Chief Scientist for South Australia’s Post

5/5 Introducing the teachers of our specialization course in Social Biomimicry: Leen Gorissen Leen Gorissen specializes in ecology, transition science, regenerative design and bio-inspired innovation. She is the author of the recent book ‘Building the Future of Innovation on Millions of Years of Natural Intelligence’ and the founder of Centre4NI: a catalyst that helps organizations and businesses to innovate like nature. 🌱 In her module, she will delve into the science of complex living systems, what this means for us humans, and how we can have regenerative roles in these systems.🕸️ SESSION 1. Introduction to the Science of Living Systems. A first introduction to complex living systems and how complexity thinking is a necessary capability for the future.  SESSION 2. From Living Systems Understanding to Living Systems Design. Introduction to regenerative development.  SESSION 3. Understanding living systems from Western and Indigenous Perspectives. Towards a new integration of different knowledge systems. #biomimicry #socialinnovation

☀️ Over the summer, Associate Professor Skylar Hopkins, GOHA affiliate and applied ecology faculty member, organized a three-day One Health Workshop to strengthen and expand collaborations between several universities and non-government organizations that work with local and Indigenous communities to improve community, rainforest, and marine health. 🌎 This event was organized with support from a GOHA seed grant. 💬 “As researchers, our job is to collect data that can be used to independently assess how human and ecosystem health are connected, so that communities, governments, and non-government organizations can use the data to make informed decisions.” - Skylar Hopkins Learn more about the event 👇 https://loom.ly/ZZZMlSc

The latest issue of BGCI’s education journal Roots focuses on #ConservationPrioritisation and how we can engage our visitors with this important topic. This issue features a range of articles from BGCI members who bridge the gap between the #ConservationAssessment work taking place to understand the status of the world’s plant species, and the stories they tell their visitors. These stories vary from protecting a single plant species or family to a complete ecosystem which is showcased in books, haiku, interpretation panels, activities, lessons and tours. Read the latest issue now: https://buff.ly/4bDCAsm #ScienceCommunication #SciComm #PlantConservation #PublicEngagement

Did you know that The Fulbright Program recognized Purdue as a top-producing institution for the third consecutive year? You can learn about some of Purdue's 2023-2024 Fulbright faculty scholars below!

🌍🐸 Happy Citizen Science Day! Today, we celebrate the power of community-driven science. My MSc thesis explores the reliability of citizen science-based occurrence records (iNaturalist) in modelling amphibian species distributions in southern Africa. My study found that both iNaturalist and South African Frog Atlas Project datasets perform well in modelling species distributions, with significant but varied overlap between the two. This highlights the complementary value of both approaches in accurately characterising amphibian niches. Let's continue to support citizen science initiatives for effective conservation strategies! #CitizenScienceDay #AmphibianConservation

UNCW Assistant Professor of Biology and Marine Biology Matthew McLean and Ph.D. student Adrian Gonzalez-Ortiz have received a $400,000 NSF EMBRACE grant. Their project, "The Dynamics and Drivers of Fish-Mediated Ecosystem Functions in European Seas," will explore the role of fish assemblages in nutrient cycles like nitrogen and phosphorus, assessing impacts from climate change and fishing pressures. Their research includes two North Sea expeditions in 2025, supplemented by lab work at UNCW over the next four years. This grant is a milestone for McLean, who joined UNCW in 2023 with a vision to advance marine research and mentor passionate students.

Looking forward to speaking at the 100th Anniversary meeting of the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) tomorrow. The theme for the opening plenary is "why do we study plants?", to which I'm tempted to respond..... du-uh! If you eat, breathe, wear clothing, take medicine or tend a garden, you're relying on centuries of plant science. If you live on the planet Earth, you need plants to survive. And if you believe, as I do, that science and technology have the power to change people's lives for the better, what better field (pun intended) of study than plant biology? https://lnkd.in/gDB7muPt

Holding your book for the first time (bonus while you’re making dinner) is an incredible experience… After years of research, my book is finally out! It’s a peer-reviewed, academic book that shows how cutting-edge scientific and political paradigms have shaped society and nature in one of the world’s premiere conservation sites: the Galápagos Islands. I ultimately argue that learning from worldviews and daily practices of marginalized actors (long-time residents and undocumented farmers) can help correct some of the shortcomings of the current approach—on the Galápagos and beyond. The book draws on two years of ethnographic fieldwork and a decade-long study of scientific debates in ecological theory, invasion ecology, conservation biology as well as innovative political frameworks from Latin America (such as constitutional rights of nature and the ones emerging from indigenous activism). University of Washington Press https://lnkd.in/gtY4Q8B6

Be part of our 2024 Annual Meeting programme! The BES Annual Meeting is made special by the input of our passionate community. Now is your chance to get involved by letting us know your ideas for workshops and thematic sessions. Applications for proposals close on 17 May, so if you have a great idea, don't hesitate! We're looking for workshop ideas that encourage audience participation and address a need - for example, building skills, crossing disciplinary boundaries, or sharing methods. For more information and to send your ideas: https://lnkd.in/dAK7GMwB Our integral programme of thematic sessions are another fantastic way for the community to explore the critical questions facing ecology today. These sessions are also recorded and live-streamed, reaching a wide audience. For more information and to send your ideas: https://lnkd.in/dBjuXzmP Hosting a thematic session or running a workshop are a great way to build your profile amongst the community and to talk about the issues that matter to you. So what are you waiting for?

The profound #ScientificImpact of #FishBase.org is backed up by a groundbreaking study led by Austin Humphries of the University of Rhode Island (bit.ly/ScientificImpactFB). It stands out as one of the most accessed and cited publications, in both the current and previous centuries! 🐟🌍✨ #citationanalysis #oceanliteracy #oceanconservation #marineconservation #globalinformationsystems #globalspeciesdatabase #aquaticbiodiversity #onlinepublications #publicresources #saveouroceans #oceanlove #marinebiodiversity #fishdatabase #fishknowledge #fishbaseproject