Matt Simmons

Matt Simmons Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Role:
Faculty - On-Campus

Currently Teaching

NATR 2899-001: Pre-Internship Seminar
NATR 2899-002: Pre-Internship Seminar
NATR 3374-001: Ecology
NATR 3374-002: Ecology
NATR 3374-003: Ecology
NATR 3374-004: Ecology
NATR 3376-001: Wetland/Riparian Ecology & Mgt
NATR 3376-002: Wetland/Riparian Ecology & Mgt
NATR 3468-001: Wldlife Habitat Mgt Techniques
NATR 3468-002: Wldlife Habitat Mgt Techniques
NATR 3899-001: Pre-Internship Seminar
NATR 3899-002: Pre-Internship Seminar
NATR 3901-001: Post-Internship Seminar
NATR 3901-002: Post-Internship Seminar

Research Interests

  • Authentic science inquiry in education
  • Plant ecology
  • Restoration of severely-disturbed lands
  • Wetland restoration

Awards, Distinctions, and Honors

  • 2018 Access Achievement Award
  • 2014 Outstanding Educator Award
  • Outstanding PhD Student, Department of Rangeland Ecology and Management, Texas A&M University, 2005.
  • Tom Slick Senior Graduate Fellowship, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, 2006.
  • CAS Fellowships for Young International Scientists, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2009.
  • CAS Research Fellowship for International Young Researchers, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2007.
  • Faculty/Staff Member of the Month, University of Minnesota, Crookston, December 2011.

Selected Publications

  • Kong, D., H. Wu, H. Zeng, X. Lu, M. Simmons, M. Wang, X. Sun, and X. Han. 2011. Plant functional group removal alters root biomass and nutrient cycling in a typical steppe in Inner Mongolia, China, Plant and Soil 346:133-144.
  • Kong, D., H. Wu, M. Wang, M. Simmons, X. Lu, Q. Yu, and X. Han. 2010. Structural and chemical differences between shoot and root-derived roots of three perennial grasses in a typical steppe in Inner Mongolia China, Plant and Soil 336:209-217.
  • Liu, Y.S., Q.M. Pan, H.D. Liu, Y.F. Bai, M. Simmons, K. Dittert, and X.G. Han. 2011. Plant responses following grazing removal at different stocking rates in an Inner Mongolia grassland ecosystem, Plant and Soil 340:199-213.
  • Lu, X., D. Kong, Q. Pan, M.E. Simmons, and X. Han. 2011. Nitrogen and water availability interact to affect leaf stoichiometry in a semi-arid grassland, Oecologia. DOI 10.1007/s00442-011-2097-7.
  • Simmons, M. E., X.B. Wu, and S. G. Whisenant. 2011. Responses of pioneer and later-successional plant assemblages to created microtopographic variation and soil treatments in riparian forest restoration, Restoration Ecology. DOI: 10.1111/j.1526- 100X.2011
  • Simmons, M.E., X.B. Wu, and S.G. Whisenant. 2007. Bottomland hardwood forest species responses to flooding regimes along an urbanization gradient, Ecological Engineering, 29:223-231.
  • Simmons, M.E., X.B. Wu, and S.G. Whisenant. 2011. Plant and soil responses to created microtopography and soil treatments in bottomland hardwood forest restoration, Restoration Ecology 19:136-146.
  • Simmons, M.E., X.B. Wu, S.L. Knight, and R.R. Lopez. 2008. Assessing the influence of field- and GIS-based inquiry on student attitude and conceptual knowledge in an undergraduate ecology lab, CBE-Life Sciences Education 7:338-345.

Educational Background

  • B.S., Wildlife and Range Resources, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 1999
  • M.S., Wildlife and Range Resources, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 2001
  • Ph.D., Rangeland Ecology and Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 2007

Professional Memberships

  • Society for Ecological Restoration International
  • Society for Range Management