Annual Report 2004–2005 - California Academy of Sciences

EXPLORE
Research informs all Academy pursuits, from exhibits to educational programming,
and each year our staff pursue projects all over the world, assessing biodiversity
in threatened regions, advocating for the protection of endangered species,
and training the next generation of scientists.
The Gaoligongshan Biodiversity Survey
In 2002, the Academy launched the Gaoligongshan Biodiversity
Survey, a large-scale inventory of the Gaoligongshan
region of the Yunnan Province of China. In partnership
with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of
Forestry, Academy staff conduct research while generating
extensive natural history collections, fostering training and
intellectual exchange programs among participating institutions,
and making detailed information available to the local
population and government agencies to aid land-use decisions.
The project will continue over the next three years
with a $225,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation.
Return to the Galápagos Islands
In spring 2005, led by Academy scientists Meg Burke, Tom
Daniel, Terry Gosliner, and John McCosker, 33 Academy
members and Trustees embarked on a two-week trip to
commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Academy’s
first research trip to the Galápagos Islands. The original
voyage lasted more than a year and produced specimens
that helped rebuild Academy collections after the 1906
earthquake. Since this initial historic trip, Academy scientists
have returned to the Galápagos Islands many times
to collect specimens and help found the Charles Darwin
Research Station at Academy Bay and the Galápagos National
Park.
On this most recent trip, Academy travelers visited many of
the collection sites from the first voyage and even received
permission to visit usually off-limit areas, such as the island
of Marchena. Our deep ties to these islands were strengthened
in a reception at the presidential palace in Quito,
Ecuador and the signing of a formal partnership between
the Academy and the government of Ecuador to continue
to explore the Galápagos, train young scientists, and develop
educational programming for the public. As part of
the partnership, over the next several years, Ecuadorian
students and scientists will visit the Academy to work collaboratively
with our research and education staff.
Training Tomorrow’s Scientists
Each summer, the Academy Research Division offers internships
in the Summer Systematics Institute (SSI). This past
year, nine undergraduates from around the country participated
in another successful SSI program aimed at training
the next generation of phylogenetic systematists. Interns
conducted individual research projects and the program
culminated with presentations on sand dollar evolution,
frogs from Myanmar and Sao Tomé, and techniques for
illustrating turtles and corals.
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