2017 Portland Annual Meeting

Over 4,500 ecologists descended on Portland, Oregon for the ESA Annual Meeting. Research presented synced with the meeting’s theme of “Linking biodiversity, material cycling, and ecosystem services in a changing world.” Sessions focused on how biodiversity is the foundation for many ecosystem services, how ecosystem functioning can translate into ecosystem services, and the role different dimensions of biodiversity play in developing such understanding.

Giving back, ESA donated over $20,000 to the Sustainable Northwest Forest Program to off-set the meetings environmental footprint. The organization’s mission brings people, ideas, and innovation together so nature, local economies, and rural communities can thrive. They are strategically restoring over 250,000 forested acres across Oregon and Washington affected by fire suppression and seek to make Oregon’s forests and rangelands resilient to the effects of climate change.

During the Scientific Plenary President David Lodge recognized and thanked Executive Director Katherine McCarter for her twenty years of service to ESA. Lodge noted her excellence of service over the years while significantly expanding ESA’s impact in many arenas.

Mary Ruckelshaus, managing director, The Natural Capital Project kicked-off the meeting with an Opening Plenary address entitled, “Science and the Dialectic of People and Nature.”

Awards

ESA awards recognize outstanding contributions to ecology in new discoveries, teaching, sustainability, diversity, and lifelong commitment to the profession. The 2017 awards were presented at the Scientific Plenary during the Society’s Annual Meeting. Learn more about ESA awards on our website.

Eminent Ecologist Award: Diana Harrison Wall

The Eminent Ecologist Award honors a senior ecologist for an outstanding body of ecological work or sustained ecological contributions of extraordinary merit.

Commitment to Human Diversity in Ecology Award: Gillian Bowser

The ESA Commitment to Human Diversity in Ecology Award recognizes long-standing contributions of an individual towards increasing the diversity of future ecologists through mentoring, teaching, or outreach.

Innovation in Sustainability Science Award: Ian Donohugh (pictured) and colleagues

The 2017 Innovation in Sustainability Science Award honors Ian Donohue, Helmut Hillebrand, José M. Montoya, Owen L. Petchey, Stuart L. Pimm, Mike S. Fowler, Kevin Healy, Andrew L. Jackson, Miguel Lurgi, Deirdre McClean, Nessa E. O’Connor, Eoin J. O’Gorman, and Qiang Yang for their review and synthesis of “Navigating the complexity of ecological stability,” published in Ecology Letters in July, 2016.

Murray F. Buell Award: Michael McTavish 

 The Murray F. Buell Award for Excellence in Ecology is given to a student for the outstanding oral paper presented at the ESA Annual Meeting.

W.S. Cooper Award: Andrew Trant (pictured) and colleagues

The Cooper Award honors the authors of an outstanding publication in the field of geobotany, physiographic ecology, plant succession or the distribution of plants along environmental gradients.  This years winners were Andrew Trant and colleagues: Wiebe Nijland, Kira M. Hoffman, Darcy L. Mathews, Duncan McLaren, Trisalyn A. Nelson, and Brian M. Starzomski.

George Mercer Award: Jennifer Williams (pictured) and colleagues

The George Mercer Award recognizes an outstanding and recently published ecological research paper by young scientists.  This year’s recipients were Jennifer Williams and colleagues: Bruce Kendall, and Jonathan Levine

Distinguished Service Citation: Debra Peters

The Distinguished Service Citation recognizes long and distinguished volunteer service to ESA, the scientific community, and the larger purpose of ecology in the public welfare.

Robert H. Whittaker Distinguished Ecologist Award: Petr Pyšek

The Whittaker Award recognizes an ecologist with an earned doctorate and an outstanding record of contributions in ecology who is not a U.S. citizen and who resides outside the United States.

 Sustainability Science Award: Jianguo Liu (pictured) and colleagues

The Sustainability Science Award recognizes the authors of the scholarly work that makes the greatest contribution to the emerging science of ecosystem and regional sustainability through the integration of ecological and social sciences.  This year’s recipients were Jianguo Liu and colleagues: Harold Mooney, Vanessa Hull, Steven J. Davis, Joanne Gaskell, Thomas Hertel, Jane Lubchenco, Karen C. Seto, Peter Gleick, Claire Kremen, and Shuxin Li.

Forrest Shreve Student Research Fund: Frederick Hansen

Awards from the Forrest Shreve Student Research Fund provide $1,000-2,000 to support ecological research by graduate or undergraduate student members of ESA in the hot deserts of North America (Sonora, Mohave, Chihuahua, and Vizcaino).

E. Lucy Braun Student Award: Julienne NeSmith

The E. Lucy Braun Award for Excellence in Ecology is given to a student for an outstanding poster presentation at the ESA Annual Meeting. Papers and posters are judged on the significance of ideas, creativity, quality of methodology, validity of conclusions drawn from results, and clarity of presentation.

Forrest Shreve Student Research Fund: Daniel Winkler

Awards from the Forrest Shreve Student Research Fund provide $1,000-2,000 to support ecological research by graduate or undergraduate student members of ESA in the hot deserts of North America (Sonora, Mohave, Chihuahua, and Vizcaino).

#ESA2017 Social

The Annual Meeting is the liveliest time of year for engagement with ESA’s social media. Twitter remains a favorite platform for our community, with meeting attendees sharing in-the-moment insights from research presentations, workshops, and events. Social media also engages ecologists not in attendance, as absent friends check in and follow the conversation from afar.

Re-discovering WS Cooper's Glacier Bay AK: 100 yrs of succession. Brian Buma @uasoutheast #ESA2017 8:40 B112 https://t.co/h65UptRHjh pic.twitter.com/WMWLjl4cez

— Ecological Society (@ESA_org) August 11, 2017

#ESA2017 @NutNetGlobal Talk: @donohueian Disturbances & ecological stability at the global scale Fri E145 COS181 https://t.co/Hr75oIpxNA

— Nutrient Network (@NutNetGlobal) August 10, 2017

The Best Poster Ever Award goes to @Julian_Resasco. Wow! #ESA2017 pic.twitter.com/UL6ML1HoSn

— Jacquelyn Gill (@JacquelynGill) August 10, 2017

Learn how sustainable beer is brewed! join @OregonTilth tonite @HopworksBeer #ESA2017 #ScienceCafe & brewery tour https://t.co/BZuIB2Jne5 pic.twitter.com/Qf6cyZ8Ypw

— Ecological Society (@ESA_org) August 9, 2017

David Lodge: invite those whose lives are affected by policy decisions into the research process #ESA2017

— Ecological Society (@ESA_org) August 8, 2017

2017 Program Planning Committee

Chris Swan: ESA 2017 Program Chair
Marion Dresner: 2017 Local Host Chair
Kiyoko Miyanish: Co-Chair and Future Meetings Chair
Lee Frelich: Co-Chair Future Meetings Committee
Timothy D. Schowalter: 2018 Program Chair
Caz Taylor: 2018 Local Host Chair
Ryan McEwan: 2019 Program Chair
Sarah Emery: 2019 Local Host Chair
Brian Benscoter: 2016 Local Host Chair
Joshua Scholl: Student Section Chair
Jayne Belnap: Vice President for Science (ex-officio)
Jessica Gurevitch: Secretary (ex-officio)