Workshop: Articulate and Disseminate Research Priorities in Tropical Biology, Aberdeen, Scotland, July 9, 2003

University Of Massachusetts Boston, Dorchester MA

Investigators

Abstract

Funds are requested to carry out the final stages of a 3-year NSF-funded project to establish and disseminate research priorities in tropical biology. In 2000, The Association for Tropical Biology (ATB), in collaboration with other organizations, implemented a process to articulate and prioritize research in tropical biology. The goals of the process are to review recent developments in tropical biology and to define priorities for future research. The audiences for the products include tropical biologists, other scientists, decision-makers, and the general public. The first workshop in the series was held during the ATB Annual Meeting in Bangalore, India, in 2000. An planning retreat for ATB Officers and Councilors and associated scientists was held in Washington DC in February 2002. In July 2002, a larger workshop was held within the venue of a major international conference, the annual meeting of the ATB, which was attended by natural and social scientists and policy makers. This grant will support the second ATB retreat, during which the participants will craft a draft report for the third workshop in partnership with the British Ecological Society. This will be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the ATB in Aberdeen, Scotland in July 2003. The requested support will enable 15 U.S. scientists, including graduate students, to travel to attend the workshop in Aberdeen. The participation of U.S. scientists will benefit US scientists and those from tropical countries to promote scientific collaboration in the short- and long-term. Funds will also be used to disseminate the results of the full 3-year effort through traditional and electronic media to the projected audiences.