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SHARON COLLINGE BECOMES NEWSLETTER EDITOR

On 1 January 2010, Sharon Collinge will become editor of Society for Conservation Biology Newsletter.

Sharon Collinge attended her first SCB meeting in 1990, which deeply influenced her decision to embark on a career in conservation biology. She earned a doctorate in landscape ecology from Harvard University in 1995, and in 1998 became an assistant professor of biology and environmental studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Sharon was named a 2004 Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow in recognition of her outstanding leadership ability and desire to communicate scientific issues beyond academic audiences. She currently teaches courses in conservation biology, restoration ecology, and environmental science, and mentors students in research and career development in these fields.

Sharon's research centers on how land-use changes in the grasslands of the American west affect the survival and persistence of native plants and animals. She studies how landscape modification influences the emergence of infectious diseases, specifically the impacts of urbanization on plague outbreaks in prairie dogs. Her work also integrates ecological science with restoration of endangered vernal pool species and ecosystems in California. Sharon's newly published book, Ecology of Fragmented Landscapes, synthesizes research on the ecological consequences of habitat loss and fragmentation and reviews ways in which science can inform ecological restoration and conservation planning.

Sharon is engaged in interdisciplinary research, teaching, and outreach. She is an active participant in the University of Colorado's Center for the American West, a collaborative group that integrates perspectives from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences to inform Westerners about public policy. Sharon directs the graduate program in Environmental Studies at her university, served a term as Member at Large for the Ecological Society of America, and has served as a delegate and faculty resource person for the Organization for Tropical Studies. She provides scientific advice for local and national non-profit organizations on conservation and restoration issues and for government agencies on matters related to protection of endangered species and their habitats.

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