Directory

Brian Ohsowski, PhD

About

Ohsowski teaches courses focused on restoration ecology and conservation biology at SES. He delivers course content necessary to understand the current state of human impacted systems by emphasizing approaches and challenges in applied ecology. He is interested in contemporary threats to biodiversity, including habitat fragmentation, the spread of invasive species, and global climate change. Students will understand how the science of ecological systems can be used to address issues in habitat conservation and restoration. In addition, he is actively engaged in the future career success of his students. He spends time working with students on skills necessary to compose cover letters/resumes and relay the importance of ecological internships.

Degrees

• PhD in Biology at University of British Columbia
• MSc in Ecology and Organismal Biology at Eastern Michigan University
• BSc in Biology at Eastern Michigan University

Program Areas

• Restoring endemic aquatic and terrestrial communities in human impacted ecosystems
• Understanding the role of soil communities in impacted landscape recovery
• Emphasizing experimental design and statistical methodology in restoration ecology
• Strengthening partnerships among academics, industry, and local communities to emphasize the importance of ecosystem services

Research Interests

As a research scientist, Ohsowski is invested in the preservation and, when necessary, restoration of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. His research strives to counteract human-induced impacts on the landscape that range from localized disturbances (i.e. deforestation/resource extraction) to global climate change. Ohsowski's research interests investigate practical, ecologically-based methods to assist the recovery of plant, animal, and soil communities after habitat disturbance. In his research he integrates remediation tools that reduce human waste and sequester greenhouse gases in addition to creating quality native habitat. Such amendments can include soil additions (i.e municipal compost, biochar, biosolids) or biotic inoculation (i.e. arbuscular mycorrhizae, n-fixing bacteria, earthworms). With the addition of these amendments, human waste streams can be reduced, biofuels produced, and habitat recovery can be accelerated.

Ohsowski's current research focus is two-fold: (1) He investigates soil biogeochemical cycles and native plant community recovery in severely disturbed areas such as highway systems. (2) He is part of a wetland ecology team at Loyola University Chicago which investigates Typha x glauca invasion dynamics in coastal Great Lakes marshes. (3) He is interested in large-scale restoration practices to improve practicality for land managers. For more information, please visit his website. 

Professional & Community Affiliations

• LUC Restoration Club (Fall 2014-Present) 

• Bee Haven Board Membership (2023-Present) 

Courses Taught

• ENVS 203: Environmental Statistics 

• ENVS 286: Principles of Ecology Lab 

• ENVS 320/420: Conservation Biology 

• ENVS 321: Conservation Biology Lab 

• ENVS 330/420: Restoration Ecology 

• ENVS 331: Restoration Ecology Lab 

Awards

Academic Student Awards: 

Langerbeck Award for Undergraduate LUC Research Mentorship (2023) 

Total LUC Research Student Funding (2014–Present) Award Amount:  $212,000 

Internal Grants: 

• Assessing the Potential of Biochar Filtration to Mitigate Road Salt and Nutrient Pollution in Midwestern Freshwater Streams and Rivers: A Stream Lab Mesocosm Experiment. (2021) Award Amount: $10,000 

• Biochar Production from Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Invasive Plant Monocultures: Biochar Quality Assessment and Wetland Plant Growth Response. (2020) $5,000.00 

External Grants: 

• Controlling Invasive Plants, Improving Waterbird Habitat, and Reducing Nutrient Run-off through Biomass Harvest, On-site Biochar Production, and Biochar Reapplication. Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2023-2028) Award Amount: $1,116,288 

• Enhancing Tollway Bioswale Capacity with Biochar Application and Cattail Harvesting. Agency: Illinois Tollway, (2022-2024) Award Amount: $297,500 

Selected Publications

• Ohsowski, B.M., Redding, C., Geddes, P., and S.C. Lishawa. 2024. Field–based measurement tools to distinguish clonal Typha taxa and estimate biomass: a resource for conservation and restoration. Frontiers in Plant Science 15:1348144 
•  Schurkamp, S.J., Lishawa, S.C., and B.M. Ohsowski. 2024. Wetland plant species and biochar amendments lead to variable salinity reduction in roadway–associated soils. Science of The Total Environment 951:175801 

• Demastus, J., Ohsowski, B.M., and N.E. Landrum. 2024. Exploring the nexus of organisational culture and sustainability for green innovation. Industry and Innovation p. 1–31. doi.org/10.1080/13662716.2024.2390991 

For a complete list of publications, awards, grants and affiliations, please see his CV.