Save the Date! Our 2023 distinguished visitor is Dr. May Berenbaum, Swanlund Chair at the University of Illinois, Cornell Alumna, and an A.D. White Professor-at-Large. May is world-renowned as an organismal biologist and there will be several events for the community the week of October 2, 2023. We look forward to seeing you!

Cornell University is home to one of world’s largest and most vibrant communities of researchers using ecological and evolutionary approaches to understand the biology of organisms.

This community spans numerous departments and centers, meaning the organismal biology research is central to the broader biology and environmental science teaching and research missions at Cornell.

In recognition and celebration of this group, Cornell’s annual Distinguished Visitor in Organismal Biology gives a prominent lecture each autumn and participates in a retreat designed to promote community building and engagement with students and faculty. Established with an endowment in 2021, the DVOB brings together natural scientists from across at least five units, spanning the breadth of organismal biology at Cornell (Departments of Natural Resources and the Environment, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Entomology, Neurobiology and Behavior, and the School for Integrated Plant Sciences).

Each year DVOB has a theme, focused on diverse approaches and transcending traditional boundaries in organismal biology, ecology and evolution. Our explicit goal is integration, collaboration, and celebration of organismal biology, recognizing that understanding the whole organism is central to advances in biology, no matter what questions are asked or methods are ultimately used.

The retreat is typically held off campus, including a professional development activity, lunch, afternoon talks, and social time. A keynote lecture is given by the Distinguished Visitor, with several shorter talks by Cornell faculty, students, and postdocs. One goal of the retreat is to provide an informal venue for members of the community to gather and interact. By occurring early in the fall semester, it also serves to welcome new graduate students and postdocs working across the many fields that make up our vibrant community.

 

The Distinguished Visitor in Organismal Biology annual series is made possible through an endowment and financial contributions from the participating departments.