Science Collaborative Research Program
Willamette University
900 State Street
Salem, Oregon 97301
- Susan Kephart
- Professor of Biology
- Olin 117
- 503-370-6481
- 503-375-5425
- skephart@willamette.edu
Susan Kephart
Professor of Biology
Ph.D. at Indiana University
Professional Interests
Professor Kephart's focal areas of research include evolutionary biology and systematics of plants and plant-animal interactions (i.e., pollination, herbivory) in grassland meadows or forests, from coastal prairies to montane "sky islands." Her research uses a variety of tools, from morphological study to experimental field manipulations to DNA fingerprinting. She currently has three active areas of study: 1) rare and common varieties of a plant known as Douglas' catchfly (Silene douglasii), 2) interactions of milkweeds and their associate pollinators and herbivores, including monarch butterflies, and 3) hybridization in camas lilies (Camassia) and milkweeds (Asclepias).