Carmody McCalley
Associate Professor
Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences
College of Science
Director of Environmental Science MS Program
585-475-6258
Office Location
Carmody McCalley
Associate Professor
Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences
College of Science
Director of Environmental Science MS Program
Education
BA, Middlebury College; Ph.D., Cornell University
585-475-6258
Areas of Expertise
climate change
wetland biogeochemistry
arctic ecosystems
Select Scholarship
Journal Paper
Singleton, C. M., et al. "Methanotrophy across a natural permafrost thaw environment." The ISME Journal. (2018): doi:0.1038/s41396-018-0065-5. Web.
Hodgekins, Suzanne B, et al. "Elemental Composition and Optical Properties Reveal Changes in Dissolved Organic Matter Along a Permafrost Thaw Chronosequence in a Subarctic Peatland." Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 187. (2016): 123-140. Print.
Hodgekins, Suzanne B., et al. "Soil Incubations Reproduce Field Methane Dynamics in a Subarctic Wetland." Biogeochemistry 126. (2015): 241-249. Print.
Currently Teaching
BIOL-240
General Ecology
4 Credits
This course is an introduction to population, community and ecosystem ecology, stressing the dynamic interrelationships of plant and animal communities with their environments. The course includes such ecological concepts as energy flow and trophic levels in natural communities, population and community dynamics, biogeography and ecosystem ecology.
BIOL-295
Biology Research
1 - 4 Credits
This course is a faculty-directed student project or research involving laboratory work, computer modeling, or theoretical calculations that could be considered of an original nature. The level of study is appropriate for students in their first three years of study.
BIOL-298
Biology Independent Study
1 - 4 Credits
This course is a faculty-directed tutorial of appropriate topics that are not part of the formal curriculum. The level of study is appropriate for student in their first three years of study.
BIOL-301
Undergraduate Teaching Experience
1 - 4 Credits
This course allows students to assist in a class or laboratory for which they have previously earned credit. The student will assist the instructor in the operation of the course. Assistance by the student may include fielding questions, helping in workshops, and assisting in review sessions. In the case of labs, students may also be asked to help with supervising safety practices, waste manifestation, and instrumentation.
ENVS-102
Environmental Concepts Lab
1 Credits
This course is the laboratory component of the foundation course for the Environmental Science major. Through in-class exercises, outside labs, and field trips, students will begin to learn problem solving and analytical skills needed to investigate and address complex environmental issues. Topics may include assessing campus biodiversity and ecosystems, calculating personal and campus ecological footprints and sustainability indices, environmental modeling, and campus sustainability efforts. To demonstrate the interdisciplinary methodology of environmental science, elements of government/political science/policy, ethics, economics, sociology, and history are embedded in the scientific matrix used to present this course.
ENVS-301
Environmental Science Field Skills
4 Credits
Environmental Science Field Skills presents an integrated approach to the interrelated, interdisciplinary principles of environmental science through case studies, site visits and field work. In this course, the focus will be on learning methods for environmental analysis, including experimental design, water and soil quality, primary production and biodiversity, land use/land cover change and ecosystem restoration. The course will culminate in a stressed stream analysis of a local watershed. Additional topics may include geographic information systems, wetlands, environmental education and sustainable food production. The interdisciplinary nature of environmental science will be illustrated through elements of government/political science/policy, ethics, economics, sociology, history and engineering.
ENVS-498
Advanced Environmental Science Independent Study
1 - 4 Credits
This course is a faculty-directed tutorial of appropriate topics that are not part of the formal curriculum. The level of study is appropriate for student in their final two years of study.
ENVS-589
Special Topics
1 - 3 Credits
This is an advanced course on a topic that is not part of the formal curriculum. This course is structured as an ordinary course and has specific prerequisites, contact hours, and examination procedures.
ENVS-615
Aquatic Ecology Seminar
1 Credits
This graduate seminar course in aquatic ecology will focus on reading and critical evaluation of the peer-reviewed literature, formal and informal communication skills, and discussion of ongoing research in aquatic ecology. This discussion-based course is student lead, and may be retaken for credit.
ENVS-689
Graduate Special Topics
1 - 4 Credits
This is a graduate course on a topic that is not part of the formal curriculum. This course is structured as an ordinary course and has specific prerequisites, contact hours, and examination procedures.
ENVS-780
Environmental Science Project
1 - 6 Credits
This course will result in an Environmental Science project accomplished by the MS student for an appropriate topic as arranged between the candidate and the project advisor. Credit 1-6
ENVS-790
Environmental Science Thesis
1 - 4 Credits
The thesis option will be available to environmental science graduate students only with prior written approval of program faculty. Students will submit a proposal to a faculty member who agrees to serve as the student's thesis committee chair. The proposal will describe the basic research question to be investigated and the experimental protocols to be employed. Proposals will be reviewed by the program faculty who will give permission to register for thesis credit. This course may be taken several times over the course of a student's graduate program, for variable credits. A written thesis and oral defense are required at the completion of the thesis research.
ENVS-791
Continuation of Thesis
0 Credits
Continuation of Thesis
ENVS-795
Environmental Science Graduate Research
1 - 4 Credits
This course is a graduate level, faculty-directed, student project or research involving laboratory or field work, computer modeling, or theoretical calculations that could be considered of an original nature. The level of study is appropriate for students in Environmental Science graduate program.
ENVS-798
Advanced Environmental Science Independent Study
1 - 4 Credits
This course is a faculty-directed tutorial of appropriate topics that are not part of the formal curriculum. The level of study is appropriate for student in the Environmental Science graduate program.
ISUS-790
Thesis
1 - 6 Credits
Independent research in sustainability leading to the completion of the MS thesis. This course requires a formal proposal and a faculty sponsor.
In the News
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April 28, 2025
Research opportunities at RIT position grad to pursue Ph.D.
Hannah DeFelice’s research at RIT focused on how to improve animal welfare. The same research now takes her to Cornell University this fall to pursue her doctoral degree in biogeochemistry, the study of how living things interact with the physical and chemical environment.
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March 17, 2021
How microbes in permafrost could trigger a massive carbon bomb
Nature talks to Carmody McCalley, assistant professor in the Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, about climate models not accurately accounting for microbial activity in Arctic permafrost and Arctic lakes.
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September 4, 2020
RIT collaborates with 13 other universities to understand climate change and ecosystems
RIT is one of 14 universities from around the globe that have collectively been awarded $12.5 million from the National Science Foundation to launch a new Biology Integration Institute. It will focus on better understanding ecosystem and climate interactions—like the thawing of the Arctic permafrost—and how they can alter everything from the landscape to greenhouse gases.