Lecture Series History: 2007
In 2007, the Natural History Museum of Utah's annual Lecture Series presented the theme "The Nature of Things 2007." Read on to learn more about the theme and speakers.
About the 2007 Lecture Series
The Nature of Things, is a new lecture series exploring the delicate and complex relationship between humans and the natural world. This year the theme of our series is biodiversity, and UMNH has partnered with The Nature Conservancy to assemble a program that highlights the biggest challenges and opportunities in the current struggle to save plants and animals in Utah and around the world. The Nature Conservancy is an ideal partner to launch The Nature of Things lecture series because of our shared commitment to help Utahns develop a greater understanding of the natural world and its importance to human well-being. Thanks to the R. Harold Burton Foundation and our other generous sponsors for making this series possible.
2007 Speakers
Edward O. Wilson
The Future of Life
Considered to be the father of the modern environmental movement, Pulitzer Prize-winning author E.0. Wilson has made enormous contributions to the field of conservation. "Most children have a bug phase, Wilson remarks. "I never outgrew mine. In his autobiography Naturalist, he describes his early years living in towns and cities with limited abilities to observe wildlife. So he concentrated on insects. Wilson's "bug phase" has grown into a lifetime exploration of the biological basis of human behavior and culture. His interdisciplinary approach has brought forth works including Sociobiology: The New Synthesis (1975), On Human Nature (1978), Biophilia (1984) and Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge (1998). The Future of Life, the topic of the keynote lecture, was released in 2002.
Phyllis D. Coley and Thomas A. Kursar
Ecology, Discovery and Conservation: Research in the Panamanian Rainforest
Deep within the tropical rainforest of Panama, this husband-and-wife research team studies how trees defend their leaves against hungry insects through physical defenses, dependence on ants, and toxic chemicals. During their research they have witnessed significant forest destruction. With Dr. Coley's expertise in ecology and Dr. Kursar's in plant physiology, they decided to use their knowledge of plant defenses to help conservation. The result is a drug discovery project in Panama that not only searches for medicines for tropical diseases, but also provides incentives for conservation. Both presenters are professors in the Department of Biology, University of Utah, and have worked in tropical rainforests around the world for over 25 years.
Eric Rickart
Exploring Biodiversity in the Philippines
Think of the Philippines as the Galapagos Islands times ten! Hundreds of species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, not to mention thousands of unique insects and other invertebrates, are found exclusively on these tropical islands. Dr. Rickart is part of an international team of scientists currently conducting biological inventories in the Philippines. Eric Rickart is Curator of Vertebrates at the Utah Museum of Natural History, a research associate at the Field Museum, Chicago, and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Biology, University of Utah.
Bobby Harrison
Call of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
For over 60 years, the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker has been considered extinct, the victim of logging in the bottomlands of the South. However, in 2005 a team of scientists and bird enthusiasts reported that this beautiful bird is still alive in the swamps of eastern Arkansas. This first-hand account of the rediscovery of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker will take you from hip-deep, boot-sucking swamps to the politics of science and conservation. Bobby Harrison, a passionate birder and a frequent contributor to magazines such as Audubon, Birder's Worid, and Bird Watcher's Digest. He is currently engaged in The Big Woods Conservation Partnership.
Tyrone Hayes
Frogs as an Indicator Species
Frogs are ancient species that can tell us much about changes in our environment. Tyrone Hayes conducts research on the developmental endocrinology of frogs including the Bufo boreas, a toad found in Northern California, as well as the African clawed frog, the Japanese kajika, and the Pine Barrens treefrog. With fieldwork in the United States and Africa, he is synthesizing ecological and evolutionary studies to learn how changes at an animal's molecular level affect its ability to adapt to changes within its environment. Hayes is professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at University of California, Berkeley.