Current Center Fellows and Center Associates
Center Fellows
Center Associates
Juliann Aukema | Nancy Baron | Amber Budden | Steven Courtney
Ben Halpern | Carrie Kappel | Jai Ranganathan | Kim Selkoe
Juliann Aukema | Nancy Baron | Amber Budden | Steven Courtney
Ben Halpern | Carrie Kappel | Jai Ranganathan | Kim Selkoe
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Juliann Aukema
aukema
 nceas [dot] ucsb [dot] edu (Email)Website |
My research interests lie in spatial patterns, processes, and mechanisms underlying species interactions and distributions, and in applied conservation. I draw on the fields of spatial ecology, plant community ecology, plant-animal interactons, conservation biology, and epidemiology; and I strive to bridge the gap between science and conservation practice. At NCEAS, I am working on a project to quantify the economic and ecosystem impacts of non-native forest pests and pathogens in North America. Both the economic and ecosystem efects of these introductions ahould be considered in developing public policy.
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Nancy Baron, a zoologist and science writer, is the Science Outreach Director for SeaWeb/COMPASS. She is also the lead communications trainer for the Aldo Leopold Leadership program and helps scientists translate their work to journalists, the public and policymakers. She and her Washington DC based team keep their fingers on the pulse of important marine conservation research. When new “tipping point” science is published, they coach scientists to talk about it in ways that are readily understood and get the story out to the media. Nancy also leads communications training workshops to help bridge the worlds of scientists and journalists.
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I am interested in determining the existence and role of publication bias in ecology. Publication bias is prevalent in many fields of science although has been relatively unexplored in ecology. The importance of factors unrelated to publication quality will be tested using survey data, online databases and bibliometric methods. I will also evaluate the impact of publication bias on the composition of the ecological community in addition to developing best practices for journals, reviewers, and editors. |
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"Dying is easy; comedy is hard" (last words of actor Donald Wolfit).
Science isn't easy, but using it for real-world decisions can be even harder. Sometimes, getting timing and process right is as important to giving advice as it is to telling a joke. Can we, as scientists, ensure our information and advice is used in ways that preserve integrity, but are also clear and effective? I am comparing the approaches and results from different scientific advisory panels, including the work of Sustainable Ecosystems Institute, NAS, and other organizations.
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 Ben Halpern EBM Project Coordinator (805) 892-2523 halpern nceas [dot] ucsb [dot] edu (Email) Publications Projects |
I received my Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology from UC Santa Barbara in 2003 and was then a TNC David H. Smith Postdoctoral Fellow jointly sponsored at NCEAS and UC Santa Cruz. As Project Coordinator for the Ecosystem-based Management Program, I help coordinate and guide the working group and post-doctoral research funded through this project, participate in these efforts when appropriate, and work to help translate products from these efforts into real-world management and policy changes. My own research focuses on evaluating population and ecosystem level ecological processes of coastal marine species and systems, developing and evaluating the science and methods for managing and conserving marine resources (particularly marine protected areas and EBM), and determining factors that control food web structure and dynamics.
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As a postdoctoral fellow with the Ecosystem-based Management (EBM) project, I am working on methods for integrating multiple biophysical, social and economic datasets across spatial and temporal scales, estimating the joint uncertainties associated with the integrated data, and incorporating that uncertainty into management decision-making. These activities will be tied to development of system models and a decision-support framework to support marine EBM in coastal California through my involvement in and coordination of the Science Frameworks for EBM working group.
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Temperate grassland is among the most globally endangered of ecosystem types, as it is highly threatened by the expansion of agriculture, the intensification of grazing pressure, and other human activities. I will be focusing on grassland conservation strategies for Argentina, where much of the best remaining temperate grassland can be found. Using a return on investment approach, I will explore how the inclusion of economic information can improve the quality of environmental planning for Argentinean grassland and for conservation in general.
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I am a molecular ecologist who uses genetic tools to investigate marine dispersal. My research, funded by the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, applies these interests to the coral reefs of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. I will determine the genetic structures of various reef species and use modeling to estimate the likely source-sink dynamics throughout the archipelago. I am also leading a collaborative project using microsatellite markers to determine the degree of larval dispersal of nearshore fishery species across the US/Mexico border.
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Steven Courtney
