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Scott Kight

Executive Director, Teaching Excellence in Science and Mathematics, College of Science and Mathematics

Office:: Center for Environmental & Life Sciences 100C
Email:: kights@montclair.edu
Phone:: 973-655-5426
Degrees:: BS, Southern Illinois University; MS, Eastern Illinois University; PhD, Indiana University
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Profile

Dr. Scott Kight serves as Executive Director for Teaching Excellence in Science and Mathematics at Montclair State University, where he leads institutional efforts to strengthen STEM education across K–16+ settings. A professor of biology by training, Dr. Kight brings three decades of experience as a teacher, research mentor, and academic administrator. His work bridges undergraduate and graduate education, faculty development, and STEM teacher preparation, with a particular focus on equity, access, and high-impact instruction. He directs PRISM (Professional Resources in Science and Mathematics), a nationally recognized center for K–12 STEM teacher professional development; the Montclair State University Science Teaching Program, which recruits and prepares diverse cohorts of pre-service STEM educators; and university-wide initiatives to enhance faculty teaching effectiveness and student learning outcomes. A champion of interdisciplinary collaboration, student success, and inclusive excellence, Dr. Kight has also led major grant-funded programs supporting underrepresented students in STEM, teacher leadership development, and experiential science learning. His leadership reflects a deep commitment to fostering curiosity, community, and opportunity at every level of the STEM education pipeline.

Specialization

The fundamental mechanism of natural selection is differential reproduction: selection favors individuals that reproduce better than others. Dr. Kight is interested in understanding how and why animals make decisions about this critical biological event. Generally using invertebrate animals as model species, Dr. Kight and his students investigate why some animals take care of their young (when most species do not) and when/why these caregivers decide to stop investing in offspring. Sometimes these questions require understanding how animals interact with other species, such as predators. Dr. Kight and his students are currently turning their attention to how reproductive decisions are related to ecological competition between invasive and native species.

Refereed Publications (* denotes student co-author)

Herbert-Berger, K.G., Goodey, N., Ruczszyk, S., Kight, S.L., & Marlowe, T.J. 2019. Infusing CS graduate transition curriculum with professional, technical and data science competencies. Proceedings of the 50th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education. https://doi.org/10.1145/3287324.3293828

Kight, S.L., *Coffey, G.L., *Tanner, A.W., *Dmytriw, M.P., *Tedesco, S.L., *Hoang, J. and *Aboagye, A.K. 2018. Recent changes in reproductive phenology of a K-selected aquatic insect predator, Belostoma flumineum Say (Heteroptera, Belostomatidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research. 1-6.

*Casner, A.M., *Fackelman, H.C., *Degtyareva, O. & Kight, S.L. 2016. Do female Western
Mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis, prefer ornaments that males lack? Ethology. 122: 1-10.

*Zimmerman, K.I. & Kight, S.L. 2016. Responses of four arthropod prey species to mechanosensory, chemosensory and visual cues from an arachnid predator: A comparative approach. Life: The Excitement of Biology. 4: 113-134.

*Hegarty, K.G. & Kight, S.L. 2014. Do predator cues influence turn alternation behavior in terrestrial isopods Porcellio laevis Latreille and Armadillidium vulgare Latreille? Behavioural Processes. 106: 168-171.

Kight, S.L., *Tanner, A.W., *Coffey, G.L. 2011. Termination of brooding in male giant
waterbugs is associated with season, egg pad size, and presence of females. Invertebrate Reproduction and Development. 55:197-204.

Kight, S.L. 2008. Reproductive ecology of terrestrial isopods (Crustacea: Oniscidea). Terrestrial Arthropod Reviews. 1:95-110.

Kight, S.L., *Steelman, L., *Coffey, G., *Lucente, J., & *Castillo, M. 2008. Evidence of population-level lateralized behaviour in giant waterbugs, Belostoma flumineum Say (Heteroptera: Belostomatidae): T-maze turning is left biased. Behavioural Processes. 79: 66-69.

Houghtaling, K. & Kight, S.L. 2006. Turn alternation in response to substrate vibration by terrestrial isopods, Porcellio laevis (Isopoda: Oniscidea) from rural and urban habitats in New Jersey, USA. Entomological News. 117: 149-154.

Kight, S.L., Gaynor, J.J. & Adams, S.A. 2006. Undergraduate research communities: A powerful approach to research training. Journal of College Science Teaching. 35: 34-39.

Castillo, M.E. & Kight, S.L. 2005. Response of terrestrial isopods, Armadillidium vulgare and Porcellio laevis (Isopoda: Oniscidea) to the ant Tetramorium caespitum: Morphology, behavior and reproductive success. Invertebrate Reproduction and Development. 47:183-190.

Kight, S.L., Eadie, C., Lynch, D., Coelho, J. & DeWera, A. 2005. Classical conditioning of red-backed salamanders, Plethodon cinereus. Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society. 41:68-84.

Kight, S.L. & Nevo, M. 2004. Female terrestrial isopods, Porcellio laevis Latreille (Isopoda: Oniscidea) reduce brooding duration and fecundity in response to physical stress. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 77:285-287.

Kight, S.L. & Hashemi, A. 2003. Diminished food resources are associated with delayed reproduction or increased post-reproductive mortality in brood-bearing terrestrial isopods, Armadillidium vulgare Latreille. Entomological News. 114: 61-68.

Kight, S.L. & Ozga, M. 2002. Costs of reproduction in the terrestrial isopod Porcellio
laevis Latreille (Isopoda: Oniscidea): brood-bearing and locomotion. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 74:166-171.

Kight, S.L., Martinez, M. & Merkulov, A. 2001. Body size and survivorship in overwintering populations of Porcellio laevis (Isopoda: Oniscidea). Entomological News. 112: 112-118.

Kight, S.L., Batino, M. and Zhang, Z. 2000. Temperature-dependent parental investment in giant waterbugs, Belostoma flumineum Say (Heteroptera: Belostomatidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 93:340-342.

Kight, S.L. 2000. Altered photocyclic regimes influence the duration of maternal care in a burrower bug (Heteroptera: Cydnidae). Entomological News. 111:67-73. \s

Kight, S.L. and Cseke, J.J. 1999. The effects of ambient temperature on the duration of maternal care in a burrower bug (Heteroptera: Cydnidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 71:183-187.

Kight, S.L. 1998. Precocene II modifies maternal responsiveness in the burrower bug, Sehirus cinctus (Heteroptera). Physiological Entomology. 23:38-42.

Krall, B.S., Zilkowski, B.W., Kight, S.L., Bartelt, R.J. & Whitman, D.W. 1997. Chemistry and defensive efficacy of the secretion of the burrower bug (Sehirus cinctus cinctus). Journal of Chemical Ecology. 23:1951-1962.

Kight, S.L. 1997. Factors influencing maternal behavior in a burrower bug, Sehirus cinctus, (Hemiptera: Cydnidae). Animal Behaviour. 53:105-112

Kight, S.L. 1996. Post-conflict behavior in Japanese macaques at the Indianapolis zoo: Age of opponents influences reconciliation. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science. 105:269-276.

Kight, S.L., Rozema Jenkins, J. & Ng, B. 1996. Differential contact behavior by female whirligig beetles, Dineutus assimilis Kirby (Coleoptera: Gyrinidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 69:360-362

Kight, S.L. 1996. Concaveation and maintenance of maternal behavior in a burrower bug \s(Sehirus cinctus): A comparative perspective. Journal of Comparative Psychology. 110:69-76

Kight, S.L., Sprague, J., Kruse, K.C. & Johnson, L. 1995. Are egg-bearing male water bugs, Belostoma flumineum Say (Hemiptera: Belostomatidae), impaired swimmers? Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 68:468-470.

Kight, S.L. 1995. Do maternal burrower bugs, Sehirus cinctus Palisot (Heteroptera: Cydnidae), use spatial and chemical cues for egg-discrimination? Canadian Journal of Zoology 73:815-817.

Kight, S.L. & K.C. Kruse. 1992. Factors affecting the allocation of paternal care in waterbugs (Belostoma flumineum Say). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 30:409-414.

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Research Projects

Animal Behavior Research

In my research lab, my students and I investigate animal behavior across a broad range of organisms—including arthropods, fish, amphibians, and birds, with a focus on how ecological, physiological, and evolutionary forces shape behavioral patterns. Our projects have examined topics such as navigation and antipredatory behavior in terrestrial isopods, influences of climate change on reproductive ecology of giant waterbugs, and the movement ecology of migratory passerines using nanotag telemetry. A unifying objective of our research is to study the potential for adaptive significance of behavior in diverse environmental contexts, while building meaningful insights into the evolution of social interactions, habitat use, and reproductive decision-making. Central to our approach is a commitment to student-centered, experiential learning: I view the opportunity for students to design and carry out their own experiments, not just replicate known results, as essential to scientific discovery and growth. Whether in the lab, field, or classroom, I strive to create spaces where curiosity drives inquiry and students gain the confidence to ask bold, new questions about the natural world.