David Lodge Named President of the Ecological Society of America for 2016-2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 26, 2016
Contact: Alison Mize, 202-833-8773 ext. 205, gro.asenull@nosilA
David Lodge, 2016-17 President of the Ecological Society of America. Credit Robert Barker/ Cornell University.
David Lodge, Director of the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, Cornell University, became President of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) on August 12, 2016.
Elected by the members of ESA for a one-year term, Lodge presides over the world’s largest professional society of ecologists. Its membership is composed of 10,000 researchers, educators, natural resource managers and students, reflecting the diverse interests and activities of the Society. As President, Lodge now chairs ESA’s governing board, which establishes the Society’s vision, goals and objectives.
“The need is greater than ever for rigorous scientific information about the dependence of humans on nature, and how we can continue to meet our needs now while protecting the natural capital necessary to provide ecosystem goods and services for future generations. The Ecological Society of America will continue to be the source for such information—from discoveries of how nature works to the application of those discoveries for the benefit of all. I am honored and humbled to serve ESA as president,” Lodge said.
Lodge brings a background of collaboration with economists, historians, theologians and philosophers, and he has partnered with such organizations as The Nature Conservancy to bring his scientific work into public policy. He has testified before Congress on numerous occasions, served on national and international policy boards, and recently completed a year as a senior science adviser to the U.S. Department of State. In 2013, he was appointed to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Science Advisory Board.
A renowned expert on invasive species, Lodge’s research focuses on freshwater ecology; invasive species biology and bioeconomics; ecological risk analysis; global changes and biodiversity; and environmental ethics and policy. He has published over 200 scientific papers and edited two books.
The Ecological Society of America, founded in 1915, is the world’s largest community of professional ecologists and a trusted source of ecological knowledge, committed to advancing the understanding of life on Earth. The 10,000 member Society publishes six journals and a membership bulletin and broadly shares ecological information through policy, media outreach, and education initiatives. The Society’s Annual Meeting attracts 4,000 attendees and featuresthe most recent advances in ecological science. Visit the ESA website at https://ecologicalsocietyofamerica.org.