Naomi Marsh

Dr. Naomi Marsh is an evolutionary plant biologist who studies plant evolution in a changing climate. During her doctoral work at the University of Minnesota, Naomi’s research sought to inform seed sourcing practices for prairie restoration. She studied the geographic scale of local adaptation in three native prairie perennials and investigated the outcomes of assisted gene flow and assisted migration in Chamaecrista fasciculata, a native prairie annual. 

At Gustavus, Naomi’s research with students has three threads: (1) investigating the extent of plastic verses evolutionary responses of Brassica rapa (a short lived species in the mustard family) to elevated temperatures, (2) determining the geographic extent of local adaptation in the pollinator favorite, Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed), and (3) assessing the degree of recent phenological change that has occurred in a Minnesota prairie remnant as the climate warms.  

Naomi and her students conduct their research using growth chambers on campus, a research planting in one of the restored prairies on the Gustavus Adolphus campus, and a remnant prairie in central Minnesota. Naomi’s students regularly present their work at undergraduate research symposiums on campus and at the annual Midstates Undergraduate Research Symposium. Students from Naomi’s lab have gone on to graduate programs in a number of related research areas, as well as careers in other fields.  

Naomi holds a dual appointment in the departments of Biology & Environment and Geography & Earth Science. She teaches courses in the core sequences for both departments as well as upper level electives for biology and environmental studies majors. 

In the classroom, Naomi seeks to create a community of engaged learners. She values small group discussion, hands-on activities, data exploration and analysis, guided opportunities for students to facilitate class, and field trips to sites ranging from local natural areas and ecological restorations to museums and historical sites. 

As a faculty member that teaches many environmental studies courses, Naomi guides her students to expand their understanding of the myriad ways that humans affect other species and the world around us, and to engage with the complexities of potential solutions to major environmental and conservation issues. Her goal is for her students to be informed and thoughtful citizens, ready to engage with the world around them.  

When Naomi is not teaching or doing research with students, she enjoys being active, spending time outdoors, and hanging out with her family. She spends many happy hours rock climbing, loves to camp and canoe (especially in the Boundary Waters!), and can often be found taking her dogs, Blue and Zoey, for walks and runs.