H. Bruce Rinker, PhD

brinker@northcross.org
Science Department Chairman
North Cross School, Willis Hall, 4254 Colonial Avenue Roanoke, VA 24018
Office Telephone: 540-989-7289
www.northcross.org

Personal Statement

I am an ecologist, educator, and explorer. I have always tried to make a difference by helping others and conserving the natural world. Working for nonprofit organizations, teaching young people, lecturing all over the world, exploring and researching, writing, studying, volunteering, campaigning, even preaching as a one-time Franciscan friar: all elements of my intrinsic drive to make a difference in a world that seems at once fragile and durable.

Though a forest canopy ecologist with a concentration on the ecological links between the treetops and soils, I also have an abiding interest in evolutionary biology, ethnobotany, resource management, botany, entomology, ornithology, and much more. My publications reflect this diverse appreciation: e.g., habitat selection by neotropical migrants, insect herbivory, allelopathy, petroleum pollution and waterfowl, canopy research and education, wildlife conservation, research methodologies, tropical studies, and resource stratification. In other words, my professional interests fall squarely under the umbrella heading of environmental studies: creative interdisciplinary scholarship and practice to solve ecological problems on multiple scales. My research typically deals with numerical data, but I have respect for both quantitative and qualitative sciences in settling environmental issues. Canopy ecology compels me toward a systems perspective of forest habitat, noting its three-dimensional architecture, microclimates, complex symbioses, and natural and anthropogenic changes through time.

I always bring my full person - including my determination and drive, a sense of wonder, perspicacity, compassion, and keen eagerness—to the tasks at hand. I resist being sequestered into a narrow academic discipline though I fully acknowledge a need at times for specialization so long as that domain of expertise remains permeable and collaborative. I take great pride in my work and offer the best of my abilities to make my part of a very large world at least a little better than I found it.

Member:

National Fellow of the Explorers Club (elected March 1998), Switzer Environmental Fellow (elected May 2000), Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences (elected September 2002, Member of Sigma Xi (elected 2005)

Education:

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg, VA) B.S., Forestry and Wildlife Resources, June 1979; Cooperative Education Program with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Antioch University Graduate School (Keene, NH) Ph.D., Environmental Studies, defense March 2004, graduation May 2004, deposit June 2004

Dissertation Synopsis:

The Effects of Canopy Herbivory on Soil Microarthropods in a Tropical Rainforest

Funded by the National Science Foundation, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundations 2000 Switzer Environmental Fellowship, the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, and several private grants, my dissertation research investigated the effects of canopy herbivory on soil microarthropods in the tropical rainforests of eastern Puerto Rico. Specifically, the project attempted to establish quantifiable links between arthropod activity above- and below-ground via manipulations of frassfall, greenfall, and throughfall. Litter samples were analyzed for springtails, mites, pseudoscorpions, and other mesofauna. My study had two hypotheses: herbivore-derived inputs from canopy to forest floor influence decomposition processes, and the timing of inputs and subsequent floor responses vary between temperate and tropical forests. Colleagues from the University of Georgia recently concluded a parallel project in the western mountains of North Carolina. I'm committed to understanding temporal/spatial connections between canopies and soils as an important step toward long-term conservation of temperate and tropical forest resources.

Honors:

2009 Nominated for the "Eugene P. Odum Education Award" from the Ecological Society of America
2009 Selection for "The Green 100": Creative Loafing's choices for the 100 people, places, and businesses leading the way toward a greener Tampa Bay, FL;
2009 Certificates of Excellence, Public Education and Land Acquisition Categories, Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council
2008 American Trails Association "Trails and the Arts" Award - First Place (on behalf of Environmental Lands Division)
2008 National Association of Counties "Acts of Caring" Award - First Place (on behalf of Environmental Lands Division)
2008 Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council "Future of the Region" Awards - First Place, Community Service; First Place, Environment; Honorable Mention, Environment, Honorable Mention, Public Education (on behalf of Environmental Lands Division)
2005-Present Member of Sigma Xi (Scientific Research Society)
2004-Present Associate, Center for Tropical Ecology & Conservation, Antioch University Graduate School (NH)
2004 Environmental Education Award, County of Sarasota (FL)
2004-Present Research Associate, New College (FL)
2004-Present Research Associate, TREE Foundation (FL)
2003 "Best of the Suncoast 2003," Weekly Planet Magazine, 22-28 October issue
2002-Present Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences (NY)
2002 Who's Who in America
2000-Present Switzer Environmental Fellow, Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation (NH)
2000 Who's Who among America's Teachers
1999-2004 Burton C. Gray Family Foundation (VA)
1999-2000 Research Associate, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (FL)
1998-Present National Fellow of the Explorers Club (NY)
1997 Outstanding Biology Teacher, National Association of Biology Teachers
1996-2000 Garnjost Chair in Science and Mathematics, Millbrook School (NY)
1996 "Best of the Hudson Valley," Hudson Valley Magazine
1991 Outstanding Science Teacher, Science Teachers Association of New York State
1979 Most Valuable Member, The Wildlife Society, VA TECH Chapter

Field Experience (1=Investigator for Research; 2=Leader for Eco-tourism):

2008 Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies, Iquitos, Peru (June 2008)(2)

2007 Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies, Iquitos, Peru (June 2007)(2)

2004 Myakka River State Park (Spring/Summer)(1)(2)

2003 Myakka River State Park (Spring/Summer)(1)
Charles Darwin Research Station, Galápagos National Park, Ecuador (July)(2)
Cordillera des Los Andes, Quito, Ecuador (July/August)(2)

2002 Luquillo Experimental Forest, Luquillo, Puerto Rico (January, March, and April)(1)
Holguín, Baracoa, and Pinar del Rio, Cuba (April)(2)
Myakka River State Park, Sarasota, FL (Spring/Summer)(1)
Australian Canopy Crane Research Facility, Cairns, Australia (June/July)(1)
Wind River Canopy Crane, Carson, WA (September)(1)

2001 Myakka River State Park, Sarasota, FL (Winter/Spring)(1)
Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies, Iquitos, Peru (July)(2)
Cordillera de Los Andes, Cusco, Peru (July)(2)
Luquillo Experimental Forest, Luquillo, Puerto Rico (August and September)(1)

2000 Myakka River State Park, Sarasota, FL (Fall)(1)

1999 Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies, Iquitos, Peru (March, July)(2)
Cordillera de Los Andes, Cusco, Peru (March)(2)

1998 Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies, Iquitos, Peru (March, June)(2)
Cordillera de Los Andes, Cusco, Peru (March)(2)

1997 Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies, Iquitos, Peru (March, June/July, August)(2)
Cordillera de Los Andes, Cusco, Peru (July)(2)

1996 Rio Negro, Estado de Amazonas, Brazil (March)(2)
Reefs and Deserts of Israel, Jordan, and Egypt (July)(1)
Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies, Iquitos, Peru (August)(2)
Dispositit de Paracou, Silvolab, French Guyane (November)(1)

1995 Rio Negro, Estado de Amazonas, Brazil (March)(2)
Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies, Iquitos, Peru (August)(2)

1994 Rio Negro, Estado de Amazonas, Brazil (March)(2)

1993 Rio Negro, Estado de Amazonas, Brazil (March)(2)

1992 Labrador and Newfoundland (July/August)(2)

1991 Monteverde Reserve and La Selva, Costa Rica (March/April)(2)
Reserve de Campo, Cameroon (November)(1)

1990 South Aulatsivik Island, Labrador (August)(1)

1988 Charles Darwin Research Station, Galápagos National Park, Ecuador (June/July)(1,2)
El Oriente, Rio Napo, Ecuador (June/July)(2)
Cordillera de Los Andes, Quito, Ecuador (June/July)(2)

1987 Charles Darwin Research Station, Galápagos National Park, Ecuador (June/July)(1,2)
El Oriente, Rio Napo, Ecuador (June/July)(2)
Cordillera de Los Andes, Quito, Ecuador (June/July)(2)
Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, Monongohela National Forest, West Virginia (July)(1,2)

1986 Charles Darwin Research Station, Galápagos National Park, Ecuador (June)(1,2)
El Oriente, Rio Napo, Ecuador (June/July)(2)
Cordillera de Los Andes, Quito, Ecuador (June/July)(2)
Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, Monongohela National Forest, West Virginia (July)(1,2)

1985 Charles Darwin Research Station, Galápagos National Park, Ecuador (June/July)(1,2)
Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, Monongohela National Forest, West Virginia (July)(1,2)

1978 Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, Monongohela National Forest, West Virginia (July)(1,2)

1977 Hog Island, National Audubon Society, Damariscotta, Maine (June/July)(2)

Employment:

August 2004 to July 2009 - Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management, Environmental Lands Division, Tarpon Springs, FL:
Environmental Lands Division Director for Pinellas County: Supervision over a staff of 50 professional, specialized, and supervisory personnel and over 500 adult and youth volunteers engaged in the development and implementation of long-term land management plans for nearly 16,000 acres of county-owned environmentally sensitive lands and waterways; $3.6 million operating budget for FY07; oversight for Ecological Services, Education Services, and Public Support Services along with the Pinellas County Biological Field Station, Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center, and Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center; liaison with several related 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations as well as the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Environmental Lands Unit; development of five-year strategic plan, resource management plans, ordinances, and other guiding documents; co-creator of museum gallery exhibits and interpretive trail signage; member of the executive staff for the Department of Environmental Management.

August 2005 to Present - Eckerd College, 4200 54th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33711:
Adjunct professor, "The Earth's Biodiversity," a semester-long elective to undergraduate students in the college's Department of Environmental Studies.

September 2000 to August 2004 - Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 811 South Palm Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236:
Director of Research & Conservation, 2002-2004; Administrator, Center for Canopy Ecology, 2000 to 2004; Interim Director of Education, 2004; Member of Editorial Board for Selbyana; Member of Senior Management Team; Science Committee; Conservation Committee; Program Committee; supervisor for numerous student interns (graduate, undergraduate, and high-school level); general oversight for research collections.

January 2001 to May 2004 - Ringling School of Art and Design, 2700 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34234-5895:
Adjunct professor, "Biodiversity: Our Global Treasure," a semester-long elective to upperclassmen through the college's Department of Liberal Arts.

September 1987 to June 2000 - Millbrook School, RR 1, Box 1000, School Road, Millbrook, NY 12545:
Science Department Chairman, Forest Canopy Walkway Project Director, Director of Bird-Banding Research Program, Garnjost Chair in Mathematics and Science, Mentor for SCaR (Students Concerned about Rainforests), Biology Instructor; Expedition Leader for numerous student research projects in Ecuador, Brazil, and Peru; principal curator of extensive natural-history collections including thousands of taxidermy, pickled, and dried specimens.

January 1986 to January 1990 - International Student Research, Inc., 710A Bulls Neck Road, McLean, VA 22102:
Co-founder and Director, Treasurer.

June 1979 to July 1987 - The Langley School, 1411 Balls Hill Road, McLean, VA 22101:
Science and Mathematics Instructor; Summer Field Program Leader.

September 1979 to April 1987 - Resident Associate Program, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC:
Natural History Instructor.

September to March 1976 and 1977 - Cooperative Education/Research Program, VA TECH and Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Laurel, MD:
Research Assistant, Petroleum Pollution and Waterfowl Section, Dr. Nancy Coon, Supervisor.

Memberships:

National Fellow of the Explorers Club; Switzer Environmental Fellow; Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences; Sigma Xi; Ecological Society of America; Society for Conservation Biology; Member of the ACTS Research Board of Directors (Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies, Iquitos, Peru); Member of the editorial board, Selbyana; Member of the editorial board for BioScience Productions, Inc.; American Institute of Biological Sciences (2007 council representative and representative to Natural Science Collections Alliance); Organization of Tropical Studies; Association for Tropical Biology; Jane Goodall Institute; ICAN (International Canopy Network); Science Advisor and Member of the Board of Directors, Children's Environmental Trust Foundation, International (1996 to 2000); Friends of Myakka River State Park; Florida Association of Museums; Xi Sigma Chi Honorary Fraternity, Virginia Tech Chapter, Blacksburg, VA; The Wildlife Society, Virginia Tech Chapter, Blacksburg, VA, elected vice-president.

Research Grants/Other Grants:

2008 National Football League (NFL) Environmental Program, $5000
"Alligator Lake Management Area" Restoration
Pinellas County (FL) Department of Environmental Management
Environmental Lands Division

2003/04 National Science Foundation, $59,932
"Ecological Circuitry Collaboratory"
Co-Investigator

2003/04 Triad Foundation, Inc., $10,000
"International Internship Program at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens"
Principal Coordinator

2003/04 Triad Foundation, Inc., $30,000
"Canopy Ecology Research - Exploring a New Botanical Frontier"
Principal Investigator

2002 Southwest Florida Water Management District, $15,000
"Floridostratum: A Program to Monitor the Effects of Forest Canopies on Microclimate and Water Conservation"
Principal Investigator

Global Canopy Programme, Oxford, U.K., $26,178
"Development of a novel method for assessing stand-level herbivory in forests: using the International Canopy Crane Network"
Co-Investigator

2001 Sarasota Bay National Estuary Program, $1000
"Forest Canopy Access: Tools for Discovery and Conservation: Principal Investigator

2000 National Science Foundation, $419,976 (written by co-investigators Margaret D. Lowman, Mark D. Hunter, and Timothy D. Schowalter)
"Canopy Herbivory and Soil Processes in a Temperate and Tropical Forest"
Doctoral Candidate and Data-Keeper for Grant

Additionally, awards received from numerous small, private grants for equipment, travel, conference participation, and other professional activities.

Articles and Books:

2009 Crist, Eileen and H.B. Rinker. Gaia in Turmoil: Climate Change, Biodepletion, and Earth Ethics in an Age of Crisis. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. Accepted for publication.

2009 Rinker, H.B. Forest Systems and Gaia. Gaia in Turmoil: Climate Change, Biodepletion, and Earth Ethics in an Age of Crisis. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. Accepted for publication.

2008 Rinker, H.B. The gift of giving … with a tropical twist. The Pen: Pinellas County Newsletter 36(10): 6.

2006 Rinker, H.B., M.D. Lowman, D.C. Shaw, and K.A. Ernest. 2006. Development of a novel method for assessing stand-level herbivory in forests. What's Up? The Newsletter of the International Canopy Network 12(2): 4-5.

2006 Shaw, D.C., K.A. Ernest, H.B. Rinker, and M.D. Lowman. 2006. Stand-level herbivory in an old-growth conifer forest canopy. Western North American Naturalist 66(4): 473-481.

2004 The Effects of Canopy Herbivory on Soil Microarthropods in a Tropical Rainforest. Ph.D. dissertation. Antioch New England Graduate School, Keene, NH.

Lowman, M.D. and H.B. Rinker (eds.). 2004. Forest Canopies (2nd edition). Elsevier/Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

Nadkarni, N.M., G.G. Parker, H.B. Rinker, and D.M. Jarzen. 2004. The nature of forest canopies. Pp. 3-23 in Forest Canopies (2nd edition; M.D. Lowman and H.B. Rinker, eds.). Elsevier/Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

Rinker, H.B. 2004. Verticality and habitat analysis: MacArthur and Wilson's biogeography theory revisited. In Forest Canopies (2nd edition; M.D. Lowman and H.B. Rinker, eds.). Elsevier/Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

Rinker, H.B. 2004. Vertical stratification among neotropical migrants. In Forest Canopies (2nd edition; M.D. Lowman and H.B. Rinker, eds.). Elsevier/Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

Rinker, H.B. 2004. Soil microarthropods: Belowground fauna that sustain forest systems. Pp. 242-250 in Forest Canopies (2nd edition; M.D. Lowman and H.B. Rinker, eds.). Elsevier/Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

Rinker, H.B. and M.D. Lowman. 2004. Insect herbivory in tropical forests. Pp. 359-386 in Forest Canopies (2nd edition; M.D. Lowman and H.B. Rinker, eds.). Elsevier/Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

Rinker, H.B. and D.M. Jarzen. 2004. The reintegration of wonder into the emerging science of canopy ecology. Pp. 486-500 in Forest Canopies (2nd edition; M.D. Lowman and H.B. Rinker, eds.). Elsevier/Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

Rinker, H.B. 2004. An inordinate fondness for beetles. Tropical News 2 (2): 3.

Rinker, H.B. 2004. Book review - Orchid fever: A horticultural tale of love, lust, and lunacy. Selbyana 25(1): 176-177.

Rinker, H.B. In press. Forest Canopy. Encyclopedia of Appalachia. East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN.

Shaw, D.C., K.A. Ernest, H.B. Rinker, and M.D. Lowman. In preparation. Stand-level herbivory in an old-growth conifer forest canopy.

Rinker, H.B. In preparation. Alpha taxonomy: The world's oldest profession.

Rinker, H.B., M.D. Lowman, K.A. Ernest, and D.C. Shaw. In preparation. Development of a novel method for assessing stand-level herbivory in forests using the International Canopy Crane Network.

Rinker, H.B. In preparation. Extinction and a model for cultural/ecological transcendence.

Lowman, M.D., H.B. Rinker, M.W. Moffett, and Saul Lowitt. In preparation. Herbivory and leaf attributes in the canopy of tropical rain forests of Cameroon

Rinker, H.B. In preparation. Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) as a possible allelopath in field succession.

2003 Rinker, H.B. 2003. A forest watered by tears: The plight of native peoples in Amazonia. Pelican Press 34(15): 10A-11A (6 November 2003).

Rinker, H.B. 2003. Walking in Darwin's footsteps. Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 17 August 2003, Arts & Travel Section.

2002 Lowman, M.D., M.D. Hunter, H.B. Rinker, T.D. Schowalter, and S.J. Fonte. 2002. Canopy walkways - Highways in the sky. The Global Canopy Handbook: Techniques of Access and Study in the Forest Roof. Global Canopy Programme, Oxford, UK.

Rinker, H.B. February 2002. The weight of a petal: the value of botanical gardens. www.actionbioscience.org/environment/rinker.html.

Rinker, H.B. 2002. Selby scientists explore adding Cuba to Gardens' Caribbean Initiative. Tropical Dispatch 29(2): 8.

Rinker, H.B. 2002. What is biodiversity? On-line document for a series on the Selby website .

Rinker, H.B. 2002. What is entomology? On-line document for a series on the Selby website .

2001 Rinker, H.B. (ed.). 2001. Canopy forum. Selbyana 22(2): 232-238.

Rinker, H.B. 2001. The use of a forest canopy walkway for studying habitat selection by neotropical migrants. Selbyana 22(1): 89-96.

Rinker, H.B. May/June 2001. Halfway between heaven and earth: bird conservation in the treetops. Bird Watcher's Digest 23(5): 60-64.

Lowman, M.D., H.B. Rinker, M.D. Hunter, T.D. Schowalter, and S.J. Fonte. 2001. Canopy herbivory and soil processes in temperate and tropical forests. P. 433 in Tropical Ecosystems (K.N. Gaenshaiah, R. Uma Shaanker, and K.S. Bawa, eds.). International Conference on Tropical Ecosystems: Structure, Diversity, and Human Welfare, Bangalore, India.

Rinker, H.B., M.D. Lowman, M.D. Hunter, T.D. Schowalter, and S.J. Fonte. 2001. Canopy herbivory and soil ecology: the top-down impact of forest processes. Selbyana 22(2): 225-231.

2000 Rinker, H.B. November 2000. Conservation from the treetops: environmental action in the emerging science of canopy ecology. www.actionbioscience.org/environment/rinker.html.

Rinker, H.B. and Barry Walsh. 2000. What is conservation? On-line document for a series on the Selby website

Rinker, H.B. 2000. What is photosynthesis … and why is it important to you? On-line document for a series on the Selby website: .

Rinker, H.B. 2000. What is a forest canopy … and what are epiphytes doing up there? On-line document for a series on the Selby website .

Rinker, H.B. 2000. What is an epiphyte? On-line document for a series on the Selby website .

1998 Lowman, M.D., Robin Foster, Philip Wittman, and H.B. Rinker. 1998. "Herbivory and insect loads on epiphytes, vines, and host trees in the rainforest canopy of French Guiana" in Biologie d'une Canopée de Forêt Équatoriale III: Rapport de la Mission d'Exploration Scientifique de la Canopée de Guyane, Octobre-Décembre 1996. Pro-Natura International, Paris. Pp. 116-128.

1995 Rinker, H.B., M.D. Lowman, and M.W. Moffett. 1995. Africa from the treetops. American Biology Teacher 57: 393-401.

1994 Rinker, H.B. 1994. The rainforest canopy: a frontier of exploration for high school students. Selbyana 15: A25.

1993 Lowman, M.D., M.W. Moffett, and H.B. Rinker. 1993. A technique for taxonomic and ecological sampling in rainforest canopies. Selbyana 14: 75-79.

Lowman, M.D. and H.B. Rinker. 1993. A degree of excellence in biology teaching. Bird Watcher's Digest, May/June: 110-113.

1992 Lowman, M.D., M.W. Moffett, and H.B. Rinker. 1992. "Insect sampling in forest canopies: a new method" in Biologie d'une Canopée de Forêt Équatoriale II (Francis Hallé and Olivier Pascal, eds.), Institut Botanique, Montpellier, France. Pp. 41-44.

1988 Rinker, H.B. July 1988. "Report on collection of sea urchins in Academy Bay, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos after the 1988 oil spill." Charles Darwin Research Station, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos, Ecuador.

1987 Rinker, H.B. June 1987. "Report on various studies including ani census, avian pox, nest census of the dark-rumped petrel, and Cinchona eradication." Charles Darwin Research Station, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos, Ecuador.

1986 Rinker, H.B. June 1986. "Report on water chemistry throughout the Galápagos archipelago." Charles Darwin Research Station, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos, Ecuador.

1979 Rinker, H.B. May 1979. "Mammalian teeth: A way of adaptation." Wildlife Extension Program, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, DC.

1977 Rinker, H.B. March 1977. "Deleterious effects of crude oil and the dispersant COREXIT 7664 on mallard ducklings (Anas platyrhynchos)." College of Forestry and Wildlife Resources, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA and Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD.

Collaborations:

Mark Baker (Ecotour Expeditions)
Eileen Crist (VA Tech)
Jim Cronk (Children's Environmental Trust Foundation)
Julie Ivker Dubin (Global Explorers)
Luly Duke (Fundacion Amistad)
Kristina Ernest (Central Washington University)
Nathan Erwin (Smithsonian Institution, National Musem of Natural History)
Steven J. Fonte (Oregon State University)
Robin Foster (Field Museum of Chicago)
Giraldo Alayón García (National Museum of Natural History, Havana)
Frances Gatz (Environmental Expeditions)
Jane Goodall (Jane Goodall Institute)
Melissa M. Grigione (Pace University)
Francis Hallé (University of Montpellier, France)
Mark D. Hunter (University of Georgia)
David M. Jarzen (University of Florida)
Beth Kaplin (Antioch University Graduate School)
Margaret D. Lowman (New College of Florida)
Thomas E. Lovejoy (Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment)
Saul Lowitt (Marie Selby Botanical Gardens)
Lynn Margulis (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)
Mark W. Moffett (University of California, Berkeley)
Bernard Nkongmeneck (University of Yaoundé, Cameroon)
David Shaw (University of Washington)
Timothy D. Schowalter (Louisiana State University)
Phillip Wittman (University of Florida)
Michelle Zjhra (Georgia Southern University)

Selected Lectures and Presentations:

"Ecology from the treetops":

Jane Goodall International Youth Summit, Millbrook, NY, September 1997
Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies (ACTS), Iquitos, Peru, Summers 1995-2001 and Summer 2007
Brüderhof Foundation, Elka Park, NY, Spring 2000
Antioch UniversityGraduate School, Keene, NH, February 2001
Eagle Audubon Society, Sun City, FL, March 2001
Manatee Orchid Society, Bradenton, FL, May 2001
Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, NY, Summer 2001
Simons Rock College, Great Barrington, MA, November 2001
Barnes and Noble Bookstore, Sarasota, FL, February 2002
Sertoma Club, Sarasota, FL, April 2002
Friendship Force, Sarasota, FL, April 2002
Ivy League Club, Sarasota, FL, October 2002
Sequel, Sarasota, FL, October 2003
Pine View School, Sarasota, FL, January 2004
Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, MI, March 2005
St. Petersburg Audubon and Native Plant Society, Largo, FL, December 2005
Lord Fairfax Community College, Middletown, VA, October 2006

"Effects of canopy herbivory on soil microarthropods in a tropical rainforest":

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL, May 2001
Antioch New England Graduate School, Keene, NH, February 2002, March 2004
Luquillo Experimental Forest, Luquillo, Puerto Rico, February/March 2002
3rd International Forest Canopy Symposium, Cairns, Australia, June 2002
Ecological Society of America, Portland, OR, August 2004
Gaia Conference, Arlington, VA, October 2006

"Cures from the treetops: The merging of tropical ecology and 21st century medicine"

Shenandoah University School of Pharmacy, Winchester, VA, October 2005

"The high frontier: Accessing the 8th continent"

Mycological Society of America, University of North Carolina, Asheville, July 2004

"The re-integration of wonder into the emerging science of canopy ecology":

3rd International Forest Canopy Symposium, Cairns, Australia, June 2002

"Ecology from the treetops: Secondary education and its global implications"

2nd International Forest Canopy Symposium, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL, November 1998

"Canopy mist-netting from an aerial laboratory"

2nd International Forest Canopy Symposium, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL, November 1998

"The rainforest canopy: A frontier of exploration for high school students"

1st International Forest Canopy Symposium, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL, November 1994

"Conservation in crisis? Global ecology and today's youth":

Yacumama Preservation Zone, Iquitos, Peru, Summers 1997-1999
Dutchess County Environmental Management Council, Millbrook, NY, April 1997
Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, NY, August 1999

"Canopy ecology: A high-priority link between research and education":

American Association of University Women, Winchester, VA, April 1999
Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago, IL, July 1999
New York Academy of Sciences, New York, December 1999

"Africa from the treetops":

Williams College, Williamstown, MA, December 1991
Shenandoah University, Winchester, VA, March 1992
Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, Spring 1992

"Darwin in the treetops: Evolution in the emerging science of canopy ecology":

Salem State College, Salem, MA, February 2001

"Who was Charles Darwin?"

New College Library Association, Colloquium XII, Sarasota, FL, March 2004

"Darwin: His Enduring Legacy in an Age of Ecological Crisis"

Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center, St. Petersburg, FL, February 2009

"Canopies and conservation: What we've learned and where we go now":

Orchid Society of Sarasota, Sarasota, FL, March 2001

"Extinction and a model for cultural/ecological transcendence":

Keynote Address: Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, NY, August 2001

"Heroism in the sciences":

Rotary Club, Sarasota, FL, October 2001

"Biomysteries from the Amazon":

Selby Volunteers Luncheon, Sarasota, FL, February 2002

"Ghoulies, ghosties, and long-leggety beasties: A perspective from the tropics":

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL, October 2001

"The garden within: The kingdoms of life from a cellular perspective":

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL, March 2002

"The land ethic: Aldo Leopold's living legacy to ecology"

Classes at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL, April 2002

"Sometimes you're the bug, sometimes the windshield":

Leadership Florida Alumni Annual Meeting, Sarasota, FL, June 2003

"Brooker Creek Preserve: The challenges of ecological management in an urban environment":

Garden Club of St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, FL, March 2007
Gulf of Mexico Alliance (Florida/Caribbean Workshop), St. Petersburg, FL, September 2007
- Cypress Run Golf Club, Tarpon Springs, FL, October 2007
"A credo for stewardship in an age of ecological crisis":
- St. Alfred's Epsicopal Church, Palm Harbor, FL, September 2007
- Congregation Beth-Shalom, Clearwater, FL, October 2007
"Exploring careers in ecology and evolutionary biology":
- Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, co-sponsored by the American Institute of Biological Sciences and the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, Tampa, FL, October 2006
"Our Vanishing Forests: Building a Sustainable Model of Urban Ecology"
- Keynote address for International Society of Arborists' statewide conference on "Forever Green Trees: Our Vanishing Urban Forest," Little Harbor, FL, March 2009
Additionally, workshops for the New York State Association of Independent Schools; the North American Environmental Educators Association; the National Science Teachers Association; the National Association of Biology Teachers; the Charles Darwin Research Station (Galápagos Islands, Ecuador); the first (1994), second (1998), and third (2002) International Conferences on Forest Canopies (Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL and Cairns, Australia); and numerous public and private community organizations.

Films:
- 2004 Jules Unlimited, Holland (Spring)
- 2004 WEDU Tampa, "Gulf Coast Journal" (Spring)
- 2001 New York Times/National Geographic Television (Summer)
- 1999 Jason X Project, "Rainforests: A Wet and Wild Adventure" (Spring)
- 1998 PBS's "Live from the Rainforest" (April)
- 1996 National Geographic's "Heroes of the High Frontier" (November)
Scientific Posters:

2004 "Herbivory Levels in an Old-Growth Douglas-fir/Western Hemlock Forest, Estimated by 3-D Random Sampling from the Canopy Crane" (funded by the Global Canopy Programme, Oxford, UK), K.A. Ernest, D.C. Shaw, H.B. Rinker, and M.D. Lowman, Wind River Canopy Crane Research Facility Annual Scientific Conference, Carson, WA

2002 "Decomposition of Herbivore-Derived Greenfall: The Potential Influence of Phytophagous Insects on Soil Processes" (funded by Oregon State University and the National Science Foundation), S.J. Fonte, M.D. Hunter, T.D. Schowalter, M.D. Lowman, and H.B. Rinker, Ecological Society of America, Tucson, AZ

1998 "Canopy Mist-Netting from an Aerial Laboratory" (funded by Millbrook School Science Department, Millbrook, NY), 2nd International Forest Canopy Symposium, Sarasota, FL

Popular Posters:

2002 "Forest Canopy Access: Tools for Discovery and Conservation" (funded by the Sarasota Bay National Estuary Program)

2001 "Forest Canopy Walkways of the World" (displays at Myakka River State Park and the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens; funded by TREE Foundation) "Canopy Access Techniques" (displays at Myakka River State Park and the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens; funded by TREE Foundation)

Theses and Dissertations:

2000 D. Krishna Reddy. "Studies on autecology of six butterfly species of Papilionidae." Doctor of Philosophy, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam (Reader and Adjudicator)

1999 M. Aruna Kumari. "Present status of biodiversity in eastern Ghats forests of Parvathipuram, Gummalakshmipuram and Kurupam Mandal areas of Vizianagaram District of northern Andhra Pradesh." Doctor of Philosophy, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam (Reader and Adjudicator)

Other Notable Activities:

2009: Appointed Member (FL Department of Environmental Protection, Tallahassee, FL) of Review Committees for Management Plans for Honeymoon Island State Park (Dunedin, FL) and Caladesi Island State Park (Dunedin, FL).

2007: Member of the Science Advisory Committee for Sarasota County (FL) Biological Field Station.

2004: Appointed Member (FL Department of Environmental Protection, Tallahassee, FL) of Review Committee for the Myakka River State Park Management Plan (Sarasota, FL)

2002 to 2004: Parks, Recreation, and Environmental Protection Advisory Council, City of Sarasota (board member); Burns Square Association (board member); Life and Environmental Sciences Cluster Group, Economic Development Committee for the County of Sarasota (member); Friends of Myakka River State Park (member); Science and Environment Council of Sarasota County (member); Science Advisory Committee for G.WIZ, a hands-on science museum (co-chair); Tallahassee-appointed Advisory Committee for the "Myakka River State Park Unit Management Plan, May 2004" (member).

1991 to 1999: Member of Dutchess County (Hudson Valley, NYS) Environmental Management Council; executive committee, environmental education committee; wetlands committee.

1976 and 1977: Conducted one year of undergraduate research at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Laurel, MD on petroleum pollution and waterfowl.

1973 to 1975: Taught natural history courses for several summers at the Burgundy Center for Wildlife Studies, Capon Bridge, WV (the nation's first ecological camp for young people); assistant director, dean of students, and instructor.

Professional and personal references available upon request.