Speaker: Dr. Nathan Byer, Research and Database Manager for Cleveland Metroparks
Title: “Occupational, evolutionary, and ecological perspectives on adaptation”
Abstract: Before beginning this position, Nathan earned his BS and MS from Towson University, earned his PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and worked as a postdoc at the University of Nevada, Reno. Much of Nathan's work during this time was focused on understanding adaptation, and his diverse research included organisms like rare turtles and mammals with specialized diets. Today, Nathan designs and implements research to manage >25,000 acres of parks—drawing upon the lessons learned from his academic background. His seminar focuses on the importance of adaptation—for organisms to respond to environmental change, for organizations to respond to management goals, and for individuals to respond to challenges in their careers. It's a great perspective for our students charting their own career paths after graduation.

The Ecology, Evolution, Behavior, & Organismal Biology (EEBOB) seminar series focuses on biological topics at the scale of whole organisms, their ecology, and the evolutionary relationships among them. Guest speakers come from universities, governmental agencies, NGOs, zoos, museums, and other institutions. The EEBOB seminar is an opportunity to learn about career paths and research in the biology discipline, and for students to engage with professionals in a wide variety of biology careers.

This seminar series consists of a pre-recorded seminar, which will be posted to a playlist at the beginning of each week, and a live, virtual Q&A session with the speaker. All are welcome to attend! To be granted access to the live Q&A session, interested attendees should email Dr. Todd Pierson. The live Q&A session will be held each Thursday at 9:30 AM.