Steven J. Ropski

Watch a Biography of Steven Ropski

Dr. Ropski is a graduate of Gannon College(78) with a degree in Biology and teaching certification in high school Biology. He then taught high school Biology at Elk County Christian High School In St. Mary's, Pa for one year. He spent 1979-84 at Indiana State University getting his doctorate in Ecology while studying hibernation in the Meadow Jumping Mouse...and met Mrs Ropski who also teaches at Gannon!. Dr. Ropski has been back at his alma mater since 1984. Hobbies include being a referee for college and high school soccer and partipating in shows at the Erie Playhouse (his favorite one was as Mr Banks in Mary Poppins!) He also works for a local Murder Mystery company and does dinner theatre for them and is the proud dad of daughter Meg who is a vet and son Nathanlel who works in admissions at George Mason Univesity. He passes the winters in Erie by being a devoted Erie Otters hockey fan and cross country skiing while biking and kayaking in th summer.

Courses Taught

Animal Form and Function (Biol 124)

Ecosystem Biology and Evolution and Lab (Biol 126 and 127)

Vertebrate Zoology and Lab (Biol 324 and 325)

Wildlife Management and Lab (Biol 326 and 327)

Ecology of Yellowstone National Park

First Year Seminar

Honor Societies

Advisor to Theta Omega chapter of Tri Beta Biology Honor Society..which has been named the best chapter in the country (out of 383 chapters) 4 times in the past 12 years. He is also in his second 2 year term as national president of Tri Beta.

Professional Societies

American Society of Mammalogists-life member.

Pennsylvania Academy of Sciences-life memeber.

Tri Beta National Biology Honor Society

Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Wildlife Society-life member and past president.

Publications

Most Recent publication is a book entitled "Let Yellowstone Come to You- A Non-tourist Guide to the Park"- 3rd edition 2015

Scholarship-Research

My interest is in bats and the effect White Nose Syndrome is having on their numbers. My students and I are currently in the 10th year of a 15 year project to study the bats on the Gannon campus. We have a set path we walk each day where we locate bats to mark to see if they return to the same spot repeatedly, consist of the same species, and try to determine which buildings are most popular and why. I also have a strong interest in the ecology of Yellowstone National Park and have taken students out to the park each summer for the past 28 years. I will start a project in 2019 studying the green roofs we have on campus to see what animals makse use of them by studying insects.

Service

Past President of the Board of Directors of the Erie Playhouse

Past Treasurer of the NW Pa Chapter of High School Soccer Referees

Past Chair of CNRAC (Cititzen's Advisory Council to Department of Conservation and Natural Resources)

Reader, Usher, Youth Leader, Eucharisitic Minister and lay preacher at St Stephen's Church

Past Chair of the Mammal Technical Committee of Pennsylvania

Chair of the Board of Directors of Environment Erie