2020-2021 Ecology Center Seminar Series

Due to COVID-19, we are passing questions that you may have to our speakers using this form.

2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014

2020 - 21 SEMINARS

NOTE: All seminars being offered during Fall 2020 Semester will be held virtually. Due to potential time differences between invited seminar speakers and USU, Wednesday and Thursday Seminars may not always start at 4:00 PM. Seminar times will be posted as soon as we know them, but if you have questions about an upcoming seminar, please email Thad Nicholls (thad.nicholls@usu.edu).
Seminars will be live streamed on the USU Ecology Center YouTube Channel.
Links to recorded seminars from 2020-2021 will be uploaded as they become available.

	Abi Vanak Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Fellow Bengaluru, India September 23-24, 2020 Help! My best friend is an invasive: Dogs in the wrong places Mad dogs and sick monkeys: Understanding pathogen dynamics in complex systems
	Jonathan Hall West Virgina University, Assistant Professor of Geography Morganton, West Virginia October 7-8, 2020 Conservation geography in the Anthropocene California Condor movement ecology in human-dominated landscapes
	Jessica Hua Binghamton University, Assistant Professor of Biological Studies Binghamton, New York November 11-12, 2020 Disease Ecology in the Face of Global Change Scientists as Environmental Educators
	Tadashi Fukami Stanford University, Associate Professor of Biology Stanford, California December 9-10, 2020 Origins and Frontiers Nectar microbes as a natural microcosm
	James Beasley University of Georgia, Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology & Management Athens, Georgia January 20-21, 2021 History, management and future of invasive wild pigs in the U.S. Radioactive Wildlife: Impacts of the Chernobyl and Fukushima on Wildlife
	Chelsea Wood University of Washington, Assistant Professor of Aquatic & Fishery Science Seattle, Washington February 3-4, 2021 Ghosts of oceans past: What can data on historical parasite burdens tell us about the future of marine disease? Habitat area integrates over spatial and temporal variability in snail abundance to predict human urogenital schistosomiasis burden
	Diana Six University of Montana, Professor of Forest Entomology/Pathology Missula, Montana February 17-18, 2021 Fungi matter: the ecological stoichiometry of bark beetle-fungus symbioses What makes a survivor? Growth, chemistry, genetics, and climate sensitivity of whitebark pine affected by climate-driven mountain pine beetle outbreaks
	Ivette Perfecto University of Michigan, Professor of Environment & Sustainability Ann Arbor, Michigan March 3-4, 2021 Integrating Conservation and Agruiculture to Feel the World Sustainably and with a Social Justice Lens Using natural history to informt he study of complex ecological systems: a case study of the coffee agroecosystem
	Peter Marra Georgetown University, Director of the Georgetown Environment Initiative Washington D.C. March 24-25, 2021 Cat Wars: The Devastating Consequences of a Cuddly Killer Studying birds in the context of the annual cycle: Seasonal interactions and carry-over effects.
	Susan Natali Woods Hole Research Center, Associate Scientist & Arctic Program Director Falmouth, Massachusetts April 21-22, 2021

2019 - 20 SEMINARS

Both Wednesday and Thursday Seminars will start at 4:00 PM unless noted otherwise.
Links to recorded seminars from 2019 - 20 will be uploaded as they become available.

	Kaveh Madani Henry Hart Rice Senior Fellow, Yale Macmillan Center Visiting Professor, Imperial College London Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts: Can We Solve One Problem without Creating New Ones? Water, Complexity and Public Policy in Iran
	Robert (Bob) D. Holt Eminent Scholar Arthur R. Marshall, Jr., Chair in Ecology University of Florida, Department of Biology Niche conservatism, evolution, and applied ecology: Challenges and opportunities
	Rob Jackson Professor, Earth System Science Senior Fellow, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment Senior Fellow, Precourt Institute for Energy Stanford University Greenhouse gas emissions and natural solutions Ecology underground: belowground processes and global change
	Robin Kimmerer Distinguished Teaching Professor and Director Center for Native Peoples and the Environment p- values and cultural values: creating symbiosis between indigenous and western scientific knowledges to advance ecological justice
	Danica Lombardozzi Project Scientist II, Global Dynamics Laboratory National Center for Atmospheric Research What can plants tell us about air pollution? Linking leaves to global climate: Understanding terrestrial ecosystems in changing environments
	Nyeema Harris Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Carnivore community ecology in light of anthropogenic pressures.
	John Fieberg Associate Professor, Fisheries, Wildlife & Conservation Biology University of Minnesota What I've learned, so far, as a quantitative ecologist Methods for modeling among-animal variability in habitat selection studies
	Clare Aslan Associate Director, Landscape Conservation Initiative & Assistant Professor Northern Arizona University Friends Forever? Environmental Change and Pollination Pollinator Visitation to Native Hawaiin Plants
	Kezia Manlove Assistant Professor, Ecology Center & QCNR Utah State Univesity March 11, 2020 Harnessing incomplete information in real-time to understand -and manage- emerging infectious disease events in humans and wildlife: Some synthesis and an eye towards COVID-19

2018 - 19 SEMINARS

Starting Fall 2018, both Wednesday and Thursday Seminars will start at 4:00 PM.
Links to recorded seminars from 2018 - 19 will be uploaded as they become available.

	Nalini Nadkarni University of Utah, Professor Tapestry thinking: Weaving ecology, public engagement to bridge science and society Effects of disturbance on ecosystem functions of rainforest canopy biota
	Andrew Jorgenson Boston College, Professor & Chair Sociological research methods for studying socio-environmental relationships Climate change, inequality and human well-being: perspectives from macrosociology
	Craig Allen USGS Fort Collins Science Center, Research Ecologist Reflections on landscape change research & the arc of one ecological career Transformative ecosystem responses to interacting extreme events
	Francesca Cotrufo Colorado State University, Professor & Associate Head Soil organic matter dynamics in a changing world: can wicked challenges be transformed into opportunities? From plant inputs to soil organic matter formation and stabilization: an integrated measuring-modeling approach
	Johanna Varner Colorado Mesa University, Assistant Professor Engaging Citizens in Place-Based Climate Change Research Pikas Under Fire: American Pika Ecology and Behavior in a Time of Global Change
	Elizabeth Borer University of Minnesota, Professor Kangaroos, Kudu, and Caribou: mammalian herbivores, nutrients, and future grasslands on Earth Effects of environmental nutrient enrichment on pathogens: from individual to biogeographic scales
	Tim Essington University of Washington, Professor and Associate Director The big deal about little fish Why are conference presentations so bad, and what to do about them
	Jesse Morris University of Utah, Research Assistant Professor Long-term perspectives on environmental change: What does paleoecology offer? Black cats in dark rooms: Reconstructing past forest disturbances to confront an uncertain future

2017 - 18 SEMINARS

Links to recorded seminars from 2017-18 will be uploaded as they become available.

	Jennifer Funk Chapman University Associate Professor September 20-21, 2017 There goes the neighborhood: the odyssey of invasive plants Trait-based approaches to ecological restoration in invaded plant communities
	Asmeret Asefaw Berhe UC Merced Associate Professor October 11-12, 2017 What's soil erosion got to do with carbon sequestration? Post-fire soil carbon dynamics: Particulate and dissolved pyrogenic carbon in fire-affected soils
	Gregory Retallack University of Oregon Professor November 15-16, 2017 Astropedology and the origin of life Global cooling by grasslands in the geological past and near future
	Rob Pringle Princeton University Assistant Professor December 6-7, 2017 Deconstruction and reconstruction of African savannas: large mammals as ecological linchpins (recording not available) Niche collapse and trophic downgrading on islands with 'novel' top predators
	Richard Reading University of Botswanna Fullbright Scholar/Conservation Scientist January 17-18, 2018 From "Paper Park" to Model Protected Area: Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Mongolia African Vulture Crisis
	Elizabeth Leger University of Nevada Professor February 14-15, 2018 Tales from the crypt: What can we learn from natural history collections? (DVD available in the EC) Practical applications of contemporary evolution (DVD available in the EC)
	Meghan Duffy University of Michigan Associate Professor March 14-15, 2018 The value of basic scientific research: how water fleas might teach us how to fight fungal infections in people What can plankton tell us about links between ecosystems & disease?
	Corinna Riginos University of Wyoming Adjunct Associate Professor Canceled

2016 - 17 SEMINARS

Links to recorded seminars from 2016-17 will be uploaded as they become available.

	Dr. Daniel Schindler University of Washington, Seattle, WA Professor, Department of Biology January 18-19, 2017 The importance of prediction for developing effective policy for global change. How watershed features control ecosystem processes in river basins.
	Dr. Nate Stephenson USGS, Three Rivers, CA Research Ecologist February 22-23, 2017 A non-traditional career in science: Lessons from the intersection of science, policy, and natural areas management. Tree growth rate increases continuously with tree size and the origins of a scientific controversy.
	Dr. Diana Wall Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO Professor, Department of Biology Director, School of Global Environmental Sustainability March 1-2, 2017 New frontiers in biodiversity: soil life moves to the world stage. Lessons from an Antarctic desert: response of soil life to climate change (unavailable)
	Dr. Doug McCauley University of California, Santa Barbara, CA Assistant Professor, Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology April 5-6, 2017 Extinction and the Future of Our Oceans. Ecological Dynamics in a Smaller World.
	Dr. Michelle Marvier Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA Professor, Environmental Studies and Sciences April 19-20, 2017 It's not all about biodiversity: Embracing diverse motivations for protecting nature. Data not dogma: Countering confirmation bias to increase the effectiveness of conservation science. Unable to publish recordings at this time. DVD's are available to check out in the Ecology Center FALL 2016
	Dr. Nicole Barger University of Colorado, Boulder, CO Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology November 30-December 1, 2016 Transforming STEM education in Higher Education: Upgrading the 19th Century Model of Education for the 21st Century Advances in biological soil crust restoration in North American drylands
	Dr. Bruce Hungate Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ Professor, Ecosystem Ecology; Director, Colorado Plateau Analytical Laboratory; Director, US Dept of Energy's Western Regional Center of the National Institute for Climatic Change Research November 16-17, 2016 Climate change, what's new? Microbial ecology of soil carbon
	Dr. Thomas Dietz Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI Professor, Sociology & Environmental Science and Policy Assistant Vice President for Environmental Research October 12-13, 2016 Beyond Sustainability: Human Well-Being and the Environment Human Ecology and the Problems of Sustainability: Understanding the Drivers of Gloval Environmental Change
	Dr. Sharon Strauss University of California, Davis, CA Professor, Department of Evolution & Ecology September 21-22, 2016 Are more closely related species more ecologically similar, and how does that affect species coexistence? The evolution of the ecological niche and plant defense in a clade of native mustards: blending historical and contemporary approaches
	Dr. Carla Staver Yale University, New Haven, CT Assistant Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology September 7-8, 2016 What determines the distributions of biomes in the tropics? Spatial and temporal determinants of savanna vegetation dynamics Unable to publish recordings at this time. DVD's are available to check out in the Ecology Center

2015 - 16 SEMINARS

Links to recorded seminars from 2015-16 will be uploaded as they become available.

	Dr. Trevor Branch University of Washington, Seattle, WA September 16-17, 2015 The status of global marine fisheries: opposing arguments How do fisheries affect marine food webs?
	Dr. David Denlinger The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH October 21-22, 2015 Surviving in Antarctica: An Insect Perspective Insect diapause: Shutting Down for the Winter
	Dr. Cathy Whitlock Montana State University, Bozeman, MT November 11-12, 2015 Yellowstone Through Time: Change, stability & the future The role of climate and people in shaping past fire activity: Insights from the western U.S. and beyond
	Dr. Nathan Morehouse University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA December 2-3, 2015 In the eyes of a (Fly) Tiger: Vision, Predation, and Complex Courtship Signaling in Jumping Spiders Colors, Choices and Conflict: Evolutionary Insights from the Reproductive Biology of Butterflies
	Dr. Lisa Schulte-Moore Iowa State University, Ames, IA February 10-11, 2016 Tweak, Adapt, Transform: Growing a Resilient Agriculture in Iowa and Beyond Prairie STRIPS: From Research to Action
	Dr. Anthony Darrouzet-Nardi University of Texas at El Paso April 21-22, 2016 Tundra to drylands: Cross-biome contrasts in soil biogeochemistry Warming effects on CO2 exhchange in semiarid soils with biological soil crusts

2014 - 15 SEMINARS

Links to recorded seminars from 2014-15 will be uploaded as they become available.

	Dr. Jeremy Fox University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, September 17-18, 2014 Blogs: A New(ish) Niche in the Scientific Communication Ecosystem Causes and Consequences of Spatially-Synchronized Population Dynamics
	Dr. Mary Ruckelshaus Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Natural Capital Project, Seattle, WA, October 1-2, 2014 Nature: of, by and for the people? The Science and practice of valuing nature's benefits
	Dr. Jonathan Moore Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada, November 5-6, 2014 The Life-Blood of Western Canada: Oil or Salmon? Free-Flowing Rivers and their Biodiversity, Resilience, and Conservation
	Dr. James Grace USGS, Lafayette, LA, December 3-4, 2014 The Great Productivity - Diversity Debate: Is there Hope for a a Resolution Discovering Elements of Ecological Memory that Contribute to the Resilience of Ecosystems: Can We Save Coastal Prairie from Conversion to Exotic Forest
	Dr. Hope Jahren University of Hawaii, Manoa, HA, January 14-15, 2015 Global change and your dinner plate What can the carbon isotope composition of planet tissue tell us
	Dr. N. Thompson (Tom) Hobbs Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO, February 25-26, 2015 Bayesian Analysis in Ecology: Six reasons to learn it explained simply
	Dr. Ann P. King Arizona State University , March 25-26, 2015 Cancelled
	Dr. Sarah Bush University of Utah, April 22-23, 2015 Stalking Wild Lice in the Tropics: a Parasitologist’s Quest to Understand Ecological and Evolutionary Patterns Governing Biodiversity Evolution of Cryptic Coloration in Ectoparasites