Taylor Joins EESI As Associate Director
 |
Alan H. Taylor, professor of geography, has joined the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI) as the new associate director. Taylor’s interests in ecological biogeography and vegetation change make for a natural fit with EESI’s interdisciplinary mission of environmental research, education and outreach. EESI Director Sue Brantley noted how Taylor’s expertise in geographical ecology complements the broad, multi-disciplinary approach to environmental science that is the hallmark of EESI. |
|---|
“Alan’s 20 years of research experience on the impacts of human activity and climate change on forest ecosytems and biodiversity and his proven track record of collaboration across colleges at Penn State will further strengthen EESI’s leadership in environmental research at the University,” Brantley said.
Taylor, who is the founding director of the University’s Vegetation Dynamics Laboratory that studies vegetation change over periods of decades to thousands of years, plans to use his new position to promote more interaction between scientists and students in EMS and those in the life sciences in other colleges at Penn State.
“There is particular potential to develop new and innovative research focused on the effects of land cover change on ecosystems, carbon cycle science, and climate change and disease on the Penn State campus,” Taylor said.
Taylor’s recent research has focused on the interaction between forest fire activity and climate in the western United States. As part of this research, he and colleagues at government research laboratories and universities are examining the long-term interactions between ocean circulation patterns—such as El Nino, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation—and drought and fire activity. This and other research on the interannual variability in fire weather may permit fire managers to incorporate longer term forecasts into fire planning.