
- pierceb@southwestern.edu
- 512.863.1974
- Fondren-Jones 208
- sites.google.com/site/benapierce/
From Granada to Salamanca to London to New York, four Southwestern students recall their time abroad and away and how the experiences enriched their lives and even led to a job offer.
more informationThe Golden Pirates Esports team is producing more than just a competitive group of gamers. They are building a community.
more informationThe Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Center fosters an inclusive and equitable environment for Southwestern students.
more informationAssistant Director for Outdoor Adventure Branndon Bargo took a group of students on a caving adventure.
more informationThe Black Student Union offers a space for Southwestern’s Black students to gather as a community.
more informationThe Counseling Center seeks to eliminate the stigma surrounding assistance for mental health.
more informationSouthwestern University has partnered with Grupo Salinas and Centro Richard B. Salinas Pliego to create two new scholarships for high school students in Mexico.
more informationA group of Southwestern students took their devised theater play, The G.H.O.S.T. Unit: The Live Event, to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
more informationSept. 13, the entire SU community came together to build community during SUnity Day.
more informationSouthwestern University rose 13 places in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best Colleges rankings—the biggest single-year jump in school history—and SU was also recognized as a top school in the Social Mobility category, which measures how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell Grants.
more informationFrom Granada to Salamanca to London to New York, four Southwestern students recall their time abroad and away and how the experiences enriched their lives and even led to a job offer.
more informationThe Golden Pirates Esports team is producing more than just a competitive group of gamers. They are building a community.
more informationThe Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Center fosters an inclusive and equitable environment for Southwestern students.
more informationAssistant Director for Outdoor Adventure Branndon Bargo took a group of students on a caving adventure.
more informationThe Black Student Union offers a space for Southwestern’s Black students to gather as a community.
more informationAssistant professor of biology strives to restore and protect Southwestern’s EcoLab.
more informationHead Men’s Soccer Coach, Dustin Norman, reached out to Facilities Management after the February 2023 winter ice storm to see how his team could help.
more informationThe Paideia Connections class that wrapped in the fall of 2022 explored engaging topics and planted a community garden.
more informationScholars and artists will explore Radical Imagination at Southwestern’s Brown Symposium.
more informationSouthwestern University rose 13 places in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best Colleges rankings—the biggest single-year jump in school history—and SU was also recognized as a top school in the Social Mobility category, which measures how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell Grants.
more informationA recognized leader in building successful athletics programs, Ken Ralph will join Southwestern University as athletic director effective Sept. 15.
more informationThe applied mathematician and Southwestern alumna will address the graduating class.
more informationSouthwestern University shows a dedication to including green spaces on campus as they have proven to benefit students.
more informationFeb. 23, the entire SU community came together to build community during the inaugural SUnity Day.
more informationThis initiative was announced in October 2021 as part of a $1 million commitment from an anonymous donor in honor of their mother, a lifelong educator, in order to allow more Southwestern students to benefit from high impact experiences as outlined in the Tactical Plan.
more informationA journey from Nigeria to the Midwest to head track and field coach at Southwestern.
more informationThis funding will allow Southwestern faculty members to pursue various research projects.
more informationAssistant Director for Outdoor Adventure Branndon Bargo took a group of students on a caving adventure.
more informationThe Black Student Union offers a space for Southwestern’s Black students to gather as a community.
more informationAssistant professor of biology strives to restore and protect Southwestern’s EcoLab.
more informationHead Men’s Soccer Coach, Dustin Norman, reached out to Facilities Management after the February 2023 winter ice storm to see how his team could help.
more informationThe Paideia Connections class that wrapped in the fall of 2022 explored engaging topics and planted a community garden.
more informationScholars and artists will explore Radical Imagination at Southwestern’s Brown Symposium.
more informationSU celebrates five campus community members with the 2022 Mundy Awards and recognizes those who have achieved milestone anniversaries with the University.
more informationSouthwestern University rose 13 places in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best Colleges rankings—the biggest single-year jump in school history—and SU was also recognized as a top school in the Social Mobility category, which measures how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell Grants.
more informationFifty years ago, Title IX was signed into law. The landmark legislation transformed women’s athletics. We look back at our history and pioneers as we continue to strive for equity in all we do.
more informationCatherine Hiebel ’22 and Melina Boutris ’22 will teach English in Spain and Austria, respectively.
more informationWhat happens when you start a devised theater project with three Southwestern University students and the Anton Checkov play, The Cherry Orchard? You end up with a nationally recognized production called G.H.O.S.T. Unit: The Live Event.
more informationSTARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.
more informationProfessor of Biology and Lillian Nelson Pratt Chair Ben Pierce published a paper titled “Relative Tail Width as an Indicator of Body Condition in Central Texas Eurycea Salamanders” in the August 2022 issue of Herpetological Conservation and Biology.
—September 2022During the last weekend of February, Professor of Biology Romi Burks and Professor of Biology Ben Pierce took eight biologists to the Texas Academy of Sciences (TAS) Annual Meeting in Clear Lake, Texas. Southwestern student contributions included two posters and two oral presentations as well as an exciting second-place team finish in “Science Jeopardy.”
Five Southwestern students had the opportunity to extend their coursework and research experience beyond the classroom with poster presentations at the Texas Conservation Symposium, which was cosponsored by Southwestern and the Williamson County Conservation Foundation. The students all had the opportunity to interact with keynote speaker Kelly Ramirez, assistant professor at the University of Texas at El Paso and cofounder of 500 Women Scientists. Three of the presentations built on work the students did during the fall 2021 Conservation Biology course taught by Professor of Biology Romi Burks. These presentations, each of which delved into analyzing a particular Texas ecoregion, included the following:
In addition, two students mentored by Burks in the Molecular Aquatic Ecology Lab, Lillian Dolapchiev ’23 and Cynthia Bashara ’23, presented their research from the 2021 SCOPE program titled “Escar-go to San Antonio: Using Environmental DNA to Detect the Non-native Invasive Species Pomacea maculata.”
Both Montgomery and Dolapchiev received recognition for outstanding presentations. Michael Gervasi ’23 also had his poster, “Trans Pecos 2050,” on display. You can view the ecoregions posters on Burks’s website.
Professor of Biology Ben Pierce and Assistant Professor of Biology Jennie DeMarco also gave presentations on their research, “Relative Tail Width as an Indication of Body Condition in Central Texas Euryceasalamanders” and “Invasive Species Litter Quality Alters Ecosystem Function through Enhanced Litter Decomposition Independent of Drought Conditions,” respectively. Pierce works each year to organize this symposium on behalf of Southwestern.
—January 2022Biology major Rebecca Chastain ’20 presented a poster coauthored with Professor of Biology Ben Pierce at the Texas Academy of Sciences meeting in Nacogdoches, TX, February 28–29. Chastain’s poster on Texas chirping frogs won first place in the terrestrial ecology section of the meeting.
—February 2020Professor of Biology and holder of the Lillian Nelson Pratt Chair Ben Pierce authored the seventh edition of Genetics: A Conceptual Approach, which was published by Macmillan Learning. This new edition emphasizes active learning and updates the book with the latest research in genetics.
—January 2020