Hart Elected Lifetime Fellow of the Ecological Society of America

Stephen C. Hart, professor of ecology in Life and Environmental Sciences with the Sierra Nevada Research Institute, was recently elected a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America.

The ESA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization of more than 9,000 scientists, founded in 1915 to promote ecological science by improving communication among ecologists, raising the public’s level of awareness of the importance of ecological science, increasing the resources available for the conduct of ecological science and ensuring the appropriate use of ecological science in environmental decision making.

The ESA elects fellows in recognition of their outstanding contributions to fields served by the ESA. Fellows are commended for their efforts to advance ecological knowledge in multiple spheres, including academia, government, nonprofit organizations and broader society.

According to the official ESA announcement, Hart was “elected for groundbreaking contributions in terrestrial ecosystem ecology and forest management. His pioneering use of stable isotopes transformed understanding of forest nitrogen cycling and soil microbial structure and function.”

Hart’s research focuses broadly on the interactions between plants and soils. His current interests include evaluating the influences of atmospheric inputs of nutrients (from biological nitrogen fixation to “dust” particles) on terrestrial ecosystems; the impact of climate change on soil nutrient cycling and soil-atmosphere-climate feedbacks; the effects of forest restoration and wildfire on soil microbial communities and their interactions with plants; the influence of meadow restoration on plant biodiversity, ecosystem carbon storage and greenhouse gas emissions; how giant sequoia trees alter the soils that sustain them; and the efficacy of using organic amendments to improve soil fertility in almond orchards.

“I am truly honored to be recognized by my colleagues as a fellow of the largest and most prestigious society of ecologists in the world,” Hart said. “I am confident that such high recognition will occur in the near future for many of my UC Merced colleagues, given the exceptional group of ecology faculty that we have recruited to our fledgling campus.”

2018 Bobcat Art Show Reception: “A Wall Is a Wall”

The UC Merced Library and Arts UC Merced Presents are excited to announce the opening of the 2018 Bobcat Art Show “A Wall Is a Wall.”

A reception will be held from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Friday in the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library Room 280. During opening week, from April 2-6, students, staff and faculty will be invited to vote in the “People’s Choice Award” via the Arts UC Merced Presents Facebook page. Winners will be announced at the reception and on the Arts UC Merced Presents Facebook page.

The 2018 Bobcat Art Show is inspired by the 2017 song lyric “a wall is a wall” by the Downtown Boys. Participants were invited to respond to, engage or reflect on this theme. A physical wall may define space, while a psychological wall might present a barrier or obstacle — something to break through. Walls are used as tools of oppression, for defense or to hold back pressure. An empty wall in a gallery, city or library offers up a place of possibility for the creation of art.

The show, which is sponsored by the UC Merced Library and Arts UC Merced Presents and co-sponsored by the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, UC Merced Chancellor's Office and the UC Merced Center for the Humanities, runs from April 2 to April 30 in the UC Merced Library.

This story was originally published April 3, 2018 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Hart Elected Lifetime Fellow of the Ecological Society of America."