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Matt Davis (Honors B.S. 2008) recently published two books on the art and history of museum displays. Davis studied museum methods and systematics at EEB, before working in field conservation biology with the USGS and earning his Ph.D. in conservation paleobiology from Yale University. After a postdoc at Aarhus University in Denmark, Davis joined the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM) where he studies fossils and oversees development of new exhibitions. The highlight of his tenure has been curating several exhibitions as part of the museum’s centennial celebration of their four huge diorama halls. Unique among major museums, NHM still maintains an active diorama program with a full time taxidermist.
As part of a multi-year research project funded with two large grants from Getty Foundation’s PST ART program, Davis studied the rich archives of NHM and recorded oral histories. The project culminated in new labels for all 86 dioramas in the museum, a new exhibition Reframing Dioramas: The Art of Preserving Wilderness, and a new book Fabricating Wilderness, available wherever books are sold. Davis will be presenting on how rigorous visitor evaluation helped inform the project at the annual meeting of the American Alliance of Museums held this spring in Los Angeles. Through a separate Getty grant, Davis also worked with famous conceptual artist Mark Dion to write and edit A Field Guide to La Brea Tar Pits, a quirky examination of the world’s most famous fossil site. Davis credits his time at LSA as foundational to his career path. “I think my advisors were always very skeptical of my course of study. Acarology, Theatre Set Design, Modern Studio Art, Creative Writing, History? This seems like the syllabus of an unfocused student. But all that varied training comes together when you work at a museum designing exhibits, publishing conservation research, and writing books.”
Local gem hosts researchers throughout the decades
Rick Relyea (Ph.D. ‘99), Ecology and Evolutionary Biology alum, completed his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. During his time in EEB, Relyea worked with Earl Werner, now professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and fellow scientists at ESGR (including Keith Wittkopp, now an advisor in the Program in Biology). Reylea and his colleagues even spent a few years living at the ESGR while doing their research. One main reason for living and working at the ESGR is to support ongoing projects to which multiple generations of students and scientists have contributed. One ongoing project, led by Relyea and funded by the National Science Foundation, focuses on tadpoles tails and their responses to different environments and conditions. “Since I was a graduate student, one major area that I’ve worked on is understanding how animals respond to environmental change by changing their morphology, their behavior, their life history, which is when they breed and how often they breed,” said Relyea. “It occurred to me that we know a lot of experiments about how they change their morphology, but no one really knows how much of that is happening in nature. We have 17 years of preserved specimens, in this case, tadpoles. We could actually look and ask that question.”
Current EEB Students & Assistant Professor Weber talk with Alumna, Judith L. Bronstein
Judie Bronstein (Ph.D., ‘86) is perhaps the world’s expert on mutualisms. In fact, she wrote the book “Mutualism” in 2016. In fact, she wrote the book “Mutualism” in 2016. Judie is currently an University Distinguished Professor at the University of Arizona. She has won numerous teaching and service awards and is a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America.Questions were written and asked by current EEB graduate students, Rosemary Glos, Carolyn Graham, Abrianna Soule, two Michigan State University students, Sylvie Martin-Eberhardt and Bruce Martin, and one EEB postdoc, Ash Zemenick in coordination with Marjorie Weber, assistant professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
Michigan News: Hiss-toric firstU-M museum’s 70,000 snake specimens form world’s largest research collection
The University of Michigan Museum of Zoology recently acquired tens of thousands of scientifically priceless reptile and amphibian specimens, including roughly 30,000 snakes preserved in alcohol-filled glass jars.
The new acquisitions boost the university’s collection of reptiles and amphibians to roughly half a million specimens, including some 70,000 snakes. With the latest additions, U-M now maintains the largest research collection of snakes anywhere in the world, according to museum curators.
Stevan Arnold received a doctorate degree from U-M in 1972 and relied on the UMMZ collection for his dissertation work.
Moody’s teaching and research in natural history and zoology honored
U-M alumnus West-Eberhard receives Linnean Medal for Zoology
Philpott elected ESA Fellow
A. rathckeae honors late EEB Prof Emeritus Rathcke | Alum’s international collaboration discovers new floral bacteria, may be heavily involved in pollination
Russell investigates wildlife disease that’s decimating amphibians
Li named prestigious 2019 Packard Fellow
Moore is a postdoc at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC
