Rate My Professor Clay Runck

Professor Clay Runck serves as Associate Professor of Biology within the School of Science and Technology at Georgia Gwinnett College. His academic credentials include a doctorate in biology and a master's degree in biology, both from Northern Arizona University, as well as a bachelor's degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from Northland College. With extensive experience in teaching undergraduate courses such as introductory biology, ecology, limnology, and ornithology, Runck is a broadly trained organismal biologist specializing in aquatic ecology. He was attracted to Georgia Gwinnett College by the chance to contribute to the development of its biology program at what was then the newest public liberal arts college in the United States. Prior to joining GGC, Runck taught for six years at another liberal arts college, bringing valuable insights from his own liberal arts baccalaureate education.

Runck integrates research into his teaching philosophy, designing projects accessible to undergraduate students. His primary research interests center on the ecology of stormwater management ponds and streams within human-dominated landscapes. Additionally, he pursues service learning initiatives where STEM students engage 5th-grade classes with inquiry-based mystery scenarios in science, and he collaborates with citizen-science groups for conservation efforts. Runck also develops outdoor classroom activities aimed at cultivating lifelong stewardship of the natural world and its stewardship. His scholarly contributions include peer-reviewed publications such as "Macroinvertebrate production and food web energetics in an industrially contaminated stream" published in 2007, "The impact of prey behaviour and prey density on the foraging ecology of Ranatra montezuma (Heteroptera): a serological examination" from 2011, "Notes: Effects of Rainbow Trout Predation on Little Colorado Spinedace" in 2011, and "Diel Patterns in Discharge and Water Chemistry in an Urban River" from 2005. These works reflect his longstanding focus on aquatic and freshwater ecology. Runck has participated in grants related to diversity and inclusiveness in STEM classrooms and has contributed to undergraduate research initiatives at GGC.