Public Invited to Free Summer Lecture Series at U-M Biological Station
The free, public talks are from 7 to 8 p.m. at the University of Michigan Biological Station on Douglas Lake, located at 9133 Biological Rd. in Pellston.
- Wednesday, May 31: “The Nature Conservancy: Leveraging Science for Impactful Conservation.” Doug Pearsall, senior conservation scientist at The Nature Conservancy, coordinates research and monitoring projects in Michigan and the Great Lakes for the global nonprofit organization, focused on addressing threats to the state’s wetlands, fisheries, forests and freshwater, such as plastic pollution, climate change and invasive species.
- Wednesday, June 7: Adam Schubel, resident biologist at the U-M Biological Station, will give an overview of the Obtawaing Biosphere Region, a designation by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognizing the region as a place of unique and diverse ecological, social and economic significance. Centered around the field station, it loosely spans Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula and southeastern Upper Peninsula, stretching from the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore and across the Straits of Mackinac to Sugar Island, near Sault Ste. Marie.
- Wednesday, June 14: Pettingill Lecture in Natural History. Vanessa Ezenwa, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Yale University and an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) fellow, studies the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases in wild animal populations, such as deer, gazelle and buffalo. Her lab work explores interesting questions such as whether group living and migration increase or decrease the negative effects of parasites in the wild.
- Wednesday, June 21: “Artist in the Wilderness: Field Work and Art Making.” Leslie Sobel, an artist from Ann Arbor, is an artist in residence at the U-M Biological Station in June. She connects climate, water and data through art.
- Thursday, June 22: Ross Ellet, a meteorologist at the ABC affiliate in Toledo, Ohio, and a space weather expert, will discuss geomagnetic storms, aurora borealis and how to best photograph the Northern Lights, even if you only have an iPhone. He produces a weekly segment called “Spacing Out” that focuses on night sky highlights and publishes a weekly Great Lakes aurora forecast each Thursday. An aurora chaser, Ross has traveled to the arctic of Alaska and a variety of locations in northern Michigan, southern Canada and northern Manitoba to photograph the Northern Lights.
- Wednesday, June 28: “Weaving Anishinaabe and Western Sciences for Long-term Giizhik Relations: Process and Patterns.” Robin Clark, an assistant professor at Lake Superior State University, plans to talk about northern white cedar trees, or “Giizhik,” their projected decline, and Indigenous knowledge and practices that can inform forest management and growth.
- Wednesday, July 5: Hann Endowed Lecture in Ornithology. Joan Strassmann, an evolutionary biologist, U-M Biological Station alumna, the Charles Rebstock Professor of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis, member of the National Academy of Sciences and author of “Slow Birding: The Art and Science of Enjoying Birds in Your Own Backyard,” will explain the fascinating world of common, everyday birds, such as blue jays, cardinals, robins and sparrows.
- Wednesday, July 12: “Navigating the Road to Open Science: The Year of Open Science and Best Practices for Implementing in Your Lab and Collaborations.” Jason Tallant, data manager and research specialist at the U-M Biological Station, will discuss the 2023 year of open data. He’ll survey the landscape of scientific research expectations for funding agencies like the National Science Foundation and NASA and break down how to implement research through open science best practices, looking at a variety of research specialty paths.
- Monday, July 17: "Science Communication and Art." Callie Chappell, a professional scientist and professional scientific illustrator, graphic designer and biomaterials artist, is an artist in residence at the U-M Biological Station in July. Chappell is a Biosecurity Innovation and International Security Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) and Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University. Chappell also is a U-M alumna who earned her bachelor’s degree in biology in 2016 and master’s degree in molecular, cellular and development biology in 2017.
- Wednesday, July 19: Graduate students from universities across the country conducting research at the Biological Station will give poster presentations to explain their ongoing projects.
- Wednesday, July 26: Melissa Duhaime is an assistant professor in the U-M Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and instructor of “Microbes in the Wild” at the U-M Biological Station. She will explore the fascinating world of viruses and microplastics.
- Wednesday, Aug. 2: “Experimental Ecosystem Management Increases Knowledge While Restoring Ecological Complexity.” Shane Lishawa, a research associate at Loyola University Chicago, earned his bachelor’s degree in resource ecology and management from U-M in 2001. He studies Great Lakes coastal wetland ecosystems and conducts large-scale adaptive ecological restoration experiments that test methods to treat invasive species and improve habitat values.
- Tuesday, Aug. 8: Bennett Lecture in Mycology and Plant Biology. Jennifer Pett-Ridge, a leading soil scientist and senior staff scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, examines natural land solutions and emerging carbon-friendly technologies designed to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Her talk will highlight her work building interdisciplinary teams to shed light on how soil organisms impact the global carbon cycle.
- Wednesday, Aug. 16: Dr. Mary Jamieson, assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Oakland University, will discuss pollinator decline and conservation.
