Water | Exhibition Scientists


	Dr. Eleanor J. Sterling Director, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation (American Museume of Natural History); and Curator of *Water* Dr. Sterling directs the Center for Biodiversity Conservation (CBC) at the American Museum of Natural History and is the curator of the exhibition Water. Dr. Sterling has 25 years of field research experience in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where she has conducted behavioral, ecological, and genetic studies of both terrestrial and aquatic species. She is considered a world authority on the aye-aye, a nocturnal lemur found in Madagascar. Her recent work has focused on the biodiversity and history of land use in Vietnam, research that led to the publication of Vietnam: A Natural History in 2006. She is also the chair of the Palmyra Atoll Research Consortium and is helping document biodiversity on this remote atoll in the central Pacific Ocean 700 miles from Hawaii. In 2000, Dr. Sterling spearheaded the establishment of the CBC's Network of Conservation Educators and Practitioners, which develops and implements educational resources to help teach biodiversity conservation to educators and students around the world. Since 1997, she has also served as an adjunct professor at Columbia University, where she is Director of Graduate Studies for the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology. Dr. Sterling received her B.A. in psychobiology from Yale College in 1983 and her Ph.D. in forestry and environmental studies and anthropology from Yale University in 1993. She joined the Americna Museum of Natural History in 1996. Laurel Ross Laurel Ross joined Field Museum’s staff in 2004 as Urban Conservation Director in the Division of Environment, Culture and Conservation (ECCo). In that capacity she manages the external conservation and education programs of the museum in the Chicago region. In 1996 Ross was one of the original organizers of Chicago Wilderness (CW), now a regional consortium of 240 conservation organizations; she currently serves as Vice Chair of the CW Executive Council. From 1992 until 2004 she was the Director of Conservation Programs for The Nature Conservancy in Illinois overseeing land acquisition, conservation science, planning, and government relations for the Illinois Chapter statewide. From 1983 until 1992 Ross was Director of the North Park Village Nature Center, the only Nature Center in the City of Chicago. Since 1985 she has been active with the North Branch Restoration Project as a steward of Somme Prairie Nature Preserve, as a butterfly monitor, as Seed coordinator, and as a member of the NBRP coordinating group. Among her favorite accomplishments are: contributing to the Tallgrass Restoration Handbook (Island Press, 1997), conceiving of and launching the Mighty Acorns youth stewardship program now serving 8000 children through 19 partner agencies, developing a unique educational "institution" a publication called Prairie University, coordination of the production of the Atlas of Biodiversity for Chicago Wilderness, and coordinating the development of the Orchid Recovery Project which involves volunteers and agencies in the recovery of the prairie white fringed orchid. Doug Stotz Doug uses his skills, passion, and training as an ornithologist to make positive changes both here in the Chicago region and in the tropics. He has been a conservation biologist in The Field Museum’s Environmental and Conservation Programs department (ECP) from its inception in 1994. Since then he has participated in over fifteen rapid biological inventories in Latin America, as well as one in China. In Chicago, he is a generous advisor to local restoration projects, an eloquent and tireless speaker at bird clubs, a regular spokesperson to the media on bird conservation topics, a rigorous advisor to scientists developing regional monitoring protocols, a respected consultant to governmental agencies, and a warm-hearted advocate for nature in general in the Chicago region. Philip Willink Philip Willink, Ph.D., works in the Fish Division of The Field Museum. He has traveled around the world to study fishes, including such places as Bolivia, Brasil, Guatemala, Guyana, Jamaica, Madagascar, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Suriname, United States (Chicago Region), and Venezuela. His research interests include the discovery of new species, distribution of fishes in relation to habitat and geography, historical changes in fish communities in response to humans modifying aquatic environments, foraging ecology, conservation, and writing field guides. He has authored over 60 scientific publications and worked with BBC / Discovery Channel twice. Continue through Educational Resources. >>