Canadian Institute of Ecology and Evolution
Encyclopedia
The Canadian Institute of Ecology and Evolution (CIEE) is a national organization that sponsors scientific programs aimed at synthesizing information on natural systems, developing new theory and providing unbiased scientific assessments on the ecological and evolutionary aspects of public policy. The CIEE is operated by a consortium of Canadian universities, including Carleton University
, McGill University
, University of British Columbia
and the University of Toronto
. In addition, CIEE is supported by the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution, the national learned society.
under the direction of Prof. Arthur E. Weis.
Thematic Programs bring together working groups of scientists to synthesize results, explore alternative approaches and identify promising areas of inquiry. The first such program was the 2008 workshop, An Interim Scientific Assessment of the Present and Projected Effectiveness of the Canadian Species at Risk Act. A groups of scientists from across Canada evaluated the use of scientific information in the act’s implementation. These findings were presented in testimony before the parliamentary Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development in June 2010.
Synergy Workshops are short-term gatherings that foster communication and collaboration among scientists from diverse fields of study. The 2009 symposium Adaptive Movement of Interacting Species gathered an international roster of ecologists and applied mathematicians. They explored theoretical representations of foraging and escape behaviors that can be incorporated into models to predict the dynamics of predator-prey and similar sorts of linked species systems.
Visiting Fellows, typically on sabbatical leave, are hosted at CIEE for periods of several months to a year. Here they engage in synthesis research on topics in ecology and evolution.
The CIEE plans to offer advanced training through Graduate Mini-Courses with a focus on transdisciplinary topics not covered in typical academic settings.
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
, McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
and the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. In addition, CIEE is supported by the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution, the national learned society.
Rationale
Individual research groups in ecology and evolution engage in programs of discovery that are motivated by broad conceptual questions. By necessity, however, each group focuses on one or a few biological systems—a species, an ecosystem, a gene, a lineage—whose particularities may obscure underlying generalities. CIEE programs bring together top scientists working on diverse systems to pool data and do the higher level analyses that can resolve disparate interpretations, yield novel insights, catalyze theory development and identify promising new areas of inquiry. In short, CIEE seeks to accelerate scientific progress by fostering working interactions in ways that standard organizations cannot.History and Organization
First steps to establish the CIEE were taken in 2007 at the inaugural meeting of the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution, the national learned society. In May 2008, after a nation-wide competition that received entries from some of Canada’s most prestigious universities, the Society’s Governing Council selected the proposal from the University of Toronto to house and operate the CIEE at the Koffler Scientific ReserveKoffler Scientific Reserve
The Koffler Scientific Reserve at Jokers Hill, is a biological field station belonging to and managed by the University of Toronto. It occupies roughly 348 hectares of old fields, wetlands, grasslands, and forestlands in King Township, on the western portion of the Oak Ridges Moraine and close to...
under the direction of Prof. Arthur E. Weis.
Scientific Programs
The CIEE sponsor the following types of activities:Thematic Programs bring together working groups of scientists to synthesize results, explore alternative approaches and identify promising areas of inquiry. The first such program was the 2008 workshop, An Interim Scientific Assessment of the Present and Projected Effectiveness of the Canadian Species at Risk Act. A groups of scientists from across Canada evaluated the use of scientific information in the act’s implementation. These findings were presented in testimony before the parliamentary Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development in June 2010.
Synergy Workshops are short-term gatherings that foster communication and collaboration among scientists from diverse fields of study. The 2009 symposium Adaptive Movement of Interacting Species gathered an international roster of ecologists and applied mathematicians. They explored theoretical representations of foraging and escape behaviors that can be incorporated into models to predict the dynamics of predator-prey and similar sorts of linked species systems.
Visiting Fellows, typically on sabbatical leave, are hosted at CIEE for periods of several months to a year. Here they engage in synthesis research on topics in ecology and evolution.
The CIEE plans to offer advanced training through Graduate Mini-Courses with a focus on transdisciplinary topics not covered in typical academic settings.
External links
- Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution http://www.ecoevo.ca/en/
- Koffler Scientific Reserve http://ksr.utoronto.ca/