The Provost’s Office is excited to extend a warm welcome to Nicholas Lorusso, joining the Biology department in Fall 2025!
What excites you most about joining Gustavus Adolphus College?
I am most excited to work as part of such a vibrant campus community with so many ways to engage with students in unique teaching and research opportunities. Having so many options for studying local animal and plant communities, like the arboretum, is fantastic.
Briefly describe your professional interests.
I am a community ecologist who uses a combination of gene sequence data and traditional community ecology experiments to answer questions. I am primarily driven by how changes in the environment, like urbanization, can reshape communities of animals, plants, and microbes.
What aspects of teaching do you find most rewarding?
I love helping students find their way to generating their own “ah-ha!” moments. It is always amazing in class to have an example or exercise land with a group, but helping them be able to find how they engage with the material best so they can become more self-sufficient as young scholars is something I strive for.
What are you looking forward to exploring or engaging with in the Saint Peter community outside of your academic work?
As someone who loves finding new ecological communities for both fun and for my research, the diverse wildlife around campus is very exciting. If anyone wants to go birding, let me know!
If you could have any superpower (related to your field or otherwise), what would it be and why?
I would love the ability to understand animal communication – it would be amazing to know what all those honey bees are waggling about.