Biologists Flock to SHSU for Annual Meeting
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Edward O. Wiley |
One of Sam Houston State University's most academically accomplished
graduates returns to Huntsville this weekend for the 52nd
Annual Meeting of the Southwestern Association of Naturalists.
Edward O. Wiley, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology
and curator of fish at the University of Kansas Museum of
Natural History, is one of the featured speakers for the meeting
of 350 biologists from throughout the United States.
The College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Biological
Sciences are hosting the meeting. Approximately 200 oral presentations
will be given in four concurrent sessions on Friday and Saturday.
William I. Lutterschmidt, associate professor of biology,
is chairman of the event's arrangements committee. He said
that the scientific presentations will share current research
in conservation biology and natural history of plant, invertebrates
and vertebrates.
In addition, 100 poster presentations will be displayed.
"This is the first time this group has met at Sam Houston
State," said Lutterschmidt. "Everyone on campus
and in the community has been very enthusiastic and supportive,
and it will be a great learning and networking opportunity
for our faculty and students."
Wiley received his master of arts degree in biology from Sam
Houston State in 1972. The biology department established
the Edward O. Wiley Lecture Series in 2001, and he appeared
as its first speaker. He has written or co-written more than
100 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals.
"Dr. Wiley has made many contributions to general understanding
of fishes," said Henry Bart, director of the Tulane University
Museum of Natural History, in presenting a recent award to
Wiley. "Some of his most recent contributions are in
the emerging field of biodiversity informatics, involving
uses of natural history collection information in ecological
modeling.
"However, his greatest contributions are in the area
of systematics theory. He literally wrote the book on the
theory and practice of phylogenetic systematics, with the
publication of 'Phylogenetics' in 1981."
Melanie Stiassny, research curator at the American Museum
of Natural History, called Wiley "a world-class systematic
ichthyologist, a free-thinking scholar and an accomplished
theoretician. He is among the major thinkers in the international
arena of contemporary evolutionary biology."
- END -
SHSU Media Contact: Frank
Krystyniak
April 14, 2005
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