distribution. Checklist 9(2): 472-474.
• Little, A.  2013.  Sampling and Analyzing Wetland Vegetation.  Chapter 5 in Anderson, J. T., and C. A. Davis.  Wetland Techniques.  Springer in press.
• Schoolmaster, D.R. Jr, Grace, J.B., E.W. Schweiger,  G.R. Guntenspergen, B.R. Mitchell, K.M. Miller, and A.M. Little. 2012. An algorithmic and information-theoretic approach to multimetric index construction. Ecological Indicators 26: 14-23.
• Little, A.M., G.R. Guntenspergen, and T.F.H. Allen. 2012. Wetland vegetation dynamics in response to beaver (Castor canadensis) activity at multiple scales on Mount Desert Island, Maine, USA. EcoScience 19(3): 246-257.
• Grace, J.B., D.R. Schoolmaster Jr, J. Pearl, G.R. Guntenspergen, A.M. Little, B.R. Mitchell, K.M. Miller, and E.W. Schweiger. 2012. Guidelines for graph-theoretic implementation of structural equation modeling. Ecosphere 3:1-44.
• Lee, L.,* B. Yang.* 2012. Rye cover crops limit Alliaria petiolata growth and promote prairie restoration. UW-Stout Journal of Student Research 11: 116-123. (A. Little, advisor)
• Little, A. and A. Hoel. 2011. Interdisciplinary team teaching: An effective method to transform student attitudes. Journal of Effective Teaching 11(1): 36-44. Available at: http://uncw.edu/cte/et/articles/Vol11_1/index.htm
• Little, A.M., G.R. Guntenspergen, and T.F.H. Allen. 2010. Conceptual hierarchical modeling to describe wetland plant community organization. Wetlands 30:55-65.
• Little, A.M. 2008. Sphagnum in Acadia National Park. Final Report for L.L. Bean Acadia Research Fellowship. Accepted by Acadia National Park.
• Little, A.M. 2005. The effects of beaver inhabitation and anthropogenic activity on freshwater wetland plant community dynamics on Mount Desert Island, Maine, USA. PhD Thesis, University of Wisconsin – Madison.
• Allen, T.F.H., M. Giampietro, and A.M. Little. 2003. Distinguishing ecological engineering from environmental engineering. Ecological Engineering 20: 389-407.
• Tainter, J. A., T. F. H. Allen, A. Little, and T. W. Hoekstra. 2003. Resource transitions and energy gain: contexts of organization. Conservation Ecology 7(3): 4. [online] URL: http://www.consecol.org/vol7/iss3/art4
• Little, A.M. 2002. Resource quality and beaver spatiotemporal dynamics. MS Thesis, University of Wisconsin – Madison.

*Undergraduate student

Recent Selected Presentations

• A.M. Little, G.R. Guntenspergen, and H. Neckles. 2013. Beaver and human activity affect Sphagnum communities in isolated wetlands in coastal Maine, USA. Ecological Society of America, Minneapolis, MN. (accepted abstract)
• Little, A.M. 2013. Service-learning in plant ecology using vegetation management plans. Ecological Society of America, Minneapolis, MN. (accepted abstract)
• Little, A.M. and J.O. Church. 2013. An Ephemeral Ponds Unit for Teaching Undergraduate Ecology Laboratory. Society of Wetland Scientists, Duluth, MN.
  
• Bernier, C.* and A. Little. 2012. Effects of wet prairie restoration methods on native plant species and transplant survival. Natural Areas Conference, Norfolk, VA.
• Bernier, C.* and A.M. Little. 2013. Effects of glyphosate and sod removal on plant species richness and native transplant survival in wet prairie restorations. Wisconsin Wetlands Association, Sheboygan, WI.  
• Little, A. 2012. Riparian soil, reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) and plant species richness in trout stream restorations. Wisconsin Wetlands Association, Lake Geneva, WI.
• Jones, T.* and A. Little. 2011. Tree community succession in an isolated Western Wisconsin Preserve. Natural Areas Conference, Tallahassee, FL.
• Grace, JB, DR Schoolmaster Jr., GR Guntenspergen, EW Schweiger, BR Mitchell, AM Little, K Miller and DJ Cooper. 2011. Causal networks as interpretive structures for multi-metric indices of ecological integrity. Ecol. Soc. of America, Austin, TX.
• Thorson, C.*, A. Little, and C. Bomar. 2010. Effects of P. arundinacea on stream macroinvertebrates depend upon stream restoration age. Natural Areas Conference, Osage Beach, MO.
• Little, A., H. Larsen*, C. Thorson*, J. Handley, and C. Bomar. 2010. Invasive reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) in WI trout stream restorations. Minnesota-Wisconsin Invasive Species Conference, St. Paul, MN.
• Larsen, H.* and A. Little. 2010. The effects of two trout stream restoration techniques on Phalaris arundinacea riparian spatial distribution. Wisconsin Wetlands Association Annual Conference, Eau Claire, WI
• Little, A. 2010. Isolated beaver- and human-affected wetlands as habitat for Sphagnum moss. Wisconsin Wetlands Association Annual Conference, Eau Claire, WI.
• Borchowiec, N.*, and A. Little. 2009. Wetland Phalaris arundinacea abundance as a function of watershed soil and land cover attributes. Natural Areas Conference, Vancouver, WA.
• Baumgartner, M.*, N. Borchowiec*, J. Handley, and A.M. Little. 2009. Effects of watershed land cover and soil type on Phalaris arundinacea abundance in the Lower Chippewa River Region, WI. Society of Wetland Scientists, Madison, WI.
• Leibl, K.* and A.M. Little. 2009. The effects of beaver (Castor canadensis) activity on Phalaris arundinacea in Minnesota. Society of Wetland Scientists, Madison, WI.

Professional Organizations

• Natural Areas Association (Board Member)
  
• Society of Wetland Scientists
• Ecological Society of America 
• Wisconsin Wetlands Association 
• The Prairie Enthusiasts

Teaching Philosophy

In a laboratory setting, I enjoy teaching students using open-ended inquiry, including semester-long research projects that involve student ownership of the research question. In large-lecture settings, I enjoy using demonstrations that include students as active participants. In order to engage non-major students, I offer community service activities as a course component. In addition, I emphasize learning in a team-setting, including team quizzes and other in-class activities. In upper-level classes, I include resume-building projects and activities that will help students gain useful skills, such as comfort with plant identification, GPS, and GIS technology.

Hobbies

As a plant ecologist, of course I enjoy botanizing, gardening, hiking and camping. I also cross-country ski the Birkie each year, and am hoping to do another marathon in the next two years. In the meantime, I read novels, cross-stitch, and spend time with my husband, Matt, and our two cats, Pippin and Birkie.