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NEW FRONTIERS IN BIOCOMPLEXITY AND BIODIVERSITY
AN OLGA G. NALBANDOV SYMPOSIUM
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
FEBRUARY 7-10, 2002

Thursday, February 7, 7:00-9:30 PM

National Soybean Research Center, Room 149, 1101 W. Peabody, Urbana

A Celebration of Biodiversity and Biocomplexity

Dr. Geerat J. Vermeij (7:00-8:15 PM)

Complexity: Why We Need History and Economics

Dr. Geerat J. Vermeij, Professor in the Department of Geology at the University of California at Davis, is widely recognized for his work on the ecology and evolution of marine mollusks. His interests are wide-ranging, including functional morphology; coevolutionary interactions between predators and prey and their effects on morphology, ecology, and evolution; and the reconstruction of biogeography and climate from paleontological evidence. He is the recipient of the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal from the National Academy of Sciences and a MacArthur Award. Recent projects include three books, Biogeography and Adaptation, Evolution and Escalation, and A Natural History of Shells. (Further references: To Sea With a Blind Scientist and Privileged Hands: An Autobiography)

Dr. Stephen J. O'Brien (8:15-9:30 PM)

A Test Case for Assessing and Interpreting Genomic Diversity: The Mammalian Radiations

Dr. Stephen O'Brien is Chief of the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity at the National Cancer Institute in Frederick, MD. Working with the cat family Felidae, he developed the concept of anchor loci in comparative gene mapping and in the process discovered differences in rates of chromosomal evolution among mammalian families. He pioneered the application of genetics to conservation biology through his studies of the African cheetah and showed how demographic events, particularly population bottlenecks and disease epidemics, can eliminate genetic diversity and drive species towards extinction. Recently, he is characterizing the evolution of loci that confer resistance to HIV, providing insights into how disease pressure drives genetic evolution in human populations. He is a fellow of the New York Academy of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Explorers Club and editor of three journals.

"I am speaking in a personal capacity. The opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Federal Government"

Friday, February 8 - B102 Chemical and Life Sciences Building

Session I (8:00-12:30) Defining the New Fields of Biodiversity and Biocomplexity

Introduction (8:00-8:15)

  1. Getting from Biodiversity to Biocomplexity (8:15-9:15) Dr. Steward Pickett

    2. Dr. Steward Pickett, Senior Scientist at the Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York, is among the world's foremost investigators of the ecology of urban systems. He has applied pioneering basic work in patch dynamics and edge functions in providing a conceptual framework for management and restoration of urban landscapes. He is an elected Fellow of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for Advancement of Science

  2. Getting from Systems Ecology to Biocomplexity (9:15-10:15) Dr. Brian Maurer

    3. Dr. Brian Maurer, Associate Professor in the Departments of Fish and Wildlife, and Geography at Michigan State University, focuses on large spatial and long temporal scales, modeling population and community dynamics in a geographical context. Ancillary questions such as the ecological and evolutionary importance of body size, geographic patterns of species diversity, and resource use behavior, are inextricably part of this. He has written two books, the latest of which (1999) is Untangling ecological complexity: the macroscopic perspective .

    Coffee Break (10:15-10:30)

  3. Sociology and Psychology of Scientists. Behavioral Aspects Involved in Defining or Redefining Disciplines(10:30-11:30) Dr. Martin Feder

    4. Dr. Martin Feder is a Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy and a member of the Committee on Evolutionary Biology at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on understanding adaptation to the environment from both a mechanistic and evolutionary perspective and he is a founder of the interdisciplinary field of evolutionary and ecological functional genomics. His present emphasis is on ecological and evolutionary physiology of the induction of a specific suite of proteins (stress or heat-shock proteins) by extreme temperatures and other stresses.

  4. Economic Aspects of the Biocomplexity and Biodiversity Arenas (11:30-12:30) Dr. Amy Ando

    5. Dr. Amy Ando is an Assistant Professor in Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois, specializing in the economics of conservation and protected areas, of transportation and the environment, and of valuation and public decision-making. Since obtaining her degree from MIT, she has been a Fellow at Resources for the Future, and taught at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Her recent work has emphasized political economics and endangered species protection.

Lunch - (On your own) 12:30 - 1:30 PM

Session II (1:30 - 5:00 PM) New Techniques, New Problems and New Frontiers

Introduction (1:30-1:45)

  1. Genetic Approaches to Understanding Biodiversity (1:45-2:45) Dr. Kermit Ritland

    2. Dr. Kermit Ritland is a Professor in the Department of Forest Sciences at the University of British Columbia, where he holds the Senior NSERC/Industry Research Chair in Population Genetics. His research interests include population and quantitative genetics of trees and associated forest organisms; conservation genetics, especially in relation to forest practices; and applications of molecular markers to studies of plant mating systems, gene flow, and quantitative inheritance in natural populations.

  2. Molecular Approaches in Biocomplexity (2:45-3:45) Dr. Nancy Moran

    3. Dr. Nancy Moran is a professor of Entomology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Her primary research focus concerns the genome level evolution of prokaryotic, mutualistic endosymbionts within animal hosts, especially insects. By studying the full genome sequences of these bacteria, their contributions to host ecology and evolution can be evaluated. In addition, she is interested generally in the evolution of bacterial genomes and the use of genomic approaches to study ecological roles of non-cultivable bacteria. She is a recipient of a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship and is a Regent's Professor at the U. of Arizona. She recently served as Vice President of the American Society of Naturalists and is currently President of the Society for the Study of Evolution.


    Break (3:45-4:00)

  3. Use of Stable Isotopes in Biocomplexity Studies (4:00-5:00) Dr. Matt Wooller

    4. Dr. Matthew Wooller is currently a post-doctoral research fellow at the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. His research emphasizes ecosystem process, both in the modern and the paleo environments. His interest in ecosystem change and biogeochemistry is currently being manifested with a study of the impact of chicken wastes on Chesapeake Bay ecosytems over the last 200 years based on 15N deposits. He is also applying his expertise in stable isotopes to an NSF Biocomplexity sponsored investigation of nutrient cycling and trophic links in mangrove ecosystems.

Reception (6-7 PM) Dinner - Third floor Levis Faculty Center (7:00-9:00 PM) Dinner Speaker, Dr. May Berenbaum

Dr. May Berenbaum is professor and head of the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is internationally known for her contributions to the field of chemical ecology. In particular, she is interested in the chemical interactions between phytophagous insects and their host plants and the function of these interactions in the organization and structure of natural communities. Her work addresses insect/plant coevolution at multiple hierarchical levels and encompasses physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, behavior, and community ecology. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the American Philosophical Society, and is an author of four popular books about insects.

Saturday, February 9, 2002 - B102 Chemical and Life Sciences Building

Session III (8:00-12:30) Sailing or Drowning in a Sea of Data

  1. Biotic Inventories and Data (8:15-9:15) Dr. Meredith Lane

    2. Dr. Meredith Lane is Senior Vice President for Science at the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. Previously she was a program director with the National Science Foundation, where she managed programs concerning biotic surveys and inventories and stewardship of scientific collections. She served as Study Executive Director for the Biodiversity and Ecosystems Panel of the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), the highest level private sector science and technology advisory group for the U.S. President and the National Science and Technology Council. Dr. Lane's interests include using information technology to foster data management, research, and communication related to biodiversity.

  2. Value Adding, Quality Control and User Support for Data (9:15-10:15) Robert Cushman

    3. Robert Cushman, is the Director of the DOE Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) located at Oak Ridge, the primary and premier center in the world for global change data archiving and evaluation. CDIAC has long been recognized for its innovative approach to making data available to thousands of users world wide on all topics concerned with the greenhouse effect and global climate change. Since 1982, CDIAC has compiled and distributed digital numeric data packages and models, and currently provides data management support to global-change related scientific projects including AmeriFlux, FACE, and NARSTO,


    Coffee Break 10:15-10:30

  3. Modeling (10:30-11:30) Dr. Peter Kareiva

    4. Dr. Peter Kareiva has just been appointed Lead Scientist for the Pacific division of the Nature Conservancy; prior to this appointment he served as Director of the Division of Conservation Biology at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center and as faculty member in the Department of Zoology at University of Washington. He applies mathematical models to conservation issues including risk assessment research for salmon on the west coast of North America with responsibility for recovery planning science and conservation decisions pertaining to a wide variety of marine issues.

  4. Integrating Ecological Measurements with Regional and Historic Data (11:30-12:30) Dr. William Michener

    5. Dr. William Michener, is a senior research scientist at the Long Term Ecological Network (LTER) office in Albuquerque, NM. In addition to his primary responsibility for data information and management, he studies trophic structures and the influence of disturbance, especially in marsh habitats. His 1986 edited volume on "Research Data Management in the Ecological Sciences" was a beacon to those who would venture out on the seas of data.

Lunch - (On your own) 12:30 - 1:30 PM

Session IV (1:30-2:30) Breakout Groups; - Rearrangement Groups (2:45-3:45)

  • Group 1 – Integrating Biodiversity and Biocomplexity
  • Group 2 – Constructive Data Management
  • Group 3 – New Frontiers and Techniques in Biodiversity

Break (2:30-2:45 PM)

Group Reports and General Discussion (3:45-5:30 PM)

Saturday Evening - Dinner and Insect Fear Film Festival (Alien Arthropod Fear Films)

Sunday, February 10. 2002

Cave Tour - Polly Baker and the NCSA Staff(9:00-12:00?)

Dr. Polly Baker is Director of the Data Mining and Visualization Division at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at Illinois. She leads a large team that explores solutions for the management, analysis, and visualization of large complex data sets. Her interests include the development of advanced visualization techniques for the desktop and virtual reality, software architectures to support visual problem solving environments, and user interaction strategies for complex desktop and virtual reality applications. She is co-author of several books on computer graphics.

Sponsored by: The Nalbandov Endowment, Environmental Council, School of Integrative Biology, Illinois Natural History Survey, Center for Biodiversity (INHS), Departments of Animal Biology, Entomology, and Plant Biology, Animal Sciences, Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution Group, University of Illinois Chapter of Sigma Xi