ESA is an organization of scientists, so it is core to our mission to foster the creation and dissemination of ecological knowledge. To accomplish this objective, we organize ecologists to identify emerging areas of inquiry, host forums for the exchange of scientific work, and sustain a vibrant publishing program to attract the best work in the field and serve the information needs of the ecological community.<\/p>\n
Four-Dimensional Ecology Education Exploring Biology Education Developing Scientific Educators Virtual Connections The U.S. Nagoya Protocol Action Group convened to discuss outreach strategies to ensure scientists are aware of the Nagoya Protocol<\/a> and the importance of access and benefit-sharing when conducting international biological research. We developed a learning portal<\/a> with use cases that will provide relevant, real-world examples of the benefits and challenges of navigating the Nagoya Protocol\u2019s requirements.<\/p>\n Science communicators of all types can help us to effectively broadcast important scientific information to the public as well as decisionmakers. Our Public Affairs Office routinely seeks opportunities to share the work of ecologists \u2014 ESA members and authors in our journals \u2014 whose research and other efforts advance the science of ecology and educate policymakers and the public about the value and importance of our science. ESA also hosts a press office at each Annual Meeting, where journalists and media can seek information on members, presenters, and research at the meeting. <\/span><\/span>At this year\u2019s virtual Annual Meeting<\/a><\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>42<\/span><\/span>\u00a0media participants\u00a0<\/span><\/span>registered for<\/span><\/span>\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>meeting<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and produced\u00a0<\/span><\/span>news stories<\/span><\/span><\/a> during and following the event. ESA also publishes <\/span><\/span>press releases about research at the meeting<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Press Release on Notable Articles from ESA Journals<\/strong><\/p>\n The advantage of changing sex in fish population recovery<\/a> Pollinating opossums confirm decades-long theory<\/a> Increasing availability of LED flashlights changes human hunting patterns and highlights the importance of community management of resources<\/a>\u00a0 Machine learning streamlines detection of African forest elephant vocalizations<\/a> Read more ESA press releases!<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The ESA promotes research articles by issuing press releases and working with universities, organizations, and federal agencies that also seek to obtain press exposure. In 20<\/span><\/span>20<\/span><\/span>, the Public Affairs Office produced over\u00a0<\/span><\/span>30<\/span><\/span>\u00a0press releases, and earned\u00a0<\/span><\/span>143<\/span><\/span>\u00a0external press releases from other institutions. ESA also earned over\u00a0<\/span><\/span>6<\/span><\/span>00 news mentions in various platforms including newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and blogs. ESA regularly posts news articles based on its journal articles. Here are some notable examples from\u00a0<\/span><\/span>2020<\/span><\/span>:<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ecology<\/strong><\/p>\n Ecological Monographs<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Four Dimensional Ecology Education Framework<\/a> (4DEE) subcommittee continues to ambitiously orient educators towards aligning with the framework. They held numerous events over the year to spread the word, including holding workshops, conducting presentations, and publishing new material:<\/p>\n\n
\n<\/strong>We additionally hosted the 6th Life Discovery \u2013 Doing Science Education Conference<\/a> under the theme of Biology Education in an Evolving Landscape. Held virtually for the first time ever, the conference offered three keynote speeches, six panel discussions followed by panel breakouts, three showcases and workshops related to the 4DEE framework, 14 education share fair presentations, and a facilitated networking session that drew 243 participants from around the world.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>ESA also recognized seven faculty members who completed the ESA-QUBES Data Explorers Faculty Mentoring Network<\/a> requirements as ESA Education Scholars<\/a>. Participants were supported by two peer mentors who had participated in a previous FMN. The Data Explorers FMN was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation and ran virtually over the Spring 2019 semester in partnership with Quantitative Undergraduate Biology and Education Synthesis (QUBES) program.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>To keep scientists and students connected in the weeks immediately following the COVID-19 lockdowns, we aggressively added webinar content to our schedule with members, but also developed a new model, the \u201cwater cooler chat,\u201d that has less formal presentation and more peer interaction on a topic of mutual interest. Water coolers covered new ways to have \u201cfield\u201d experiences<\/a> under lockdown, countering scientific misinformation<\/a>, fostering social connections<\/a> while teaching online, and how educators can adapt their curriculum<\/a> to hybrid or virtual models.<\/p>\nResource Awareness<\/h3>\n
Press Outreach<\/h3>\n
\nA new study in <\/span>Ecological Applications<\/span><\/i>\u00a0explores how sex-changing fish species can\u00a0<\/span>replenish their populations more quickly<\/span>\u00a0than fixed-sex species.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nIn a new <\/span>Ecology\u00a0<\/span><\/i>paper,\u00a0<\/span>S\u00e3o Paulo State University<\/span>\u00a0researchers present the first direct evidence of\u00a0<\/span>nocturnal pollination of plants by opossums<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nIn a new paper published in\u00a0<\/span>Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment<\/span><\/i>, a<\/span>n international team of tropical ecologists<\/span>\u00a0show how<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the advent of LED lights ha<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0increased the amount of time\u00a0<\/span>that<\/span>\u00a0commercial and subsistence hunters spen<\/span>d<\/span>\u00a0hunting at night<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nAt the 2020 ESA Virtual Meeting, researchers describe how they\u00a0<\/span>trained an artificial neural network to \u201clisten\u201d to audio files and pick out all the sound bites containing the rumblings and grumblings of African forest elephants.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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