George Van Dyne was a pioneer of systems ecology

Systems ecology

Systems ecology is an interdisciplinary field of ecology, taking a holistic approach to the study of ecological systems, especially ecosystems. Systems ecology can be seen as an application of general systems theory to ecology. Central to the systems ecology approach is the idea that an ecosystem...

 and served as the first director of the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory in the USA.

Early Career

Van Dyne was brought up on a ranch at Trinidad, Colorado

Trinidad, Colorado

The historic City of Trinidad is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Las Animas County, Colorado, United States...

, not far from the New Mexican

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

 border. Having developed skills as a horseman

Horseman

Horseman may refer to:* Horse rider; see Equestrianism* Wrangler , in the United States* Stockman , who works with horses rather than with cattle or sheep* Horseman, a 2003 Croatian film...

 and an interest in the American West, he studied animal science

Animal science

Animal Science is described as "studying the biology of animals that are under the control of mankind". Historically, the animals studied were farm animals, including livestock and horses, but courses available now look at a far broader area to include companion animals, for example dogs, cats and...

 at the Colorado State University

Colorado State University

Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...

. He followed this with a masters degree in range science at Dakota State University

Dakota State University

Dakota State University is a public university located in Madison, South Dakota. The university has a technology centric focus with programs in computer and information science, business, education, physical sciences, among other graduate and undergraduate programs...

. He then gained his PhD from the University of California

University of California

The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...

 developing mathematical models for the ecosystem of rangeland. He then went to work at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory where he led the Environmental Sciences Section. He joined Jerry Olson and Bernard Pattern in delivering the first Systems Ecology course at the University of Tennessee

University of Tennessee

The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...

.