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Spring 2005 |
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SPECIAL
EVENTS
CSU Distinguished Woman in Science and Engineering
 The
Spring 2005 CSU Distinguished Woman in Science and Engineering, Dr.
Jane Lubchenco(Oregon State University), presented
a lecture “Seas the Day: Marine Ecosystem Science, Politics
and Ethics” and a mentoring forum, “Dual Career Choices:
A Personal Reflection,” at NREL in March.
Dr. Jane Lubchenco is an environmental scientist and marine ecologist
actively engaged in teaching, research, synthesis and communication
of scientific knowledge. Jane is currently Valley Professor of Marine
Biology and Distinguished Professor of Zoology at Oregon State Univ.
Her research interests include biodiversity, climate change, sustainability
science and the state of the oceans. Jane is a member of the National
Academy of Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, is President
of the International Council of Science, and has received numerous
awards including a MacArthur Fellowship, a Pew Fellowship, eight
honorary degrees (including one from Princeton University), the 2002
Heinz Award in the Environment, and the Nierenberg Prize for Science
in the Public Interest from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography,
2003.
CNR Leadership
Lectures in Natural Resources and the Environment
On April 7, Senator Timothy Wirth, President of the UN Foundation
and Better World Fund, presented “Energy and the Lords of
Yesteryear” as
a Distinguished Speaker for the College of Natural Resources
Leadership Lectures in Natural Resources and the Environment.
A reception followed at Ammons Hall. Dr. Diana Wall hosted
Tim and his wife Wren for this event.
 Dr.
Hank Gardner, CSU Associate Vice President for Research, invited Drs.
Dennis Ojima (NREL) and Keith Paustian (Soil
and Crop Sciences/NREL),Scott Denning (Atmospheric
Sciences), and Paul Hudnut (College of Business) to discuss climate
change research with Mr. Alan Charlton (Deputy Head of Mission,
UK Embassy) and Mr. Mark Stevens (HM Consul, British Consulate,
Denver). The purpose of the March 3rd meeting was to explore
joint research activities. Keith and Dennis presented research
on cropping systems, greenhouse gas emissions, international research
efforts (e.g., Senegal, Brazil, India, Kazakhstan, China) to reduce
GHG emissions, and integrated analysis of carbon science and climate
change.
A presentation by Dr. Jill Baron (USGS, NREL)on
the effects of atmospheric nitrogen deposition to the Colorado
Air Quality Control Commission is promoting a flurry of media attention.
Stories were carried by the Rocky Mountain News, The Denver Post,
Longmont Daily Times-Call, the Boulder Daily Camera, and Colorado
Public Radio. The Fort Collins Coloradoan stated “Rocky’s
air-quality concerns loom large for Colorado air-quality regulators
because a declaration by federal land managers that the park’s
air quality has been significantly impaired would mean strict controls
on state pollution and growth.” See http://www.nrel.colostate.edu/projects/
lvws/pages/publications/LVintheNews2.htm.
Dr. Jill Baron is a member of the National Ecological
Observatory Network (NEON) Design Committee. The first meeting
developed questions for a 30-year NEON effort. The second
meeting held in Boston in March defined observation platforms. The
third meeting, held in Estes Park, CO in June, developed deployment
of NEON infrastructure plans.
The final Global Litter Invertebrate Decomposition Experiment
(GLIDE)” workshop “Integrating Soil Biodiversity and
an Ecosystem Process: Analysis of a Global Experiment was held
in San Ramon, CA, March 16-20. NREL participants included Dr.
Diana Wall (Chair, GLIDE), Dr. Mark St. John,Dr.Bill
Parton, and Holley Zadeh (workshop organizer).
Dr. Wall was PI for an NSF Sponsored Workshop, “Synthesis
of Soil Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning in Victoria Land,
Antarctica” in Jekyll Island, GA, April 21-23.NREL attendees
included Drs. Heidi Steltzer, Ed Ayres and Johnson
Nkem and workshop organizers Patti Orth and Lily
Hoffman. This invited workshop of international scientists
studying the Arctic, Antarctic and other ecosystems defined future
research needs and priorities for terrestrial habitats of Victoria
Land, Antarctica. Results will be published in Soil Biology
and Biochemistry as a special issue.
Dr. Mike Coughenour presented “Models of
Plants in Ecosystems” at the “Modeling Ecosystem Responses
to Global Change: Techniques and Recent Advances” workshop
in Fort Meyers, FL, January 9-12, as part of the Terrestrial Ecosystem
Response to Atmospheric and Climatic Change network (TERACC). TERACC
is an NSF-funded research coordination network, the goal of which
is to synthesize experimental data for global change ecosystem
manipulation experiments (soil warming experiments, water additions,
elevated atmospheric CO2, etc.) and to promote better interaction
between the ecosystem modeling community and experimentally oriented
research scientists. The workshop was co-organized by Dr.
Bill Parton, and was also attended by Dr. Dennis
Ojima.
On March 18, Dr. Coughenour presented a talk
at Rocky Mountain National Park on his ecosystem modeling assessment
of interactions between vegetation, elk, and wolves in the park.
Wolf reintroduction to the park, either purposeful or as a natural
outcome of dispersal from Yellowstone, is being considered by the
Park Service. In particular, there is interest in the potential
effects wolves might have on reducing the incidence and spread
of chronic wasting disease (CWD) by deer and elk. Mike also
participated in the kick-off meeting for the TEMBO project, held
in Wageningen, The Netherlands, April 18-20. TEMBO will be
studying the responses of elephants and vegetation to experimental
manipulations of soil resources at different spatial scales in
and near Kruger National Park, South Africa. The SAVANNA ecosystem
model will play a central role in the project.
Dr. Dennis Ojima hosted the Northern Eurasian
C-Land Use Climate Interaction in the Semi-Arid Regions (LUCTEA)
Workshop at NREL on March 7-11. Attendees included Kanat Akshalov
(Kazakhstan), Muhtor Nasyrov, Bakhtiyor Mardonov, and Svetlana
Nikulina (Uzbekistan), Togtohyn Chuluun (Monogolia/NREL), Xiangming
Xiao (Univ. of New Hampshire) and Natalie Mahowald (NCAR). NREL
participants included Dr. Jeff Hicke, Dr. Julia Klein,
Sayat Temirbekov, Tom Riley, and Khishig Jamiyansharav. The
LUCTEA project is studying the effects of land use change and climate
on carbon fluxes, climate feedback, and ecosystem productivity.
Drs. Stephen Ogle and Keith Paustian (Soil & Crop
Science, NREL) held national greenhouse gas inventory meetings
in Nicaragua and Belize as part of an effort funded by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) to improve national communications on greenhouse
gas emissions and sinks from Central American countries to the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
In May, Drs. Keith Paustian and Rich
Conant participated in a workshop held in Atlanta for
authors who are writing the U.S. State of the Carbon Cycle Report.
Keith and Rich are lead authors for a chapter in this report
that will summarize current knowledge about carbon cycling in
North America.
NREL IN THE LIMELIGHT
CSU Scientists Devise Way to Track Colorado's Rapidly
Changing Open Spaces and Protected Areas
A group of scientists at NREL have been building an electronic
map that answers the question, “How can we best track Colorado's
rapidly changing open spaces and protected areas?” and
have recently released what is likely the most accurate single
map of land management in Colorado.
The goal of the Colorado Ownership, Management, and
Protection, or COMaP, project is to provide comprehensive,
consistent and current information on the ownership, management,
and protection of federal, state, local, and private lands
in Colorado. Dr. David Theobald, Research
Scientist at the NREL and Assistant Professor with the Department
of Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism, initiated the project
based on the premise that better understanding of the mixture
of ownership and management of both public and private lands
is needed for improved management of Colorado's ecosystems.
A year ago, Theobald and NREL colleagues Nate
Peterson and Grant Wilcox set out,
with initial funding from the Colorado Division of Wildlife,
The Nature Conservancy, and the U.S. Geological Survey, to
fill this information gap. Working with over 100 collaborators
across the state, including those from the Bureau of Land Management,
Forest Service, the Division of Wildlife, and The Nature Conservancy,
they have compiled a comprehensive database that includes information
on wilderness areas, forest management zones, state parks and
wildlife areas, city and county parks and open space, as well
as data from participating land trusts throughout the state.
Dr. Theobald stated, “We add value to their
data by bringing together the various pieces of the puzzle to form
a comprehensive, consistent picture of the state. We believe that
Colorado State University, as Colorado's land grant university,
should play the role of weaving together these various data.”(Quoted
from CSU E-Comment)
Dr. Tom Stohlgren (USGS/NREL) raised $150K to
help the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuge System document and map
invasive plant species on selected refuges in the U.S.
Dr. Stohlgren’s research team established
a partnership with Sea Studios, National Geographic, and others
to document, map, and model ten invasive species in the Arizona-Sonoran
Desert Museum area, using “citizen scientists” trained
by the Museum. This program may be expanded to many cities in the
U.S. The research team, led by Jim Graham and Greg
Newman (NREL) unveiled the “Global Organism Detection
and Monitoring System” – a web-based geospatial database
that tracks harmful invasive plants, animals, and diseases in the
U.S. (see www.NIISS.org). Stohlgren
was quoted in the May issue of Popular Mechanics about the team’s
partnership with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for creating
an Invasive Species Forecasting System for the nation. Stohlgren
and colleagues have published two reports and an article in Ecological
Applications resulting from this research effort.
Drs. Rich Conant (NREL) and Joe von Fischer (Biology/NREL)
created the Student Ecology Research Program (SERP) to provide context
for the work carried out by undergraduate employees. SERP participants
attend bi-weekly seminars on a variety of science-related topics,
carry out an independent research project, and present their research
results at a symposium at the end of the summer. The program
has great potential to broaden the experience of undergraduate students
and to train the students to be better scientists themselves.
APPOINTMENTS
Dr. Diana Wall,NREL Director, has been appointed
to the United States National Commission for theUnited Nations
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) as a
representative of the at-large community. Through the U.S.
Department of State, the National Commission will provide the U.S.
Government with expert advice on U.S. interests in educational,
scientific, cultural, and communications issues and will assist
with the implementation of UNESCO programs.
Diana was appointed to the National Research Council Polar Research
Board (2005-2008); Advisory Board, UK Population Biology Network;
Program Advisory Committee, Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility-CIAT
Project on Conservation and Sustainable Management of Belowground
Biodiversity (2005- ).
Congratulations are in order to three NREL-CSU scientists who have
been elected to serve on the Ecological Society of America Governing
Board: Drs.Bill Parton, Vice-President
for Finance, Dennis Ojima, Member-at-Large, and Alan
Covich, President-elect (NREL affiliate/Univ. of Georgia).
Dr. Dave Theobald has been promoted to Assistant
Professor in the Natural Resources Recreation and Tourism Department.
 Dr.
N. Thompson Hobbs, NREL Senior Research Scientist, has
been selected as Department Head of the Forest, Rangeland, and
Watershed Stewardship (FRWS) Dept., to begin on July 1, 2005. Dr.
Joyce Berry, Dean of the College of Natural Resources,
is quoted as saying, “Dr. Hobbs brings exceptional leadership
skills, experience, and vision to his new position. He is
a world class scientist who is nationally and internationally recognized
for his research on the role of large herbivores in ecosystems,
ecosystem modeling, and land use and climate change. Dr. Hobbs
is also an exceptional teacher and is passionate about educating
the next generation of natural resource professionals and scientists.
Additionally, Tom is deeply committed to CSU’s mission of
service and outreach.” Tom has been a great asset
to NREL and will continue on as an affiliated scientist.
Dr. Stephen Ogle was appointed to the Scientific
Steering Group of the North American Carbon Program (NACP). He
was also selected to co-coordinate a Task Force with Ken Davis
(Penn State Univ.) which oversees the Mid-Continent Intensive Study
Campaign. This campaign brings together atmospheric scientists
and ecosystem modelers to compare “bottom-up” and “top-down” approaches
for assessing CO2, CH4, N2O, and CO fluxes in a region centered
on Iowa. It is also one of several across the U.S. that is expected
to support NACP objectives.
Dr. Jill Baron (USGS/NREL) was appointed to the
science advisory board of the National Center for Ecological
Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS). Jill was also appointed to
the Board of Directors of the Mountain Studies Institute, a research
and education institute in Silverton, CO.
VISITORS
NREL’s Spring 2005 Diversity in Academia Seminar Series,
organized by Drs. Lindsey Christensen and Heidi Steltzer,
included NREL alums who have moved on to a diverse set of job and
research opportunities. Lecturers included Dr. Serita Frey (Univ.
of New Hampshire), Dr. Sarah Spaulding (USGS, National Wetlands Research
Center), Dr. Amy Treonis (Creighton Univ.), Dr. Deanna Stouder (U.S.
Forest Service, Washington, DC), Dr. Laura Powers (USAID, Washington,
DC), and Dr. Koren Nydick (Mountain Studies Institute, Silverton,
CO).
In the spring of 2005, Dr. Dan Binkley’s (GDPE/FRWS/NREL)
lab hosted a 3-month visit from Dr. Robert Jandl, Institute
of Forest Ecology, Forest Research Center in Vienna. Robert’s
interests center on ecosystem biogeochemistry and the use of mountainous
forests around the world. His visit was supported by a Fulbright
Fellowship, and he taught a short course on Integrated Resource Use
in Mountain Forests. Ana Heloisa Marrichi Carnaval (Univ. of
Sao Paulo, Brazil) also visited Dan’s lab and came to spend
time with U.S. Forest Service scientists Mike Ryan and Rob Hubbard,
mastering instruments and techniques for ecophysiology measurements
on trees.
GRAD STUDENT NEWS
Mark St. John (Dr. Diana Wall,
advisor) successfully defended his PhD dissertation, “Soil
Mite Biodiversity: Its Relationship to Grass Species and Influence
on Decomposition in the Konza Tallgrass Prairie” on April
7. He graduated on May 13.
Sanjay Advani (Dr. Jill Baron, advisor)
successfully defended his MS thesis “Soil Respiration Responses
to Fertilization: A Comparison of Two Forests with Different Nitrogen
Deposition Histories” on April 15. He will graduate
this summer.
PhD student Catherine Crosier (Dr. Tom
Stohlgren, advisor) was hired full time by the U.S.
Geological Survey to work on invasive species issues in the US.
In March, Erandi Lokupitiya, (GDPE/Soil Crop
Sciences) presented “Inventorying Agricultural Soil
Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Methods Used by Annex 1 Countries,” with
advisor Dr. Keith Paustian, at the USDA Greenhouse
Gas Symposium in Baltimore. As a result, Erandi received an invitation
from Dr. Wojtek Galinski of Joanneum Research, Austria to present
a talk at the Land-Use Related Choices under the Kyoto Protocol
Obligations, Options and Methodologies Conference in May in Graz,
Austria.
New NREL MS grad students Michelle Haddix,a
research technologist from the Univ. of Nebraska, and Megan
Steinweg,who justearned
a BS fromAppalachian State, Boone, NC, arrived
in May to work with Dr. Rich Conant on his NSF-funded
soil warming project.
SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS
Dr. Diana Wall was co-lead author for a chapter, “Implications
for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals” published
in the 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, Volume 1, Island Press,
Washington, DC. Additionally, Drs. Dennis Ojima and Jill
Baron were contributing authors for another chapter entitled “Current
State and Trends: Findings of the Condition and Trends Working
Group, Ecosystems, and Human Well-Being,” See the following
link to the BBC news website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4391835.stm
Dr. Diana Wall was featured in the April 2005
Discover Magazine Think Tank on the Environment section. She wrote
on the importance of the research being conducted on the interaction
of soil species “which provide fertile and productive soils
for our food supply and for the ecosystem processes that we depend
on.”
Dr. Dan Binkley (GDPE/NREL) and Oleg Menyailo
(Sukachev Institute of Forest Research, Krasnoyarsk) edited “Tree
Species Effects on Soils: Implications for Global Change,” for
Springer’s NATO Science Series (Vol. 55). The book was
a product of a NATO Advanced Research Workshop held in Krasnoyarsk,
with scientists from ten countries working to understand how tree
species matter in shaping soils and biogeochemistry.
UVB NEWS
 Congresswoman
Marilyn Musgrave was on campus March 28, 2005, and met with President
Larry Penley; Tony Frank, Interim Provost; Hank Gardner, Associate
Vice President for Research; Lance Perryman, Dean, College of Veterinary
Medicine; and Drs. James Slusser and Wei
Gao of the Ultraviolet-B Radiation Monitoring and Research
Program (UV-B/NREL). Drs. Slusser and Gao discussed the UV-B Program
and its relevance on agriculture, livestock, and human health.
Musgrave also toured the CSU Animal Cancer Center and expressed
her strong support for both programs.
UV-B scientists are collaborating with scientists at the NASA/Goddard
Space Flight Center to help measure aerosol absorption in the atmosphere.
The impact of aerosols on climate is one of the largest uncertainties
in climate models. It is still unknown whether these aerosols have
an overall heating or cooling effect on the atmosphere. Additionally,
Dr. Slusser has co-authored two papers on aerosol properties and
was chief editor of the special section, entitled “Advances
in UV Ground- and Space-based Measurement and Meteorology,” that
appeared in the April 2005 issue of Optical Engineering.
Dr. Gao was guest editor of a special edition
issue of Ultraviolet Radiation and Terrestrial Ecosystems in the
Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology. The issue includes
several papers co-authored by UV-B staff, as well as a paper on
UV radiation effects on plant growth and forage quality in a shortgrass
steppe ecosystem authored by Dr. Dan Milchunas, NREL affiliated
scientist.
Dr. Bill Davis has accepted a position as the
Network Security Administrator for Student Housing on campus. He
served as the UV-B Monitoring and Research Program’s system
administrator for over ten years. Congratulations and good luck,
Bill.
GIFTS TO NREL
NREL THANKS DR. FRANCIS CLARK FOR HIS MANY CONTRIBUTIONS
TO NREL
 Dr.
Francis Clark has made many contributions to ecosystem science,
CSU, NREL, the College of Natural Resources, Larimer County,
and the City of Fort Collins. He is a world renowned microbial
ecologist and recipient of the Agricultural Research Service’s
Hall of Fame Award and the Soil Science Society’s Distinguished
Career Award. He has authored several books and over 175 journal
articles, and has collaborated over the years with many NREL
and CSU scientists. He has mentored and advised a number of graduate
students, and was a key advisor to George Van Dyne, an early
catalyst to the formation of NREL, in the early IBP Grassland
Biome days during 1970-74.
Among many important contributions to CSU, Dr. Clark and his
late wife Evelyn established the Francis Clark Soil Biology Scholarship
fund at NREL, an endowment which has supported 16 graduate students
in environmental science since its inception in 1998. Francis
has now established the Excellence in Enhancing Global Connections
(EEGC) endowment. In a February 26, 2004 ceremony, NREL honored
Francis by renaming the Natural and Environmental Sciences Building’s
main conference room after him. NREL continues to be extremely
grateful to Dr. Clark for his many contributions to NREL, and
his commitment to the global research conducted here.
NREL is deeply grateful to the many individuals who have contributed
to our Excellence in Enhancing Global Connections endowment started
by matching funds from Dr. Francis E. Clark (see below). This
ambitious endowment will be used to support bridge salary for scientists
and other costs and opportunities which cannot be accommodated
by NREL’s base of federal grant funding. It is expected to
be a very important part of NREL’s future operations. Every
dollar donated to this endowment by individual NREL supporters
is being matched by Dr. Clark, making this a one-of-a-kind opportunity
to enhance NREL’s future. Over $60,000 has been raised
so far towards a goal of $100,000. If you are interested in contributing
to this exciting new endowment, please contact Neil Shropshire
(neil@nrel.colostate.edu or
970-491-5645) for more information.
NREL is also grateful for the continuing support given by donors
to the James Ellis Scholarship Fund, which will support students
interested in human dimensions of global environmental change,
and to the general NREL gift fund, which supports a variety of
efforts beneficial to NREL.
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Natural
Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins,
CO, 80523-1499, USA
Tel: +1 970 491 5571 - Fax: +1 970 491 1965
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