LaTina M. Steele, Ph.D.

Degrees & Certifications

• PhD in Marine Sciences, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL (2010)
• BS in Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL (2004)

Teaching Responsibilities

• BI104/258 Experiences in Coastal Ecology (Dingle)
• BI112 Concepts in Biology II Lecture
• BI202/204 Ecology and Evolution Lecture and Laboratory
• BI203 Genetics and Evolution Laboratory
• BI240/241 Invertebrate Biology Lecture and Laboratory
• BI260 Marine Biology Lecture and Laboratory
• BI333 Chemical Ecology Lecture and Lab
• BI390 Supervised Research
• BI398 Senior Seminar Prep
• BI 399 Senior Seminar
• CTL125 Critical Thinking

Research Interests & Grants

Dr. Steele’s research interests include marine community ecology, aquatic/marine plant chemical ecology, invasive species ecology, and the effects of humans on aquatic and marine ecosystems. Her specific research areas include:

• Role of chemical and plant-herbivore interactions in determining invasion success of non-native aquatic plants
• Effects of invasive species on aquatic and marine communities
• Factors that can limit the spread of invasive species in marine and aquatic environments
• Techniques to assess restored salt marsh structure and function
• Distribution of algal and meiofaunal communities within salt marshes
• Role of phenolic compounds as inducible chemical defenses against herbivory and pathogenic infection in seagrasses and salt marsh grasses
• Interactions between disease and herbivory in marine plants
• How changes in land use affect aquatic invertebrate and marine algal communities along the Dingle Peninsula (Ireland)
• Interactions between human and natural systems along the Dingle Peninsula (Ireland)
• Factors that influence growth of fragmented corals

Externally Funded Grants

• 2019-2021. Mattei J, Steele L, Kasinak J. DuPont Corporation. Monitoring and Management of Living Shoreline at Stratford Point, Stratford, CT. $120,000
• 2016-2018. Mattei J, Steele L, Kasinak J. United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Audubon Connecticut In-Lieu Fee Program. Stratford Point Living Shoreline: Restoring Coastal Habitats to Maintain Resiliency and Function. $250,000
• 2016. Mattei J, Steele L, Kasinak J. Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) Matching Funds Program. Stratford Point Living Shoreline: Restoring Coastal Habitats to Maintain Resiliency and Function.  $91,000
• 2014-2016. Steele L, Guidone M. USGS/Connecticut Institute of Water Resources 104B Grant. Mitigating Eurasian watermilfoil invasion success and ecosystem impact using native herbivores. $18,265
• 2014-2016. Mattei J, Rapaglia J, Beekey M, Steele L. DuPont Corporation. Abiotic and biotic assessment of Stratford Point. $61,686
• 2013. Mattei J, Beekey M, Rapaglia J, Guidone M, Steele L, Zemba A, Roach D. National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Long Island Sound Futures Fund Planning Grant. Housatonic River estuarine ecosystem restoration project, Stratford Point, CT. $59,056

Intramural Funding

• 2017-2018. Beekey M, Roney J, Steele L. Sacred Heart University College of Arts & Sciences Interdisciplinary Faculty Research Grant. Historical Analysis of Commercial Fisheries around the Dingle Peninsula, Ireland. 2 credits of release time per person
• 2017-2018. Beekey M, Steele L, Bartholomew K, Pelle S. Sacred Heart University Research/Creativity Grant. Environmental assessment of the Dingle Peninsula. $5,700
• 2013-2014. Beekey M, Rapaglia J, Steele L. Sacred Heart University Academics for Creative Teaching Grant. From mountain to sea, understanding shifts in water quality and community dynamics through integrated hands on laboratory activities in Dingle, Ireland. $1,500
• 2013. Steele L. Sacred Heart University Research/Creativity Grant. Mitigating Eurasian watermilfoil invasion success and ecosystem impact using native herbivores. $4,105