with
Graham Bell, McGill University
Natural ecosystems are large, complex biological
machines that provide essential services to all life on
the planet. Humans are now altering and simplifying these
machines on a grand scale – removing many species,
adding others and changing inputs.
Dr. Graham Bell believes that the need to understand and
protect biodiversity will drive science and politics in
the 21st century. An international authority on the development
and evolution of natural systems, he will tell us why it
matters that we know so little about ecosystems and have
no theory capable of predicting how they will respond to
our interventions. He will review the current state of biodiversity
science and talk about new national and international initiatives
that will attempt to close the knowledge gap. These projects
include the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and
Ecosystem Services, an initiative with potentially far-reaching
political, economic and social consequences.
Dr. Bell is a Professor in the Department of Biology at
McGill University. His extensive list of publications includes
an impressive seven articles in the prestigious journal
Nature and three influential books on evolution. He is also
the Director of the McGill Redpath Museum and the founding
President of the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution,
a non-profit organization that promotes awareness, study
and research related to ecology and evolution.
Organized by: The Partnership Group for Science and Engineering
(PAGSE)
Sponsored by:
--the Speaker of the Senate
--the Speaker of the House of Commons
--Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
Date: Thursday October 28, 2010 NEW TIME
7:15 am - 8:45 am
NEW LOCATION: Government Conference Centre,
2 Rideau Street
Cost: No charge to Members of the House of Commons, Senators
and Media. All others $20
Registration: Please register by contacting Donna Boag,
PAGSE Manager: 613-991-6369, pagse@rsc.ca
Registration Deadline: Monday October 25, 2010
