Thursday, August 7, 2008: 1:30 PM-5:00 PM
102 C, Midwest Airlines Center
SYMP 19 - Good Ideas at the Time: Historians Look at Ecology
In this symposium, six active historians with stories to tell will report on diverse topics from diverse points of view, hinting at the range of ongoing investigation. Two revisit major figures from early 20th century American ecology. One discusses the career of Henry Chandler Cowles; another, Frederick Clements, showing how historical investigation informed his community succession theories. A third looks at ecologists’ participation in reducing nature to non-human phenomena while a fourth examines the problems and motivations of ecological scaling. The fifth analyzes the stability-diversity-complexity debates, and another uses “ecodoom” horror films to gain a gender perspective on behavioral ecology. Considering these historical perspectives may change the way you look at ecology. All six will participate in a panel to address questions and comments.
Organizer:Matthew K. Chew, Arizona State University
Co-organizer:Frank N. Egerton, University of Wisconsin, Parkside
Moderator:Sahotra Sarkar, University of Texas at Austin
1:30 PMIntroductory Remarks
1:50 PMThe concept of "scale" in ecological thought
Mark L. Hineline, University of New England
2:10 PMDoomsday ecology and empathy for nature
Kasi Jackson, West Virginia University
2:30 PMEmergence of the stability-diversity-complexity debate of community ecology, 1955-1975
James Justus, University of Sydney
2:50 PMBreak
3:10 PMEcology and the de-natured world
Matthew K. Chew, Arizona State University
3:30 PMHenry Chandler Cowles: Pioneer ecologist
Victor M. Cassidy, None- Professional Writer
3:50 PMHomage to Frederick E. Clements, historian of Plant Succession
Frank N. Egerton, University of Wisconsin, Parkside
4:10 PMPanel Discussion

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See more of The 93rd ESA Annual Meeting (August 3 -- August 8, 2008)