Friday October 20, 2017

Keynote Speaker

Novel Data Acquisition Tools and Big Data in Teaching

Jeffrey F. Kelly

Professor of Biology, University of Oklahoma
Director, Oklahoma Biological Survey
Associate Heritage Zoologist, Oklahoma Biological Survey

Modern opportunities afforded by today’s tracking technologies urge us to rethink our approaches to Biology education. Dr. Jeff Kelly will share his expertise on the tools of data science being used to understand animal response in complex changing environments over large spatial extents. He will also share his perspectives on the rapid changes in the data sciences, their multi-disciplinary demands and their implications for education.

View the Conference Schedule at a Glance here

Dr. Jeffrey Kelly is the Director of the Oklahoma Biological Survey and a Professor of Biology at the University of Oklahoma. He received a BS in Wildlife Management from the University of Maine, an MS in Zoology from Oklahoma State University, and a Ph.D. in Biology from Colorado State University. Jeff is the PI of an NSF Research Training (NRT) program in Aeroecology, which tests a new model of interdisciplinary graduate student training focused on understanding ecological pattern and process in the lower atmosphere. He teaches interdisciplinary graduate courses in the Earth Observation Science for Society and Sustainability (EOS³) graduate certificate program as part of the NRT as well as courses in Conservation Biology and Population Ecology. His current research focuses on avian migration systems and interdisciplinary studies of emerging human-wildlife conflicts driven by increased use of the lower atmosphere for telecommunication, energy production, transportation, and commerce.

Saturday October 21, 2017

Keynote Panel

Brad Goodner is Professor of Biology and Edward J. Smerek Endowed Chair in Mathematics, the Sciences, & Technology at Hiram College. Over the last decade, he has worked with colleagues to provide undergraduate research opportunities in genomics and bioinformatics on a national scale (GENI-ACT).

Wendy Gram leads development of educational resources to facilitate use of freely available NEON (National Ecological Observatory Network) data, including environmental data from 81 sites across the US. Wendy holds a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution from the University of Missouri and a B.A. in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Anna Monfils is a Professor and Director of the CMU Herbarium. Anna will introduce the Biodiversity Literacy in Undergraduate Education (BLUE) Network. BLUE is a team of data scientists, biodiversity researchers, and science educators working to define biodiversity data literacy standards and develop exemplar materials for implementation in the undergraduate core curriculum.

Elizabeth H. Schultheis, PhD is a postdoctoral researcher at Michigan State University, and co-founder of Data Nuggets. Data Nuggets are an innovative approach to bring contemporary research and authentic data into K-16 classrooms, connecting students to real scientists and their passion for discovery.