In Brief: April 8

Nicholas Gotelli

Biology lecture addresses ‘Forecasting Nature’

2019 Pasakarnis-Buchanan Lecture

Unprecedented environmental change has become the norm and scientists are being asked to forecast how nature will respond. Dr. Nicholas Gotelli, a professor of biology at the University of Vermont, will present “Forecasting Nature: Ecological Experiments in a Time of Planetary Change” for the 2019 Pasakarnis-Buchanan Lecture at 7 p.m.  April 9 in 114 Olscamp Hall.   
His talk, free and open to the public, will describe experimental studies of forest ants and carnivorous plants. These little organisms are model systems for understanding big changes caused by global warming (ants) and water pollution (carnivorous plants). He also will discuss what motivates scientists to do their work and what are the benefits of an undergraduate science education.

He also will present “The Ecological Effects of Nitrogen Deposition: Insights from the Carnivorous Pitcher Plant Sarracenia purpurea” at 3:30 p.m. on April 10 in 112 Life Science Building. During the scientific lecture, he will summarize 23 years of field observation and experiments, lab studies and a statistical modeling to examine the consequences of atmospheric nutrient deposition on plant morphology and ecophysiology, nutrient stoichiometry, population dynamics and ecosystem tipping points.

BGSU’s annual lecture series was created in 1998 by Jean Pasakarnis-Buchanan, who graduated from the University in 1952 and went on to a 33-year career as a cytologist with Massachusetts General Hospital. She also taught cytology, which is the study of human cells, at Northeastern University. Buchanan received the Alumni Community Award from BGSU in 1972, and in 1987, set up a scholarship for biology or medical technology majors. Her lectureship endowment allows the University to bring some of the leading figures in biology and medicine to campus each year.

For more information, contact the Department of Biological Sciences at 419-372-2332. Guests with disabilities are requested to indicate if they need special services, assistance or appropriate modifications to fully participate in the event by contacting Accessibility Services at access@bgsu.edu or 419-372-8495 prior to the event.

James Evans

River restoration is topic of A&S Distinguished Faculty Lecture

Dr. James E. Evans, BGSU professor of geology, will present a College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Faculty Lecture about "Human-caused Changes in River Systems in Northern Ohio: Implications for River Restoration."

During his talk, at 4 p.m. April 10 in 206 Bowen-Thompson Student Union, Evans will discuss how natural river systems operate in a state of dynamic stability (constantly changing but only within certain limits). This dynamic stability is subject to the magnitude and rate of change.

In northern Ohio, the rapid pace of land clearance for agriculture and urbanization has overwhelmed river systems, causing them to cross geomorphic thresholds and to re-organize as significantly different types of rivers at least three times in the past 200 years. In other words, the rivers today are not the same as what previous generations saw or future generations will know, because these rivers are in the process of re-establishing sustainable configurations. If current conditions are not sustainable in the long term, Evans believes it will raise important questions about flood hazards, water quality and the goals of river restoration.

The lecture and reception are free and open to the public. Afterwards, a reception will be held in the theater lobby.
Guests with disabilities are requested to indicate if they need special services, assistance or appropriate modifications to fully participate in this event by contacting Accessibility Services at access@bgsu.edu or 419-372-8495 prior to the event.