October 30, 2000 California Academy inducts four UCSC researchers By Jennifer McNulty From a biologist who studies the nearshore marine environment to an ecologist who has championed the use of rigorous statistical research methods, four UCSC faculty members have been inducted as new fellows of the California Academy of Sciences. The academy is governed by the Fellows, a distinguished group of eminent scientists appointed in recognition of their notable contributions to one or more of the natural sciences. Nominated by their colleagues and appointed by the Board of Trustees, the Fellows remain members of the Fellowship for life. The UCSC researchers are among 19 new fellows who were inducted October 14. They are: Laurel Fox, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Marc Mangel, professor of environmental studies Peter T. Raimondi, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Barry Sinervo, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Fox's research focuses on fundamental questions of ecology that address how interactions among species shape community dynamics and structure. Her recent work emphasizes how disturbances, including anthropogenic effects, modify coastal terrestrial communities, as well as the ecology and management of rare plant species. Her work has played an important role in the development of the Monterey Bay Regional Studies Program, which is based at UCSC. She has also been director of the ecology program at the National Science Foundation. Mangel's work concentrates on the ecological implications of natural variation within populations of organisms. He specializes in salmonid and krill life histories and insect-plant interactions. He is best known for the development of "dynamic modeling" as a tool for studying life-history patterns. He has served on the Committee of Scientific Advisors of the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission and on the Scientific Advisory Board of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, and he has held Guggenheim and Fulbright Fellowships. Raimondi's research goal is to broadly understand the factors that are important in the development and maintenance of biological communities. His most recent research efforts have concentrated on the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Study of Coastal Oceans (PISCO), a collaborative program of four West Coast universities. This project includes studies of the contribution of oceanographic processes, larval dispersal, larval behavior, and post-settlement processes to nearshore subtidal and intertidal communities, including the population dynamics of barnacles, corals, and giant kelp. Sinervo is an internationally recognized leader in behavioral and evolutionary ecology. His research integrates mechanistic analyses of behavior and physiology with classic comparative and theoretical approaches to evolution. He has founded the new field of allometric engineering that incorporates ecological theory with population biology, behavior, physiology, endocrinology, population genetics and evolution, reproductive biology, and developmental biology. Return to Front Page