Biodiversity: From Evolutionary Origins to Ecosystems Function

July 27, 2012

This fall as part of its yearlong Bicentennial, the Academy will present a two-day international symposium to celebrate 200 years of scientific research and discovery. Building on the Academy’s leadership in systematics and ecology, the conference will focus on research about the diversity of life, with an emphasis on evolutionary history, ecology, and environmental quality.

“Biodiversity: From Evolutionary Origins to Ecosystems Function” will take place Thursday and Friday, Oct. 11 and 12, the first day at the Academy and the second day on the Drexel University campus. Researchers, students and the general public are invited to attend. Speakers include:

• Douglas J. Futuyma of Stony Brook University (keynote)
• Sandra Knapp of the Natural History Museum, London
• J. Patrick Kociolek of the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History
• Wayne P. Maddison of the University of British Columbia & Beaty Biodiversity Museum
• Lucinda A. McDade of Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
• Daniel Otte of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
• Shahid Naeem of Columbia University
• David Tilman of the University of Minnesota

The conference will open with a behind-the-scenes open house of the Academy’s vast collections and the environmental research labs. For more details, fees, and to register, visit ansp.org/symposium.