  New Tools for Grizzly Bear Biologists. Grizzly bears in North America face serious conservation challenges, including habitat destruction and poaching. However, researchers are developing new tools for noninvasive genetic sampling and hormone and isotope analyses that will help them identify populations at risk.
 Planning for Adaptation to Climate Change: Lessons from the US National Wildlife Refuge System. There's no shortage of advice for land managers facing climate change, but few studies have examined what might be practical for conservation reserves. The US Fish and Wildlife Service’s conservation plans for national wildlife refuges incorporate many ideas, but wider use of emerging decision-support tools and regional-level coordination could help managers better prepare for coming changes.
 Working across Boundaries. AIBS will soon administer the Beyond the Box Digitization Competition, in partnership with the National Science Foundation. This unique initiative seeks to bring together a blend of scientific and engineering talent and will award $1 million for creating a technology that increases the speed and accuracy of digitization of physical specimens and their data. Once developed, the new research tool will drive discovery for scientists and students in a variety of disciplines.
 Can Microbes Help Feed the World? Researchers have long looked at the relationship between plants and microbes. Recently, discoveries about microbes have shown the possibility of improving agricultural practices by improving yields, reducing the need for chemical inputs, and even allowing food production on lands that were previously considered unsuitable for farming.
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 Dozens of biological researchers and educators met with their lawmakers as part of the 6th Annual Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event.
 Dr. Steve Gallo, AIBS SPARS Technical Operations Manager, presented at the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR) in October 2014. The title of his presentation was: "Peer Review Setting, Review Outcomes, and Grant Productivity: A Retrospective Analysis of a Peer Reviewed Program". A group of 25 CSR staff was present for the presentation, as was the Director and Deputy Director of NIH CSR. Dr. Gallo and Scott Glisson (Director of SPARS) met with both Richard Nakamura (Director) and Rene Etcheberrigaray (Deputy Director) for lunch prior to the presentation and spent 20 minutes with staff members who work in the Office of Planning, Analysis, and Evaluation after the presentation for a Q&A session. |
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