Science forum at the Faculty of Biology with ecologist Steve Carpenter, Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology 2018
The ecologist Steve Carpenter, Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology 2018 awarded by Generalitat de Catalunya, will give the conference “Persistence, variability and big changes in ecosystems” on Wednesday December 19, at 10 a.m., in the Aula Magna of the Faculty of Biology. The conference will take place within the frame of the new edition of the science forum -open to all audiences- promoted by the Faculty of Biology on the occasion of the award conferring by the Generalitat de Catalunya since 2004 in memory of Professor Ramon Margalef, emeritus professor of the University of Barcelona and a role model for many generations of ecologists worldwide.
The ecologist Steve Carpenter, Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology 2018 awarded by Generalitat de Catalunya, will give the conference “Persistence, variability and big changes in ecosystems” on Wednesday December 19, at 10 a.m., in the Aula Magna of the Faculty of Biology. The conference will take place within the frame of the new edition of the science forum -open to all audiences- promoted by the Faculty of Biology on the occasion of the award conferring by the Generalitat de Catalunya since 2004 in memory of Professor Ramon Margalef, emeritus professor of the University of Barcelona and a role model for many generations of ecologists worldwide.
The science forum will count on the participation of Gustavo A. Llorente, dean of the Faculty of Biology, and the lecturer Biel Obrador, from the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, who will give a similarity of Professor Carpenter. Like in previous editions, the science forum will include a roundtable with an open debate chaired by the ecologist Narcís Prat, professor from the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences of the UB, with the participation of Professor Steve Carpenter and the experts Cristina Linares, from the mentioned Department of the UB, Jordi Martínez-Vilalta (CREAF, UAB) and Sergi Sabater (ICRA, UdG).
One of the most influential environmental scientists worldwide
Steve Carpenter is emeritus director of the Center for Limnology of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (United States) and is considered one of the most influential environmental scientists worldwide in the field of ecology. Member of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, he is co-editor in chief of the journal Ecosystems and presides the Science Committee of the Program on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS), launched by the International Council for Science (ICSU) and UNESCO to promote sustainability within the frame of management of ecological systems regarding global development.
His scientific work, which has had an impact on the management of ecosystems worldwide, has contributed to improve the knowledge on the ecological dynamics of freshwater ecosystems and the nutrient cycles in the water environment. In this sense, Carpenter warned on the ecological impact of the excess of nutrients in the water environment since “eutrophication is a significant environmental problem that can affect humans and it is likely to worsen over the next decades due the increase of population, food demand, Earth conversion and the use of fertilizers”.
The jury of the Margalef Prize in Ecology 2018 has distinguished “his creative and original work, which has transformed our understanding of the ecosystems”, and in particular, “his creativity and dedication to his main discipline, limnology, which has brought significant and continuous improvements to our understanding of lakes and the rational use of water resources”. This distinction values “his excellent research, which comprises the science of ecosystems and its use in the development of management solutions for complex environmental problems”, highlighting that “his research, teaching and dissemination have had an impact at a local, national and international scale”.
In previous editions, the International Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology has distinguished the scientists Paul Dayton, John Lawton, Harold Mooney, Daniel Pauly, Paul Ehrlich, Simon Levin, Juan Carlos Castilla, Daniel Simberloff, Sallie Chisholm, David Tilman, Robert E. Ricklefs and Josep Peñuelas and Sandra Díaz.
The science forum can be followed on streaming in UBtv channel.