Rate My Professor Dana Garrigan

Dana Garrigan serves as Co-Chair of the Biology Department and Professor of Biology at Carthage College. He earned his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Utah and a B.A. in Biology from St. Olaf College. Garrigan's research focuses on the biology of plant-insect interactions and conservation issues. He has conducted studies on climate change impacts on butterfly distributions in Mount Rainier National Park. These efforts expanded into a collaboration with the National Park Service to engage park visitors and citizen scientists in monitoring butterfly distributions across North Cascades National Park and other Pacific Northwest parks. He has received grant funding for his research and teaching from the National Science Foundation, National Park Service, NASA, and private foundations.

In his teaching at Carthage College, Garrigan offers courses such as BIO 1011 Exploring Climate Change, BIO 1012 Exploring Evolution, BIO 1030 Conservation for Educators, BIO 1120 Organisms, Populations, and Systems, BIO 2650 Photographing Nature: Investigating Biodiversity and Conservation, BIO 3320 Entomology, BIO 3100 General Ecology, and BIO 3400 Conservation Science. Drawing on his expertise in biology, photography, and environmental education, he created two interdisciplinary courses: Photographing Nature and Interpreting Nature. Garrigan contributes to conservation through volunteer service at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge and board service for two local Audubon Society chapters and the Chiwaukee Prairie Preservation Fund. His photography was showcased in the 'Chiwaukee Prairie' exhibit at the Kenosha Public Museum from 2021 to 2022. He was awarded tenure in 2020 and, in 2023, a Faculty Innovation Grant with Angela Dassow to develop a classroom-friendly bee chalet promoting STEM interest, as well as Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium funding for NASA-data-based labs in ecology and conservation courses.