“The great tragedy of Science - the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact. ” — T.H. Huxley
Theodore E. Burk
Professor
Animal Behavior, Entomology, Behavioral Ecology
D. Phil. – University of Oxford, 1979
B.A. – University of Kansas, 1974
Creighton University
2500 California Plaza
Omaha, NE 68178-0103
Courses Offered
- BIO 141 – Charles Darwin: Life and Impact
- BIO 212 – General Biology: Organismal and Population
- BIO/EVS 561 – Entomology
- BIO/EVS 571 – Animal Behavior
- BIO/EVS 572 – Animal Behavior Laboratory
- FRS 111 - Freshman Seminar
- HRS 410 - Honors Program Seminar in the Natural Sciences
- MLS 630 - The Moral Animal
- PBP 400 - Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Review
- SRP 481 - Race in America: Idea and Reality
Research Interests
Conservation biology of prairie butterflies; social behavior of insects, especially communication and sexual selection; history of behavioral biology.
Scholarly Works
Selected Publications
Burk, T. 2006. Butterfly lore and legend. Creighton University Magazine, Summer 2006: 22-25.
Burk, T. 2005. Fly-witness testimony: The science of forensic entomology. Creighton University Magazine, Summer 2005: 28-33. [PDF]
Burk, T. 2004. A second opinion from “Dr. Darwin.” Creighton University Magazine, Spring 2004: 18-23. [PDF]
Burk, T. 2000. What good is a bug? Creighton University Magazine, Summer 2000: 26-31. [PDF]
Burk, T. 1997. Plagues are as certain as death and taxes: emerging and reemerging diseases. Window 13(4):3-11. [PDF]
Burk, T. 1996. The only certain race is the human race. Window 13(1):4-9. [PDF]
Burk, T. 1994. Diversity status of terrestrial insects. Pp. 326-343 in Biological Diversity: Problems and Challenges (S. K. Majumdar et al., eds.), Pennsylvania Academy of Science, Philadelphia.
Grier, J.W., and T. Burk. 1992. Biology of Animal Behavior (2nd ed.). Times Mirror/Mosby, St. Louis.