Meshing scientific understanding with ecological data to enhance management and conservation
Main Speaker: Clint Leach
Assistant Unit Leader , Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Date: 9/11/2024
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: 107 South Hardin Hall (Auditorium)
Abstract
Monitoring and managing population spread, in the context of both species recovery and invasion, presents a number of quantitative challenges. Inference often requires linking multiple disparate data sets, and additional data are often costly to collect. Moreover, management decisions frequently require interpretable inference on ecologically meaningful quantities. Bayesian hierarchical methods, together with mechanistic models, offer a cohesive framework to address many of these challenges. We apply these approaches to understand the spread of sea otters across Glacier Bay, Alaska and the resulting changes in the nearshore community induced by sea otter predation.Speaker's Bio
Prior to joining the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Clint was a postdoc at Colorado State University, where he also did his PhD in ecology. Clint is broadly interested in statistical ecology and mechanistic modeling, and his recent work has focused on sea otter predator-prey interactions in Glacier Bay, Alaska, and brown treesnake movement in Guam.Speaker's Contact Information
- cleach8@unl.edu
Bridging Differences and Finding Solutions: The Need and Opportunity for Universities to Partner with Our Communities for Sustainable Solutions
Main Speaker: Lara Fowler
Director of Penn State Sustainability and Chief Sustainability Officer , The Pennsylvania State University
Date: 9/18/2024
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: 107 South Hardin Hall (Auditorium)
Abstract
As the number of global challenges grow and our societies seem to become more and more divided, what role do universities play in helping bridge these differences and find solutions? Meeting the land grant need, Penn State is focused on student success, interdisciplinary research, and strong local communities. Lara Fowler, Penn State's Chief Sustainability Officer, will share how Penn State is approaching these challenges though classes like the Sustainable Communities Collaborative and the Local Climate Action Program. After providing this overview, she invites an active discussion with the audience.
Host: Mark Burbach
Speaker's Bio
Lara Fowler is Penn State's Chief Sustainability Officer. In this role, she is fostering more interdisciplinary education and research related to sustainability, helping make Penn State's operations more sustainable-- including working towards a goal of decarbonizing the university by 2035, and meeting the land grant mission of Penn State. Lara has a diverse background. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she worked with the Oregon Water Resources Department for a number of years, attended University of Washington for law school, and served as a mediator, facilitator, and attorney on complex natural resource issues. She joined Penn State in 2012, where she split her time between Penn State Law and the Penn State Institute of Energy and the Environment. In addition to teaching water law, energy law, negotiation, and mediation, she helped foster interdisciplinary research as well as participating in research projects herself. Lara also served on the Chesapeake Bay Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee for 9 years. In July 2022, she took on the role of Chief Sustainability Officer. In addition to her law degree, Lara has an A.B. from Dartmouth College. She currently serves as the chair of the jury for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize and is a board member for the Chesapeake Bay Journal.
Speaker's Contact Information
- lbf10@psu.edu
Topic: Cheetah conservation
Main Speaker: Laurie Marker
Executive Director , Cheetah Conservation Fund
Date: 9/23/2024
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: Hardin Hall (Room TBD)
Abstract
Host: Larkin Powell
Speaker's Bio
Speaker's Contact Information
- director@cheetah.org
Topic: Conservation genomics
Main Speaker: Ryan Harrigan
Evolutionary Biologist , UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability | Center for Tropical Research
Date: 10/16/2024
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: 107 South Hardin Hall (Auditorium)
Abstract
Host:Rob Wilson
Speaker's Bio
Speaker's Contact Information
- iluvsa@ucla.edu
Topic: Deep Sea Fish
Main Speaker: Rene Martin
Fish Biologist , University of Nebraska-Lincoln | School of Natural Resources
Date: 10/23/2024
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: 107 South Hardin Hall (Auditorium)
Abstract
Host: SNR
Speaker's Bio
Speaker's Contact Information
- rmartin52@unl.edu
Topic: Cyantox/Zooplankton
Main Speaker: Nicole Wagner
Assistant Professor , Oakland University | Biological Sciences
Date: 10/30/2024
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: 107 South Hardin Hall (Auditorium)
Abstract
Host: Jessica Corman
Speaker's Bio
Speaker's Contact Information
- nicolewagner@oakland.edu
Topic: Caribou Ecology
Main Speaker: Heather Johnson
Research Wildlife Biologist , Alaska Science Center | US Geological Survey
Date: 11/6/2024
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: 107 South Hardin Hall (Auditorium)
Abstract
Host: Sarah Songsthagen
Speaker's Bio
Speaker's Contact Information
- heatherjohnson@usgs.gov
Topic: European lynx ecology
Main Speaker: Teresa Oliveira
Wildlife Ecologist , University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Date: 11/13/2024
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: 107 South Hardin Hall (Auditorium)
Abstract
Host: John Benson
Speaker's Bio
Seminar & Discussions Archives
The School of Natural Resources, its faculty and affiliated programs sponsor various seminar and discussion series. Unless otherwise indicated, all are open to the public.