The Baltimore Ecosystem Study has been a National Science Foundation Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site since 1998. Visit other LTER sites.
 |
 |
The Baltimore Ecosystem Study has been a National Science Foundation Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site since 1998. Visit other LTER sites.
|
|
Adaptive Explanations in Cities
Cities are hard to explain, no doubt. Within and between cities, social capital, historical contingency, economic resources, and the deployment of power are well known explanatory variables. One kind of explanatory process, however, has been notably absent from the roster of possibilities in urban socio-ecological research. Surprisingly, that missing element is one of the most […]
Complexity: The Hidden Nugget in Jane Jacobs’ Book
Well, perhaps it’s unfair to call it hidden. It is after all the topic of the final chapter, entitled “The Kind of Problem a City Is.” In that chapter, she explores the nature of cities as complex systems, stimulated by the work of pioneering cyberneticists as summarized by Dr. Warren Weaver[i]. But I have to […]
Interest in Urban Resilience: A Burgeoning Frontier
Resilience is becoming an increasingly important concept in contemporary ecological science. Since the introduction of the resilience cycle, an open ended, ecological concept has guided the understanding of this important process (http://besdirector.blogspot.com/2011/01/resilience-ecology-evolution-and.html). Resilience has been a major stimulus for research in socio-ecological systems. It has been useful in understanding fisheries, and landscapes in which people […]
Does Science Need Art?
Here’s something to think about, from a recent article in the Business section of the Christian Science Monitor, one of the “newspapers of record” in the United States (www.csmonitor.com/business/2011/0323/What-do-Apple-GM-and-P-G-share-Design): The need to hire 100,000 more teachers in science, technology, engineering, and math to make American students globally competitive is so urgent that President Obama has […]
Insights from the BES Communicating Science Meeting
Common strategies for effective communication of science This meeting, led by Dr. Chris Swan of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with my assistance, was designed to improve the ability to communicate the outcomes of our science with other members of BES and with the larger world. To do this, the meeting drew on […]
Communicating Science for the Baltimore Ecosystem Study
The theme of the BES Quarterly Research Meeting on Tuesday 5 April is Communicating Science. Featured speakers include Tim Wheeler of the Baltimore Sun, Julie Palakovich Carr from American Institute of Biological Sciences, and science writer Rebecca Wolf. Contributors also include BES members Mary Cadenasso, Brian McGrath, and Steward Pickett. Topics include Communicating Effectively with […]
BES Adds Four Co-Principal Investigators
To acknowledge the broad community that contributes to and manages the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, four persons have agreed to be added as official Co-Principal Investigators and to be recognized as such by the National Science Foundation: Dr. Mary L. Cadenasso, Associate Professor of Ecology at the University of California, Davis has been added to promote […]
Press-Pulse Dynamics: A Hypothetical Feedback Model for Long-Term Social-Ecological Research
An important conceptual resource for BES III has recently appeared online. This publication presents the feedback cycle between social and ecological structures and functions as mediated by ecosystem services and by press and pulse events. This conceptual framework highlights that the dynamics of press and pulse events is a key link in the integration of […]
Resilience: Ecology, Evolution, and Engineering
The concept of resilience is key to BES III. This powerful concept is ideal for understanding and working with complex, human ecosystems. However, it is the object of some confusion because there are two contrasting ways to frame and theorize the concept. Originally, engineering and physical systems were the source of the concept as applied […]
BES Photo Album Now Publically Available
Need a photograph of BES research activities or sites for your teaching or non-commercial publication? Have a great photo of sites, people, research activities, or education in action? Access the BES Picasa album at http://picasaweb.google.com/117245078152518298258/BES# to download photos. If you use a photo, please credit Baltimore Ecosystem Study Long-Term Ecological Research project, and the National […]