Past NIMBioS Postdoctoral Fellow
A. Michelle Lawing
Dates: December 2012 – December 2013
Project Title: Evolution of multivariate systems
Anna Michelle Lawing (Ph.D. Geological Sciences and Biology, Indiana Univ., 2012) developed methods to synthesize general circulation climate models, phylogenetics, species distribution modeling, morphology, and ecometrics to understand how species and communities respond to their changing environments. Part of this work involves ongoing development of new methods for modeling the evolution of multivariate systems (e.g., multidimensional climatic niches, genetic covariance matrices, and morphological shapes) and to reconstruct their phylogenetic changes. The paucity of methods to simultaneously deal with covariance and the non-independence of species and traits hampers ecological and evolutionary analysis. Multivariate systems with high dimensionality and complex correlation structures are a fundamental component of phylogenetics, quantitative genetics, climate change biology, ecology, and paleontology. will continue my research endeavors at Texas A&M University in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management in College Station, TX as an Assistant Professor of Spatial Sciences. Upon completing her fellowship at NIMBioS, Dr. Lawing accepted a position as assistant professor of spatial sciences in the department of ecosystem science and management at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.
LiveScience Profile Q&A with Dr. Lawing: Math models predict climate change effects
NIMBioS Seminar:
Species geographic response to past climate change and the evolution of multivariate systems
Video Interview:
Species and climate change
Feature Story: Climate change threatens Northern American Turtle habitat
Publications while at NIMBioS:
Meik JM, Streicher JW, Lawing AM, Flores-Villela O, Fujita MK. 2015. Limitations of Climatic Data for Inferring Species Boundaries: Insights from Speckled Rattlesnakes. PLOS One, 10(6): e0131435. [Online]
Lawing AM, Matzke NJ. 2014. Conservation paleobiology needs phylogenetic methods. Ecography, 37(11): 1109-1122. [Online]
Rodder D, Lawing AM, Flecks M, Ahmadzadeh F, Dambach J, Engler JO, Habel JC , Hartmann T, Hornes D, Ihlow F, Schidelko K, Stiels D, Polly PD. 2013. Evaluating the significance of paleophylogeographic species distribution models in reconstructing Quaternary range-shifts of Nearctic chelonians. PLoS ONE, 8(10): e72855. [Online].
Presentations while at NIMBioS:
Lawing AM. 2013. Integrated climate change biology: Using the past to predict future species response to climate change. Bioinformatics Symposium, University of Texas, El Paso.
Lawing AM. 2013. Integrated climate change biology: Using the past to predict future species response to climate change. Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.
Lawing AM. 5 October 2013. Using evolutionary biology to inform our understanding of species and community responses to environmental change. Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in the Sciences Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX. [Online]
Lawing M. 5 March 2013. Species geographic response to past climate change and the evolution of multivariate systems. NIMBioS Seminar Series, NIMBioS, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN. [Online]
Lawing AM. January 2013. Using the past to inform future expectations of species response to climate change. The Convergence of Conservation Paleontology and Biogeography Plenary Symposium, 6th International Biogeography Conference, Miami, FL.
Education, Outreach and Training
Minority-serving Institution Partner Visit 2013. Invited to speak at University of Texas El Paso, visited with faculty and students to strengthen ties between this minority serving institution partner and NIMBioS.
Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in the Sciences Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX. October 2013. Invited to speak to undergraduate minorities in the sciences.
Adventures in STEM, Knoxville, TN. June 2013. Invited to speak at this science, math, and engineering camp for middle school girls.
Girls in STEM, L&N High School STEM Academy, Knoxville, TN. March 2012. Invited to speak at launch event for female students in high school.
National Center for Evolutionary Synthesis Summer Institute (2013). Santa Barbara, CA
NIMBioS Postdoc Career Development Seminars
NIMBioS Interdisciplinary Seminars
Energy and Environment Forum in the Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy
Brian O'Meara lab meetings, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville
Media Coverage:
UT study: Turtles may have trouble adapting to climate change. WUOT Radio.
North American turtles losing their habitats to climate change. Reptile Channel.
Slithering away: A warming planet displaces snakes' habitat. Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013 blog.
Turtles on the run as habitats shift and sink. Red Orbit.
NIMBioS
1122 Volunteer Blvd., Suite 106
University of Tennessee
Knoxville,
TN 37996-3410
PH: (865) 974-9334
FAX: (865) 974-9461
Contact NIMBioS
