2016 AAAS Annual Meeting (February 11-15, 2016)

February 10 - 15, 2016

Gary Machlis: The Near-Horizon Future of Science in National Parks

Science Advisor to the Director, U.S. National Park Service Dr. Gary Machlis is the first scientist appointed as Science Advisor to the Director of the U.S. National Park Service. He is also Professor of Environmental Sustainability at Clemson University, and co-leads the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Strategic Sciences Group, which conducts scientific assessments during major environmental crises, most recently Hurricane Sandy. Machlis has published widely on issues of conservation, human ecology, and science policy. His co-edited book Warfare Ecology: A New Synthesis for Peace and Security (2011) helped launch this emerging subfield; his most recent co-authored book on the ecology of cities, The Baltimore School of Urban Ecology, was published in 2015. His international work has included the Giant Panda Project in China, research in the Galapagos Islands, co-leading the AAAS effort to help rebuild science capacity in Haiti after that nation’s devastating 2010 earthquake, and collaborations with Cuban environmental scientists and park managers. As science advisor to the Director, Machlis provides advice on science policy, research programs, and complex resource stewardship challenges from climate change to wildlife management to visitor impacts on park ecosystems. He received a Ph.D. in human ecology from Yale University and is a fellow of the AAAS.