By Whitney Baxter
Stephen Dinsmore has been reappointed to another five-year term as chair of the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management at Iowa State University.
Dinsmore was first appointed department chair in 2021, following a two-year stint as interim department chair. He has been an NREM faculty member since 2005 and earned his bachelor’s in fisheries and wildlife biology from the department.
"Dr. Dinsmore brings great breadth of knowledge and expertise to the NREM department. He is forward-thinking, creative and committed to excellence, and has enabled growth in the department that especially benefits its students,” said Daniel J. Robison, endowed dean’s chair in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “Steve is a dynamic and effective leader, guiding the programs in the department to be relevant and impactful in support of the state’s natural resources and beyond, and the people, communities and industries that depend and thrive upon those resources and their sustainable use – from recreation and ecological values, to forestry, water and land use.”
Highlights of Dinsmore’s first five years as department chair include:
- overseeing seven faculty hires in the department, four of which were due to departures and three were new hires, including a shared position with the global resource systems program.
- renaming the animal ecology major and minor to wildlife and fisheries conservation and ecology to better reflect the program offerings and prevent confusion with the animal science major.
- adding new scholarships each of the past five years for NREM students, thanks to a collaboration with the ISU Foundation.
- increasing sustainability and efficiency efforts within the department.
Looking ahead, Dinsmore remains committed to the department’s mission of effectively managing and sustainably using renewable natural resources through teaching, research and extension. He’d like to leverage NREM expertise in campus partnerships to enhance learning opportunities for students. He also hopes to form an external advisory council to help guide the department on how to better prepare students to meet industry needs.
“It has been a privilege to serve as chair of the NREM department,” Dinsmore said. “I’m grateful to work with so many wonderful faculty, staff and students who have helped make these accomplishments possible. I look forward to continuing to lead the department as we strive for even greater success.”
In addition to his department chair responsibilities, Dinsmore continues to conduct research related to the intersection of avian ecology and population biology, seeking to answer questions about management issues. He leads the “Natural History of Antarctica” study abroad experience and has taught or co-taught a handful of courses. He also serves as director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
About the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
The Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management was formed in 2002 through the merger of the wildlife ecology and forestry departments at Iowa State. It offers majors in forestry, and wildlife and fisheries conservation and ecology, and graduate programs in wildlife ecology, fisheries biology and forestry, as well as professional and training certifications offered through the Wildlife Society and the Fisheries Society. The department is affiliated with the Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit of the U.S. Geological Survey.