Symposium Announcement:
>>-- Modeling, Estimation and Decision Making in Ecology --<<
A symposium to honor the career and research of James D. Nichols, US
Geological Survey
After nearly four decades at the U. S. Geological Survey, Jim
Nichols will retire on May 30, 2015. To honor one of the most
prolific and influential Ecologists of his time, a symposium entitled
"Modeling, Estimation, and Decision Making in Ecology" will be held
from July 19-20 at St. Johns College in Annapolis Maryland. [Note:
date is tentative at this point...]
The symposium will feature a number of speakers, most of whom have
been strongly influenced by the ideas and methods developed by Jim
during his career. As with Jim's research, the meeting will focus on
the application of quantitative, model-based approaches to inference
and decision-making in the management natural resources.
Thousands of researchers have benefited both from Jim's approach
to science and his personal mentorship over the years. We view this
symposium as an opportunity to celebrate his career, reflect on the
associated progress in Ecology, and catch a glimpse of the new
approaches that build on Jim's work and that will help move the field
forward over the next few decades. We also look at this symposium as
an opportunity for us all to say, 'thanks, Jim'.
James D. Nichols graduated from Wake Forest University in 1971
with his bachelor's of science. He then finished his Master's degree
at Louisiana State University 1973 followed by a Ph.D under Dr. Walt
Conley in 1976, both in the general area of quantitative Ecology. He
began his career at USGS subsequently, and currently holds the title
of Senior Scientist, one of only 40 such positions in the Department
of the Interior.
** Organization Survey **
Normally, organizing the substance and structure of a 'scientific
symposium' takes place 1-2 years in advance of the proposed meeting.
However, planning for Jim's retirement couldn't proceed until he made
a decision to do so, and a decision as to when. Now that he has, we
can begin to plan.
In order to time the symposium to be near-coincident with Jim's
retirement data as is practical, we're aiming for mid-July ~ 6 months
from now. This is not, however, 'etched in stone'. To facilitate
planning, and firm up dates, we're hoping you can take a few minutes
to fill out a short organizational survey:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1IyMlcak8grjFDLBdqwhf_vUm-QJ7x48RWlB90mlx1fg/viewform
Questions concerning the symposium (planning, content, opportunities
to contribute) should be directed to
Evan Cooch
Department of Natural Resources
Cornell University
[email protected]
