Alexander von Humboldt for Ecologists
Bruce Byers explores the life and legacy of Alexander von Humboldt, a German polymath whose lasting impact on ecology is being highlighted in a virtual exhibition of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Public Affairs — Page 8
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New Features Added to ESA Certification
This post was provided by Carmen Cid, Chair of the ESA Board of Professional Certification. The Ecological Society of America has been validating the credentials of professional ecologists through our certification program for nearly 40 years. Beginning in 2021, we aim to take the program to a new level. Hundreds of environmental scientists—working in all sectors from consulting to government…
A call for action: It’s time to integrate environmental justice into applied ecology research
by Gillian Bowser and Carmen R. Cid “The Somebody Else’s Problem field…relies on people’s natural predisposition not to see anything they don’t want to, weren’t expecting, or can’t explain.” -Douglas Adams, 1982[1] When is the right time to act on environmental justice, diversity and inclusion? For the last three decades, the Ecological Society of America membership has elevated the human…
ESA Statement on the U.S. Withdrawal from the Paris Accord
How we address climate change is a defining issue for the country, the planet and the well-being of all people now and in the future. The Trump administration’s choice to withdraw the United States from the Paris agreement is an irresponsible and environmentally disastrous decision that can legally go into effect Nov. 4—the day after the general election. More than…
Let’s Close the Year Strong
by Kathleen Weathers, ESA President It’s rather remarkable to realize that it was almost two months ago that we were immersed in the grand experiment of an all-virtual annual meeting. While there were certainly some hiccups along the way, the staff and meetings committees did a remarkable job making an 180o pivot with panache, as did meeting attendees. With almost…
Nominate a colleague for an ESA award
by Charles Nilon, ESA Awards Committee Chair October is upon us and autumn is in full swing. It’s the season of turning leaves, crisp air … and ESA award nominations! And as the chair of ESA’s Awards Committee, I want to make sure that we all enjoy this season together and celebrate outstanding work (and outstanding people) in ecology by…
Time for Action: ESA initiates a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) task force
Racism and prejudice continue to harm communities of color. ESA stands firm in its commitment to challenge and break down inequities in our community of scientists and practitioners of ecology. Today, we reach out to you with an update towards fulfilling the commitment made in the June 2020 letter to the community. At that time, ESA pledged to redouble its…
Action Alert: Urge Congress to Support Research Relief
Join ESA and 22 other professional societies representing hundreds of thousands of scientists, mathematicians and engineers as part of a collaborative effort to raise awareness of the importance of restoring our academic research enterprise impacted by COVID-19. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS), the impacts on the federal enterprise are far-reaching, resulting in lab and user facility closures, canceled…
Ecology and COVID-19 #5: Coronavirus, Human Hubris, and Life in the Coevolving Biosphere
This blogpost originally appeared on the website for Bruce Byers Consulting. by Bruce Byers The novel coronavirus is holding up a mirror for our species, giving us an opportunity to consider our place in the evolution of life on Earth and question our anthropocentrism. What I’ve missed during this pandemic and shutdown of our usual social and economic life is…
ESA as a channel of communication between its members and NSF
by Osvaldo Sala, ESA President One of the central roles of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) is to represent its members in front of different bodies at the national and international levels. While single voices face difficulties in reaching target audiences, communications are enhanced when articulated through a professional society. ESA plays the double role of not only communicating…
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Blog Series #1: The ESA-SEEDS Campus Chapter Program: Engaging the Next Generation of Diverse Environmental Leaders
In honor of Kendra Chan by Jasjeet Dhanota, SEEDS Co-President with Kendra Chan, UC Davis (2014–2015) The Ecological Society of America’s SEEDS program (Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability) is proud to announce a major gift from Ms. Vicki Moore in honor of her daughter, Kendra Chan, to support SEEDS Campus Ecology Chapters, which are active on over…
ESA moving forward and going virtual
by Osvaldo Sala, President, and Catherine O’Riordan, Executive Director One of the strengths of the ESA organization is the ability to adapt to challenges in our programs and in our science. Like most other organizations responding to the pandemic, ESA moved to virtual operations in March and the DC office is temporarily closed. Staff continues to work from home while…