Biology Diversity in Ecology Seminar Series: Dr. Charles Nilon

Graduate students and faculty from the ecology labs at Syracuse University have created a virtual seminar series focused on greater inclusion of scientists from underrepresented backgrounds in ecology and the environmental sciences. This seminar series, in addition to showcasing current research in the field, will also provide an opportunity for the student population to interact with scientists from diverse backgrounds.

The second talk in the Syracuse University Diversity in Ecology Seminar Series is by Dr. Charles Nilon from the University of Missouri. His seminar, Urban Biodiversity, Nearby Nature, and Environmental Justice, will be held via Zoom.

For full Zoom details, please contact Nichole Miller nlklossn@syr.edu

About the speaker:

Nilon’s research considers the impact of urbanization on wildlife habitats, populations, and communities. Since 1997, Nilon has been a co-principal investigator on the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES), one of two urban ecosystems included in the National Science Foundation’s Long-Term Ecological Research program. His work with the BES focuses on understanding how ecological and socioeconomic factors influence bird species composition and abundance. Because urban areas are homes for people as well as wildlife, Nilon’s research also considers the role of nature as part of an individual’s day-to-day environment, and environmental justice issues associated with access to nature. Nilon and his students have worked on projects in Kansas City and St. Louis that seek to understand how people perceive open spaces in their neighborhood. Recently he has collaborated with colleagues from the MU School of Medicine on a project studying the kinds of open spaces where children are active. Since 2010 Nilon has been a principal investigator on three different synthesis projects that are compiling data from more than 150 of the world’s cities. The projects seek to understand global patterns of biodiversity in cities, the filters that shape species composition in cities, and the social and ecological factors that shape patterns of abundance in cities, and apply that information to management, conservation and planning programs.