topEric A. Davidson—President–Elect, Biogeosciences
David McGuire—President–Elect, Biogeosciences
Hope Jahren—Secretary, Biogeosciences
Laura Wasylenki—Secretary, Biogeosciences
Eric A. Davidson—President–Elect, Biogeosciences
Major area of interest is the exchange of carbon, nitrogen, and other nutrients among soils, atmosphere, and hydrosphere, and how land use change and climate change affect those stocks and flows. Most recent work is in forests of New England and the Amazon basin and in agricultural systems. B.A. in biology, Oberlin College, 1978, and Ph.D. in forestry at North Carolina State University, 1986. Postdoc, University of California, Berkeley (1986–1989); National Research Council (NSF) associate, NASA Ames Research Center (1989–1991), and Woods Hole Research Center (1991 to present). Member of Ecological Society of America, Soil Science Society of America, and American Association for the Advancement of Science. Currently NASA project scientist, Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment (LBA); principal investigator of NSF Research Coordination Network on Denitrification; cofounder and advisor to the International Nitrogen Initiative; and editor of Global Change Biology. Published 120 papers, with 17 in AGU journals. Most cited are a 1989 paper on the "hole-in-the-pipe" conceptual model of N-gas production in soils and a 2006 review of the temperature sensitivity of decomposition of soil organic matter. Currently the AGU Biogeosciences section program coordinator for the spring 2010 Meeting of the Americas in Brazil.
Statement: By definition, biogeoscience integrates across disciplines, encompassing the science of how life (bio) is sustained on Earth (geo). As human alteration of several biogeochemical cycles increases, our integrative science will be increasingly important to addressing global change challenges. In that light, the quality of our science is paramount, and the outreach needed to explain scientific understanding and uncertainty to nonscientific audiences is also essential. Fortunately, AGU leads on both counts—high-quality science and outreach—but we cannot rest on those laurels. Creating the fora for integration and synthesis within and among disciplines, among scientific societies, and between science and society requires attention, forethought, and persistence. My experiences in helping coordinate a National Science Foundation research coordination network and a NASA campaign of multiple research teams have taught me that the value-added impact of symposia, workshops, proceedings, and special issues depends on strategic focusing of the energies of talented and dedicated participants. I will seek such opportunities within our section, with other AGU sections, and with sister sections in other societies, such as the European Space Agency, Soil Science Society of America, Geological Society of America, and American Society of Limnology and Oceanography. Success breeds success, keeping our members engaged and attracting new members. As our section grows and as AGU restructures it governance, effective representation by our section's officers will be essential.
David McGuire—President–Elect, Biogeosciences
Research focused on studying responses of terrestrial ecosystems to climate change that may influence the climate system. B.S. (1976) and M. Electrical Engineering (1977) from Cornell University. M.S. (1983) and Ph.D. (1989) in biology from University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). Postdoctoral research positions at the University of Colorado (1989–1990) and at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL; 1990–1992). Research associate at MBL (1992–1995) prior to taking current position at UAF. Member of American Association for the Advancement of Science and Ecological Society of America. Served for over 7 years on board of editors for Ecological Applications and is associate editor of International Journal of Wildland Fire. Published over 110 refereed papers, 34 in AGU journals, and over 20 book chapters. Publications of note include two in Global Biogeochemical Cycles on net primary production of North America (1992) and the carbon balance of the terrestrial biosphere in the twentieth century (2001); a review paper on climate feedbacks of the Arctic in the Annual Review of Environment and Resources (2006); and a review paper on the carbon cycle of the Arctic in Ecological Monographs (2009). Received 2007 Emil Usibelli Distinguished Research Award from UAF. Currently serving on several U.S. national committees including the Carbon Cycle Science Steering Group and the SSC for the Study of Environmental Arctic Change.
Statement: The "discipline" of biogeosciences has evolved and matured to embrace the integration of biological, physical, and social sciences to further our understanding of biogeochemistry and biogeophysics on multiple time and space scales. It is an honor to be nominated for president-elect of the AGU Biogeosciences section, and I look forward to the possibility of addressing challenges and taking advantage of opportunities as the section continues to grow and the science continues to mature. One of the challenges I'd like to address is promoting better coordination among the AGU journals serving our scientific membership: JGR-Biogeosciences, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, and Earth Interactions. In my opinion, there is an increasing amount of overlap between JGR-Biogeosciences, the journal of our section, and Global Biogeochemical Cycles, and I believe better coordination would be good for the communication of our science. There is also an opportunity for Earth Interactions to play a role in further integration of the social sciences in biogeosciences. I also think it is important to continue to develop interactions among scientific societies that have substantive biogeoscience constituencies like the Ecological Society of America and the European Geophysical Union. I see these interactions as important for scientific coordination and for providing outreach to the public and decision makers on the relevance of our science to environmental problem solving, management, and policy.
Hope Jahren—Secretary, Biogeosciences
Major research interests include stable isotope geobiology. B.A., cum laude, geology, 1991, University of Minnesota at Minneapolis; Ph.D., soil science, 1996, University of California, Berkeley. Assistant through full professor at Johns Hopkins University, 1999–2008; assistant professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, 1996–1999. Member, Geological Society of America. Authored 43 refereed publications, two in AGU journals. Jahren, A. H., N. C. Arens, and S. A. Harbeson, Prediction of atmospheric δ13CO2 using fossil plant tissues, Rev. Geophys., 46, RG0002, doi:10.1029/2006RG000219, 2008; Jahren, A. H., and L. S. L. Sternberg, Annual patterns within tree rings of the Arctic middle Eocene (~45 Ma): Isotopic signatures of precipitation, relative humidity and deciduousness, Geology, 36(2), 99–102, 2008; Jahren, A. H., The Arctic forest of the middle Eocene, Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci., 35, 509–540, 2007. AGU James B. Macelwane Medal: American Geophysical Union Young Scientist Award, 2005; Donath Medal: Geological Society of America Young Scientist Award, 2001; Geological Society of America Fellow. AGU service 2008 to present: Fellow Selection Committee member, Biogeosciences section.
Laura Wasylenki—Secretary, Biogeosciences
Interests include metals and metal isotopes in paleoceanography, in the environment, at fluid-solid interfaces, in microbial processes. B.S., geology, Stanford University, 1992; M.S., geology, 1995, and Ph.D., geology, 1999, California Institute of Technology. Visiting assistant professor, University of Illinois at Urbana, 1999; assistant professor, Hartwick College, 1999–2002; postdoc, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2002–2004. Current or past member of Geological Society of America, American Mineralogical Society, Geochemical Society, National Association of Geoscience Teachers. Ten refereed papers, including Wasylenki, L. E., et al. (Experimental investigation of the effects of temperature and ionic strength on Mo isotope fractionation during adsorption to manganese oxides, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 72, 5997, 2008); Wasylenki, L. E., et al. (Isotope fractionation during microbial metal uptake measured by MC-ICP-MS, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 22, 905, 2007), Wasylenki, L. E., et al. (Effects of temperature and transport conditions on calcite growth in the presence of Mg2+: Implications for paleothermometry, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 69, 4227, 2005), and Wasylenki, L. E., et al. (Nanoscale effects of strontium on calcite growth: An in situ AFM study in the absence of vital effects, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 69, 3017, 2005). AGU student poster reviewer; reviewer for Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Journal of Geoscience Education, NASA, Department of Education; coconvener of five AGU and Goldschmidt special sessions; initiator and/or presenter at many outreach events for adults and children.