Office of the Provost
and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Office of the Provost
and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Professor of Wildlife Population Ecology
2009 John Simon Guggenheim Fellow
Tuesday, 10 November 2009, 6:00 p.m.
University Center North Ballroom
Reception to Follow
What will happen when white snowshoe hares find themselves in a forest without snow? How can we count lynx or leopards even as they move secretly, unseen, through remote mountain passes? What lessons can animals in U.S. National Parks teach us about studying wildlife in a Himalayan country that is leaping into modernization? Dr. L. Scott Mills will describe how modern wildlife biology science combines traditional field work with the latest advances in mathematics and molecular biology to illuminate surprising answers to these and other questions about how animals respond to a changing world.
L. Scott Mills (Ph.D., University of California-Santa Cruz, 1993) is a Professor in the Wildlife Biology Program in the College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana, where he received The University of Montana's "Most Inspirational Teacher Award" in 1998. His eclectic research across normally disparate scientific disciplines has led to key advances in applying ecological science to international wildlife management and conservation. Early in his career, Dr. Mills was awarded one of the most prestigious awards given by National Science Foundation to junior faculty: a Faculty Early Career Development award. In 2009 he received a coveted John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, which he will use to help build capacity for ecological science in Bhutan. Mills is the author of more than 80 research articles and an award winning textbook. His research has been covered by media outlets including Newsweek, National Geographic, The New York Times, Discovery Channel Canada, National Public Radio, Science, and The Nature of Things with David Suzuki.
Dr. Mills enjoys life in Montana with his wife, 9 year-old son, and 7 year-old daughter. He particularly enjoys roaming the mountains in search of elk and telemark skiing.