Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center

BREAKING NEWS

Benjamin Krasnoff has completed his Masters Thesis! 🎓

Benjamin studied the 2024 periodical cicada emergence, specifically their response to different land-use types across St. Louis. He looking forward to continuing his research career in a PhD program.

We can’t wait to see what cool things you do next! CONGRATULATIONS!!

BREAKING NEWS!

It’s official: Dr. Jeremy Howard successfully defended his PhD! 🎓

Over the past few years, Jeremy has researched bumblebees’ navigation and cognition in urban areas. At UMSL, he wrote for the school’s newspaper, The Current, and worked as an educator at the St. Louis Zoo. Since 2023, Jeremy has hosted and produced That Science and Nature Show , where he discusses topics from current events to research with fellow graduate students and special guests, such as KMOV’s Steve Templeton.

We’re confident you’ll achieve even more great things. Best wishes for your next chapter. CONGRATULATIONS!!

BREAKING NEWS

Dr. John Bender successfully defended his PhD on July 8th! 🎓

John has been the executive director of Pacific Bird Conservation for years, leading conservation initiatives in the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Guam. He has worked on restoring ecosystems impacted by invasive species by relocating native birds to support their recovery. Additionally, during his time at UMSL, John was a Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Fellow.

We look forward to seeing your future achievements! CONGRATULATIONS!!

We are looking to share this information especially with former students, mentees, and colleagues of Bob Ricklefs. His memorial event is planned for August 17th at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. Please see the post for details and also how you can share your memories and photos with us as we celebrate his life and huge impact on ecology and ecologists.

We wanted to share an update with everyone about the plans for a memorial for Dr. Robert E. "Bob" Ricklefs, who passed away on June 7, 2026.

A memorial event is planned to celebrate Bob’s life and legacy on Monday, August 17 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the UMSL Campus. All are welcome to attend, and we hope you can join us. We will have a reception from 3-5pm, with brief remarks beginning at 4pm.

Please share your memories and photos of Bob with us at the following website, where you can also indicate if you plan to attend the memorial event:

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/9NETCW3EcB

BREAKING NEWS

There's a new doctor in the building! Please join us in congratulating Dr. George Todd on successfully defending his PhD today! 🎓

George spent the last several years studying hover flies and behavior patterns in these important, but understudied pollinators.

Years of hard work and late nights have officially paid off. George, you've been a joy to work with, and we can't wait to see all the incredible things you'll do next. The future is yours! CONGRATULATIONS!!

It is with great sadness that the UMSL Department of Biology and the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center share the passing of Dr. Robert E. "Bob" Ricklefs on June 7, 2026.

Bob served as Curators' Professor of Biology for more than two decades, building one of the most significant careers in modern ecology. He was a warm and thoughtful colleague and an inspiring mentor to graduate students and postdocs. A member of the National Academy of Sciences and recipient of the Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology, he advanced our understanding of evolutionary ecology, island biogeography, and the forces that shape biodiversity across the globe. He literally wrote the textbook, which has further introduced the discipline to students worldwide.

His influence at UMSL extended well beyond his own research. After winning the Margalef Prize in 2015, he and his wife, Dr. Susanne Renner, established an endowment known as the Margalef Seminar in Ecology, which brings leading scientists to campus year after year to talk with biology students. He measured his success not in honors but in the people he trained, once quoted as saying his students were the greatest reward of his work.

Our community is better for his decades of contribution and advocacy. We extend our condolences to his family, his colleagues and collaborators, and the many scientists he mentored. His legacy endures in all of them.

A memorial is being planned to celebrate Bob; we will share details as they are finalized.

Happy World Environment Day!

This year's theme is "Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future." — a pretty good description of what our community does every day.

The faculty, students, and alumni of the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center study how ecosystems work and how to protect them. Our students are training as the next generation of conservation scientists, and our alumni are out doing that work right now in research, in policy, and in the field around the world.

Today, we're recognizing all of them.

Thank you for the science. Happy World Environment Day from all of us at the Harris Center. 🌱

The Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center mourns the passing of Ted Turner, who died on May 6, 2026, at his home in Florida at the age of 87.

In 2000, Turner received our World Ecology Award, now the Robert R. Hermann World Ecology Award, in recognition of his sustained commitment to environmental protection and his work to raise public awareness of biodiversity conservation.

Beyond his career in media, Turner was a lifelong environmentalist and one of the largest private conservationists in the United States. He advocated for cleaner transportation, wilderness conservation, sustainable business practices, and the recovery of imperiled species — including the Mexican wolf, California condor, black-tailed prairie dog, and desert bighorn sheep. He managed the largest private bison herd in the world across his ranches in several states.

Named Time Magazine's Man of the Year in 1991 and the recipient of dozens of honorary degrees and civic honors, Turner used his platform and personal wealth in service of the natural world and the people who depend on it. His legacy will endure in the lands he protected and the species he helped bring back.

Join us next week for a Discover Series talk by our director, Dr. Aimee Dunlap! She'll be presenting "The Ecology and Evolution of Learning Across Species" for NextGen Precision Health on Tuesday, May 12th at the UMSL campus.

Attend in person or join virtually — registration link below.

https://events.zoom.us/ev/Au-uoIFw1cmTdUEioxnZ-hDH5_HFkEEHc2KLaoIjCXhxcZMPrM9z~AlBHalgsMq0PT1OVHB6MN1WGE79yCe7RtaW_X0lyYkG-1nlLRDaOBWxzsg

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Dr. Peter H. Raven, President Emeritus of the Missouri Botanical Garden, who died on Saturday, April 25, at the age of 89.

Dr. Raven was, without exaggeration, one of the most influential botanists of the past century. Over nearly four decades as director of the Missouri Botanical Garden, he transformed it into a global center for botanical research, education, and conservation. He was an early and persistent voice on the loss of biodiversity, a recipient of the National Medal of Science, and a mentor and collaborator to generations of scientists working across the world.

For those of us at the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center, his loss is felt with particular weight. The work we do, training students from around the world to lead conservation research and shape policy in their home countries, exists in the landscape Dr. Raven helped build. The deep partnership between UMSL and the Missouri Botanical Garden has shaped countless careers, including that of our most recent World Ecology Award recipient, Dr. Lúcia G. Lohmann, who succeeded the institution Dr. Raven led.

Dr. Raven's work was guided by the conviction that understanding the natural world carries with it an obligation to sustain it. This conviction continues to guide our students, our faculty, and our mission. We are grateful for his life's work, and we extend our condolences to his family, his colleagues at the Garden, and the global community of scientists who learned from him.

Photo credit: Missouri Botanical Garden | Michael Jacob

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/peter-raven/fbclid/iwy2xjawrd8dnlehrua2flbqixmqbzcnrjbmfwcf9pzbaymjiwmzkxnzg4mjawodkyaaeec40sow4g_fxvpzhjxipdzphm3xswkih7jbu41kvewvfmdnsqifyigotkmy4_aem_fhxyicunayfero4cxipd3q