The Next Frontier of Science is in Your Backyard (with you and your smartphone)

Dr. Greg Pauly is the first spring semester speaker sponsored by the Biodiversity Center, and he will be talking about urban biodiversity.

About the talk:

For centuries, natural history discoveries have been made by members of the public. The professionalization of natural history research is a relatively recent development. Professional scientists, however, are increasingly recognizing that many research questions are best answered through large-scale partnerships with members of the public. These new community science efforts (also called citizen science or participatory science) have the potential to revolutionize the fields of conservation, ecology, and behavior. Dr. Pauly will showcase how thousands of dedicated naturalists have helped to make discoveries that were not possible through other methods. These discoveries include 1) documenting and tracking invasive species; 2) assessing impacts of urbanization on wildlife; and 3) documenting rarely observed natural history events such as mating behavior.

Bio:

Dr. Greg Pauly is Director of the Urban Nature Research Center and Curator of Herpetology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. He studies the natural history, evolution, and conservation of reptiles and amphibians. Since joining the Museum in 2012, he has increasingly studied the impacts of urbanization on wildlife. Dr. Pauly is an advocate for community science and believes partnerships between professional scientists and community members can revolutionize scientific research. He has published over 70 scholarly articles and co-authored the award-winning book Wild L.A.: Explore the Amazing Nature in and around Los Angeles. Prior to his position in Los Angeles, he earned a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Davis.