News

CBO Announces NatureNet Fellowship – Call for Applications

CBO has partnered with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to join six other Universities (Cornell, Columbia, Princeton, Stanford, University of Pennsylvania and Yale) that offer the prestigious NatureNet Science Fellows Program.

This program will provide support for early career scientists to conduct research at the interface of science, technology and business in order to achieve biodiversity outcomes. With a gift from TNC, CBO has garnered an institutional match to support this program at the University, College and Unit level. Faculty from contributing units (OKED, CBO, GIOS, CLAS, SOLS, SOS, SGSUP, SFIS, SMNS, SESE and SHESC) will be eligible to serve as primary and secondary advisor for the postdoc.

This broad institutional support demonstrates ASU’s commitment to transdisciplinary, use-driven science, science communication and leadership. We join a network of fellows, university scientists, and conservation practitioners to enhance scientific rigor and real world impact of work done across the network.

Call for Abstracts: McDowell Sonoran Preserve Research Symposium

McDowell Sonoran Preserve is looking for posters from researchers and students who have conducted or are conducting ecological, social, geological, or historical research relevant to the greater Phoenix preserve or park system to be presented at the McDowell Sonoran Preserve Research Symposium, Saturday, October 24th: 8:00 a.m. – 4 p.m (see attached).

The inaugural McDowell Sonoran Preserve Research Symposium will bring together researchers, students, citizens, and community leaders to share and learn about the scientific and historical research that has been conducted within Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve and other Phoenix Area Parks. The purpose is to promote awareness among scientists, students and citizens of the research being undertaken on the Preserve and surrounding Sonoran Desert, encourage networking, and trigger new research and collaborations that benefit the Preserve, parks, and natural spaces within the Greater Phoenix area. CBO Faculty Affiliate Sharon Hall will be presenting a keynote address.

Individuals interested in giving a poster presentation are invited to submit abstracts by Tuesday, September 29, 2015 to mspresearch@mcdowellsonoran.org. Abstracts should follow the Symposium Abstract Guidelines.

White House Announces ASU National STEM Collaborative

Congratulations to CBO faculty affiliate and Executive Director of the Center for Gender Equity in Science and Technology, Kim Scott!
Today the White House announced CGEST’s National STEM Collaborative during their Champions of Change – Young Women Empowering Their Communities program.
CBO is working with CGEST to advance diversity in STEM science with specific attention to diversity in conservation science.

Dr. Jo Handelsman makes the announcement.

ASU News

The Arizona Republic

IUCN Announces final consultation on Key Biodiversity Areas Standard

Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are sites that contribute significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity.

IUCN’ s commitment to development of this standard will help policy makers and practitioners your the world in the private and public sectors to implement conservation safeguards at multiple scales, including local communities, regional and state level governments, and international governance and conservation organizations.

CBO Postdoc and affiliate researcher, Penny Langhammer, is the lead author of the IUCN standard for identification of KBAs. Penny is working closely with The Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, IUCN representatives, the Wildlife Conservation Society and other partners to support implementation of the new standard for KBAs, including development of the standard documentation, methods, and tools to record, predict, and economically value ecosystem services and human well-being benefits delivered by KBAs.

CBO faculty affiliates will collaborate with IUCN on an analysis of transboundary KBAs, which are KBAs with complex governance structures, such as a KBA spanning two countries.

CBO is also working with the IUCN joint Species Survival Commission/World Commission on Protected Areas and the National Marine Fisheries Service to align the Important Marine Mammal Area initiative with the KBA Standard and support pilot KBA identification for marine mammals.

CBO presents panel on Diversity in Conservation Science at ESA 2015

CBO Director Leah Gerber and graduate student affiliate Beth Tellman recently organized a panel entitled “Expanding diversity in the next generation of ecology” at the 100th anniversary of the Ecological Society of America conference in Baltimore in August 2015.

Dr. Gerber and Beth, along with Marlene Kaplan (NOAA Deputy Director of Education), Brigitte Griswold (Director of Youth Programs at The Nature Conservancy), Nyeema Harris (Director’s Fellow for World Wildlife Fund International), Maclovia Quintana (Yale School of Forestry), Kevin Coyle, VP of Education and Training (National Wildlife Federation); and Teresa Mourad (Director of Education and Diversity Programs (ESA) prepared a workshop that was attended by a group of more than 30 people, mostly minority students, ranging in age from high school to post doc.

It is impossible to capture in this post the courage, vulnerability, difficulty, and depth of the discussion here, but we hope to continue this conversation with the ESA board, amongst the panelists, and in a published commentary piece with student attendees as lead authors. We are excited to take these lessons back to CBO at ASU as well, and reflect on what we heard to better address the lack of human diversity within our field, the implications this has for biodiversity outcomes, and redefining how CBO can contribute to diversity by partnering with conservation organization in the US as well as actors across our own campus.

USFWS Conservation Career Symposium

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will host an information session for undergraduate and graduate college students interested in public service careers. This session will focus on students interested in careers in natural resource management, biological sciences, and environmental education with the FWS. Participants will:

-Network with FWS leadership and learn about the rewards and benefits of working in a federal agency and with the FWS.

-Discuss future wildlife conservation challenges that their generation must address in the coming decades.

-Learn about the requirements for biological science, visitor services and natural resource careers available at FWS.

-Learn about key FWS conservation internships and career employment opportunities on the Web, including YouthGo.gov and USAJobs.gov.

-Receive training and information on writing resumes and interviewing for jobs with the FWS and other Federal conservation agencies

Application requirements and detailed description can be found in the attached documents.

Deadline to apply is September 11.

Conservation Career Symposium

Sept. 23-26: U S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)

CBO and Partners Initiate Development of Biodiversity Risk Assessment tool

CBO and a team of partners assembled this summer at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) in Santa Barbara to discuss biodiversity and water conservation in business.

Partners representing The Earth Genome, The Environmental Defense Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability joined forces with CBO to initiate development of a decision-support tool that will help corporations assess risks to the public, the environment, and their business associated with their water use. The team plans to bring together a wide variety of biodiversity data to help corporations actively consider biodiversity in their activities.

CBO brings team member Peter Kareiva, former Chief Scientist of The Nature Conservancy and new Director of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability to ASU this fall (October 28-29)  for a stimulating two day series of events engaging new ways to approach biodiversity conservation.

CBO -Biodiversity Risk Assessment team

From left to right, the photo is Glen Low (EG), Sarah Geren (CBO), Peter Kareiva (seated; TNC/UCLA-IOES) Rebecca Shaw (EDF), Leah Gerber (CBO), Steve McCormick (EG), Beth Tellman (CBO), and John Sabo (CBO).

CBO’s Helen Rowe assumes new role as Director of the McDowell Sonoran Field Institute

CBO is please to congratulate Helen Rowe on her new position as Director for the McDowell Sonoran Field Institute (MSFI).

MSFI is the research center of the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy (MSC). MSC is a non-profit organization dedicated to the long-term sustainability of Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve. The purpose of the MSFI is to study the ecology, human history, and human impacts on the Preserve by partnering with scientists and involving citizen scientists. Recently MSFI decided to expand and hire a new director to expand the influence, visibility and research capacity of MSFI. Helen’s background in restoration ecology and experience in science management and partnership building made her an excellent fit for this new MSFI position.

Helen will be stepping down from her role as CBO Partnership Program Lead, but we look forward to working with Helen and the MSC as we collaborate on our ongoing research in the Sonoran desert.

We continue to expand and develop partnerships and projects in all our focal areas. Please contact CBO Project Manager, Anita Hagy Ferguson or CBO Director, Leah Gerber with any partnership or project inquires.

Undergrad Researcher Opportunity at Phoenix Zoo

The new Conservation Research Training Program (PZSoLS CRTP) – created through a partnership between the Phoenix Zoo and School of Life Sciences (SoLS) at Arizona State University (ASU) – promotes and facilitates opportunities for a SoLS undergraduate major at ASU to participate in research through the SOLUR program at the Phoenix Zoo’s Conservation and Science Center.

This is an exciting opportunity to engage in real-world experimental design and applied research in strong collaboration with an academic institution and an internationally recognized zoo. The selected individual will enter into a mentorship with Phoenix Zoo and ASU researchers conducting ex situ and in situ studies at the zoo. This student will be exposed to all aspects of the scientific method, including observation, experimental design, and data collection and analysis, while drawing on the academic expertise of SoLS faculty and the species conservation expertise of Phoenix Zoo staff. They may also develop and conduct an independent study as part of this program. The student will also participate in ASU’s SOLUR seminar, where they become a part of the larger undergraduate research community at ASU and gain insights into broader aspects of the research enterprise (e.g. ethics, collaboration, community outreach). PZSoLS CRTP students will gain valuable real-world experience in conservation and will be challenged in a manner that will prepare them for a career in life sciences. A one-year paid position is available starting July 2014, with the potential to renew annually if sufficient progress is made.

Apply Here

PZSoLS CRTP PDF

CBO to sponsor ESA panel on youth engagement in conservation

CBO will sponsor a panel discussion at the 2015 Ecological Society of America annual meeting. The panel will explore the obstacles underserved youth face in pursuing ecological education at the college level as well as environmental careers. The panel will also explore existing programs designed to address these challenges.

A diverse panel of professionals and academics will engage leaders from a range of youth engagement programs to discuss challenges and opportunities of developing innovative educational programs that provide youth from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds with basic literacy in ecological sustainability.

Key discussion themes include:

  • How too connect with environmental issues that matter most to underserved youth
  • How to engage with a diversity of underserved youth
  • How to improve youth engagement in ecology so that it flows from early education to higher education into the job market.