In This Issue: Foreign Influence and Collaborations Under Scrutiny in Agencies and in the House National Defense Authorization Act NSF issues ‘Dear Colleague’ letter addressing foreign interference in research. Congress House passes 2020 National Defense Authorization Act including and foreign interference in science provision. Executive Branch A White House plan to critically review climate science in on indefinite hold. Courts…

Blogpost from ESA President Laura Huenneke July 1, 2019 Scientific conferences play key roles in the growth of a discipline and in the careers of scientists. Members of the Ecological Society of America tell us that the annual August meeting is a valued benefit, both in surveys and by participating in the meetings. As I’ve noted in this space before,…

In This Issue: Member Opportunities Action Alert: Ask your Members of Congress to raise the caps and restore funding for science. Apply to join the Rapid Response Team. House Boosts Funding for Ecological Science, Blocks Offshore Drilling, Pebble Mine NSF receives a 7% increase. House Science Committee Advances Harassment, Diversity Bills Bill would create an interagency working group to develop…

In This Issue: NSF BIO Advisory Committee Considers NEON User Engagement, No-deadline Policy A subcommittee tasked with understanding the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) user engagement recommended the formation of a separate entity for community user engagement. Member Opportunities Apply to join the Rapid Response Team. Congress House Science Committee holds hearings on IPBES Global Assessment, harassment in the sciences….

Blogpost from ESA President Laura Huenneke June 4, 2019 ESA strives to provide excellent programs that benefit its members. A great deal of thought and planning goes into the ESA budget to ensure that programs are successful and are meeting our members’ expectations. An important role of the ESA Governing Board is to oversee finances.  ESA’s members pay annual dues,…

A subcommittee tasked with understanding National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) user engagement recommended the formation of a separate entity for community user engagement. This entity would interact directly with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to accomplish NEON’s mission and would be independent of the NEON contractor Battelle Memorial Institute. The NSF-funded half-billion-dollar ecological observatory’s construction is now completed and it…

After an extensive, competitive search, the Ecological Society of America is pleased to announce the appointment of Kathryn Cottingham as the Editor in Chief of its journal Ecology.

In This Issue: House Appropriations Bills Propose Funding Increases for Ecological Science NSF receives a seven percent increase. Senate appropriations process remains stalled. Member Opportunities Apply to join the Rapid Response Team. Attend ESA communications training in Flagstaff, AZ. Call for emerging policy issues. Congress House Natural Resources Committee holds hearing on IPBES Global Assessment Report. Executive Branch White House…

Awards recognize students for exceptional research and outstanding presentations given at the 2018 Annual Meeting   The Ecological Society of America recognizes Sara P. Bombaci, Jacqueline J. Peña, and Joshua Scholl for awards for outstanding student research. The Murray F. Buell and E. Lucy Braun awards are given for exceptional oral and poster presentations at the 103rd Annual Meeting of…

Unlike many migratory species, Galapagos giant tortoises do not use current environmental conditions to time their seasonal migration Galapagos giant tortoises, sometimes called Gardeners of the Galapagos, are creatures of habit. In the cool dry season, the highlands of the volcano slopes are engulfed in cloud which allows the vegetation to grow despite the lack of rain. On the lower…

In This Issue: Coalition for National Science Funding Exhibit Highlights the Importance of NSF, Funding for Basic Research ESA exhibit highlights the Hubbard Brook Long Term Ecological Research site. White House Releases New Information Quality Act Guidance, Echoes “Secret Science” Policies Memo requires agencies to publicly post code used to build models cited in decision-making. Member Opportunities Apply to join…

Blogpost from ESA President Laura Huenneke May 2, 2019 Previously in this space I wrote about Plan S, a commitment by some European research funders to require researchers to publish only in “Gold” open access journals. I relayed the concerns of some about how this could weaken the ability of ESA or other societies to publish journals under a conventional…