Jill S. Baron

Last updated
Jill Baron
Jill Baron.jpg
Alma materPh.D. Colorado State University
M.S. University of Wisconsin
B.A. Cornell University
EmployerUnited States Geological Survey
Known forStudy of Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition in Rocky Mountains
AwardsU.S. Dept of Interior, Meritorious Service Award, 2002
Rocky Mountain Park Stewardship Award, 2011
Women of Vision Award, 2015

Jill S. Baron is an American ecosystem ecologist specializing in studying the effects of atmospheric nitrogen deposition in mountain ecosystems. [1] She is a senior scientist at the United States Geological Survey and a senior research ecologist at the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at Colorado State University. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Baron attended high school in Wisconsin and credited her involvement in ecology to her high school biology teacher, Mr. Lee. [3] She states that Mr. Lee urged her class to explore nature in person and organized a trip every spring break with his students to study ecology in Georgia and Arizona. [3] Baron went on to receive a bachelor's degree in plant sciences from Cornell University with a minor in geology in 1976. [1] She got her master's degree from the University of Wisconsin Madison in land resources in 1979. [1] Baron earned backing from the National Park Service during her masters work in the Gulf Islands National Seashore. [4] Dr. Baron received a Ph.D. from Colorado State University in ecosystem ecology in 1991. [5]

Career and research

Baron started her career working part-time for the National Park Service throughout her master's degree. [4] She was then hired to work full-time for the National Park Service in Washington D.C. and wrote a proposal to study acid rain in the rocky mountains; from 1981 on Baron worked on the rocky mountains. [4] Now she studies atmospheric nitrogen deposition in mountain ecosystems through the biochemical and ecologic effects and how to manage ecosystems heavily influenced by humans. [5]

Baron founded the John Wesley Powell Center at the United States Geological Survey as a subset for new synthesis and analysis. [1] Baron started the Lock Vale Watershed in Rocky Mountain National Park and has served as principal investigator continuing the recording and research of the past thirty years. [6]

Baron served as president of the Ecological Society of America in 2014 and remains a fellow. [1] She was the editor-in-chief of "Issues in Ecology" from 2009 to 2012. [1]

Baron is currently one of two women senior scientists for the United States Geological Survey. [6] The USGS promoted Baron in 2015 after she worked as a research ecologist for 19 years. Out of the 9,000 employees of the USGS, fewer than 50 are named senior scientists. [3] Baron is also a senior research ecologist at the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at Colorado State University. [2] Over her career, Baron's research has informed policymakers on the changing nature of the Rocky Mountains, she testified in front of the House of Representatives Committee on Science on May 3, 2001 on atmospheric deposition in the western United States. [1]

Publications

The following list is Baron's top publications and co-publications based on the number of citations in Google Scholar. [7]

Public engagement and outreach

Baron is invested in forwarding women's role in science, highlighted by her 2015 "Women of Vision Award". She has mentored many female graduate students and acts as a role model through her many accomplishments. [2] Baron talked on Women in Science stating, "All the common barriers you could think of still exist for women in the sciences" she continued saying, "It’s vital for women to take a strong role in scientific fields because we need all the brain power we can get to solve major environmental problems. Half the world’s population shouldn’t be excluded from those efforts." [2] She remains engaged in advocating for women in science by working through the Ecology Society of America to help start Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity, and Sustainability (SEEDS) programs at universities. [2]

Awards and honors

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecology</span> Study of organisms and their environment

Ecology is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps with the closely related sciences of biogeography, evolutionary biology, genetics, ethology, and natural history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecosystem</span> Community of living organisms together with the nonliving components of their environment

An ecosystem is a system that environments and their organisms form through their interaction. The biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G. David Tilman</span> American ecologist (born 1949)

George David Tilman, ForMemRS, is an American ecologist. He is Regents Professor and McKnight Presidential Chair in Ecology at the University of Minnesota, as well as an instructor in Conservation Biology; Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; and Microbial Ecology. He is director of the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve long-term ecological research station. Tilman is also a professor at University of California, Santa Barbara's Bren School of Environmental Science & Management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human impact on the nitrogen cycle</span>

Human impact on the nitrogen cycle is diverse. Agricultural and industrial nitrogen (N) inputs to the environment currently exceed inputs from natural N fixation. As a consequence of anthropogenic inputs, the global nitrogen cycle (Fig. 1) has been significantly altered over the past century. Global atmospheric nitrous oxide (N2O) mole fractions have increased from a pre-industrial value of ~270 nmol/mol to ~319 nmol/mol in 2005. Human activities account for over one-third of N2O emissions, most of which are due to the agricultural sector. This article is intended to give a brief review of the history of anthropogenic N inputs, and reported impacts of nitrogen inputs on selected terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Margaret A. Palmer is a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Entomology at the University of Maryland and director of the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC). Palmer works on the restoration of streams and rivers, and is co-author of the book Foundations of Restoration Ecology. Palmer has been an invited speaker in numerous and diverse settings including regional and international forums, science-diplomacy venues, and popular outlets such as The Colbert Report.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diana Wall</span> American biologist (1943–2024)

Diana Harrison Wall was an American environmental scientist and soil ecologist. She was the founding director of the School of Global Environmental Sustainability, a distinguished biology professor, and senior research scientist at the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at Colorado State University. Wall investigated ecosystem processes, soil biodiversity and ecosystem services. Her research focused on the Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys and its Wall Valley was named after her. Wall was a globally recognized leader and speaker on life in Antarctica and climate change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon J. Hall</span> American ecosystem ecologist

Sharon J. Hall is an ecosystem ecologist and associate professor at the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University. Her research focuses on ecosystem ecology and the ways that human activity interacts with the environment.

Nancy B. Grimm is an American ecosystem ecologist and professor at Arizona State University. Grimm's substantial contributions to the understanding of urban and arid ecosystem biogeochemistry are recognized in her numerous awards. Grimm is an elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, Ecological Society of America, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Pamela H. Templer is an ecosystem ecologist and professor at Boston University who focuses on plant-microbial interaction and their effect on carbon exchange and nutrient cycling. She is also interested in examining how urban ecosystems function, how human actions influence nutrient cycling, atmosphere-biosphere interactions, and other ecosystem processes.

Jana Compton is a research ecologist for the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) office of research and development. Her work focuses on identifying sources of nitrogen pollution and connecting those issues to how they effect our ecosystem services.

M. Francesca Cotrufo is a soil ecologist who focuses her work on litter decomposition and the dynamics of soil organic matter. She is currently a Professor and Associate Head in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, as well the Senior Scientist at the Natural Resource Ecology Lab, at Colorado State University.

Christine Goodale is an ecosystem ecologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University. Goodale conducts research that studies the cycling of water, carbon, nitrogen and other nutrients through forest ecosystems.

Anne E. Giblin is a marine biologist who researches the cycling of elements nitrogen, sulfur, iron and phosphorus. She is a Senior Scientist and Acting Director of the Ecosystem Center at the Marine Biological Lab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Bartuska</span> American ecologist and biologist (born 1953)

Ann M. Bartuska is an ecologist and biologist. She is a senior advisor at Resources for the Future and a former Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics (REE) at the United States Department of Agriculture and former USDA Chief Scientist.

Ingrid C. "Indy" Burke is the Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. Dean at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. She is the first female dean in the school's 116 year history. Her area of research is ecosystem ecology with a primary focus on carbon cycling and nitrogen cycling in semi-arid rangeland ecosystems. She teaches on subjects relating to ecosystem ecology, and biogeochemistry.

Kathleen C. Weathers is an ecosystem scientist and the G. Evelyn Hutchinson Chair in Ecology at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. Her expertise focuses on understanding the ecology of air-land-water interactions. Weathers is the current elected President of the Ecological Society of America (2020-2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jayne Belnap</span> American soil ecologist (1952- )

Jayne Belnap is an American soil ecologist. Her expertise lies in desert ecologies and grassland ecosystems.

Michelle Cailin Mack is an ecologist working on the connections between plants and climate in polar regions. She is a fellow of the Ecological Society of America and the American Geophysical Union. She currently holds the title of Regent's Professor at Northern Arizona University.

Serita D. Frey is an American academic and ecologist, who serves as Professor of Environmental Science at the University of New Hampshire. Her research considers how human activities impact terrestrial ecosystems.

Bridget Emmett is a British ecologist, Professor and Science Area Head for the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. She is the President of British Ecological Society from 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Jill Baron, Ph.D." www.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Novak, Rob (2015-07-27). "Jill Baron named 2015 Woman of Vision - SOURCE". SOURCE. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Aragon-Long, Susan. "A Snapshot of Women of the U.S. Geological Survey in STEM and Related Careers" (PDF).
  4. 1 2 3 Sprugel, Doug (2016-06-22). "Jill S. Baron". The Ecological Society of America's History and Records. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  5. 1 2 "Jill Baron | Aspen Global Change Institute". www.agci.org. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
  6. 1 2 "Jill Baron – Biography – Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at Colorado State University". www.nrel.colostate.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  7. ↑ "Jill Baron - Google Scholar Citations". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  8. ↑ Hobbs, Richard; Baron (2006). "Novel Ecosystems: Theoretical and Management Aspects of the New Ecological World Order". Global Ecology and Biogeography. 15: 1–7. doi:10.1111/j.1466-822X.2006.00212.x. hdl: 10019.1/117077 . S2CID   6257192.
  9. ↑ Fenn, Mark; Baron (1998). "Nitrogen Excess in North American Ecosystems: predisposing factors, ecosystem responses and management strategies". Ecological Applications. 8 (3): 706–733. doi:10.1890/1051-0761(1998)008[0706:NEINAE]2.0.CO;2. S2CID   49954333.
  10. ↑ Groffman, Peter; Baron (2006). "Ecological Thresholds: The Key to Successful Environmental Management or an Important Concept with No Practical Application?". Ecosystems. 9: 1–13. doi:10.1007/s10021-003-0142-z. S2CID   11506432.
  11. ↑ Walko, Robert; Baron (2000). "Coupled Atmosphere–Biophysics–Hydrology Models for Environmental Modeling". Journal of Applied Meteorology. 39 (6): 931–944. Bibcode:2000JApMe..39..931W. doi: 10.1175/1520-0450(2000)039<0931:CABHMF>2.0.CO;2 . S2CID   3759815.
  12. ↑ Baron, Jill (2002). "Meeting Ecological and Societal Needs for Freshwater". Ecological Applications. 12 (5): 1247–1260. doi:10.1890/1051-0761(2002)012[1247:MEASNF]2.0.CO;2. hdl: 1813/57244 . S2CID   84471101.
  13. ↑ Parton, William; Baron (1998). "DAYCENT and its Land Surface Submodel: Description and Testing". Global and Planetary Change. 19 (1–4): 35–48. Bibcode:1998GPC....19...35P. doi:10.1016/S0921-8181(98)00040-X.
  14. ↑ Elser, James; Baron (2009). "Shifts in Lake N:P Stoichiometry and Nutrient Limitation Driven by Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition". Science. 326 (5954): 835–837. Bibcode:2009Sci...326..835E. doi:10.1126/science.1176199. PMID   19892979. S2CID   11336281.
  15. ↑ Fenn, Mark; Baron (2003). "Nitrogen Emissions, Deposition, and Monitoring in the Western United States". BioScience. 53 (4): 391. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2003)053[0391:NEDAMI]2.0.CO;2.
  16. ↑ Baron, Jill (July 2000). "Ecosystem Responses to Nitrogen Deposition in the Colorado Front Range". Ecosystems. 3 (4): 352–368. doi:10.1007/s100210000032. S2CID   25374551.
  17. 1 2 Houston, Terrance. "USGS scientist named Ecological Society of America president".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.