Discovery Park Distinguished Lecture: Dr. Diana H. Wall

We are especially pleased to invite Dr. Diana Wall as our next Discovery Park Distinguished Lecturer at Purdue University. Please join us on Monday, April 5 from 1:30-2:30 pm for this virtual seminar. (Must register here to receive WebEx seminar details).

Bio:

Diana H. Wall is a world-renowned ecologist and the inaugural director of the School of Global Environmental Sustainability. She is an ecologist and environmental scientist internationally recognized for her research documenting and exploring the complexity of biodiversity in soils, the importance of this biodiversity for ecosystem health, and the consequences of human activities on soils globally. Her research in agricultural and less managed ecosystems has emphasized how life in soil, from microbes to invertebrates, contributes to ecosystem services. Wall’s more than 25 years of research in the Antarctic continues to clarify the critical links between climate change and soil biodiversity. In 2014, she was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame.

Seminar Abstract:

Soil biodiversity, estimated at 25% of all known species on earth, is crucial for life aboveground. Soil biodiversity (animals and microbes) performs functions such as nutrient cycling and decomposing waste and provides many benefits, such as disease suppression, pest management, and climate regulation. There is growing scientific evidence indicating that soil biodiversity and the ecosystem functions and services they provide can optimize the successful implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this talk, Dr. Wall will discuss the state of knowledge on the emerging field of soil biodiversity science and implications for sustainability under current and future environmental change.

Sponsors:

Discovery Park

Lilly Endowment Inc.

Purdue Center for the Environment

Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, College of Agriculture

Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence