Smithsonian Conservationist to Give ‘Strange Bedfellows?’ Talk at UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A research scientist with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute will discuss biodiversity studies done in collaboration with oil and gas companies in an upcoming talk at The University of Alabama.

Dr. Jessica Deichmann will present “Strange Bedfellows? Conducting Research Alongside Industry to Improve Biodiversity Conservation” at 4 p.m. March 7 in Shelby Hall, room 1093. The talk is part of a UA department of biological sciences’ lecture series and is free and open to the public.

Deichmann will discuss four ongoing projects in Peru, South America and Gabon, Africa. In these research collaborations between industry and conservationists, methods designed to avoid and minimize impacts of exploration in sensitive tropical habitats are evaluated.

The department of biological sciences is part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.