The Peter Buck Fellowship Program 2014 - 2015 Progress Report Overview This year, the National Museum of Natural History’s Peter Buck Fellowship Program welcomes its fifth class of participants. Reaching this milestone offers a unique perspective, both for reflecting on the Buck Program’s past success and for envisioning the course of its future. Through contributions to research, publications, and educational outreach across all of the Museum’s scientific departments, each class further defines the scope and impact of what it means to be a Peter Buck Fellow. Throughout the Smithsonian and scientific communities, their work is advancing learning about nature and culture—knowledge that ultimately drives solutions for the global challenges we face. For the 67 predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows admitted since the Program began, the experience is a pivotal step in advancing their science careers. The Peter Buck Fellowship Program currently includes a robust group of 34 fellows in residence or anticipated in the next few months. The most recent 14 awardees, selected as the Class of 2015, hail from a variety of academic institutions throughout the United States and beyond. A growing alumni base—currently made up of 27 individuals who have since completed their tenure at the Museum—provides yet another lens for understanding the far-reaching effects of the fellowship experience as they pursue the next phase of their careers. This year also welcomes the first recipients of Buck Fellowships contributing specifically to the goals of two major Museum initiatives. Deep Time fellowship opportunities are aimed at increasing the research, education, and outreach productivity of the Initiative during the period leading up to the opening of the permanent Fossil Hall in 2019. Similarly, Buck Fellows whose research area is related to overarching themes of the Global Genome Initiative (GGI) are committing their time to biodiversity genomic research and other GGI-related activities. This expansion of fellowships, aligning directly with Museum priorities, further demonstrates the significant role of this program in advancing our mission. These emerging scientists are investigating big questions: What might the giant flightless elephant bird of Madagascar teach us about humans’ role in extinction? How might we use records of ancient organisms on Earth as analogue to look for evidence for extraterrestrial life? How are shallow coral reef fishes adapting to the global decline of their habitat in a changing ocean environment? Behind every inquiry lies a wealth of knowledge to be gained, relationships to be forged, and discoveries to be shared with the world. Your generosity and commitment to the Museum’s education and research efforts through the Peter Buck Fellowship Program make this important work possible. Thank you for your ongoing support in building this legacy, which will continue to impact generations of scholars within the scientific community for years to come. 2014 - 2015 Progress Report 2 The following progress report contains three sections: Alumni Update: Where are They Now? An update on the activities and achievements of alumni who have come through the Peter Buck Fellowship Program. Peter Buck Fellows: At a Glance A profile and questionnaire from each of the current Peter Buck Fellows, including the most recent award recipients of 2015. Fellows in-residence were asked to discuss the importance of their research, their progress, favorite moments, notable ways they have disseminated their science, and their plans for the future. Newly selected fellows shared why their research became of personal interest to them, and what they expect to achieve out of their experience at the Smithsonian. Recent Publications A bibliographic listing that captures the 69 most recent works published by Peter Buck Fellows between August 2014 and September 2015. To date, scientific papers co-authored by Peter Buck Fellows exceed 217, often appearing in highly regarded publications and receiving broad media attention. These include a Journal of Petrology article by Laura Waters (who was one of the Fellows who visited with you in your home last spring) that challenged previously held convictions within the scientific field, and a first author paper by Neil Kelley that appeared in Science—a capstone career achievement for any scientist. Copies of these two articles are included in this report, and we would be happy to forward copies of any of the others included in the bibliography. 2014 - 2015 Progress Report 3 Alumni Update: Where are They Now? With its fifth year underway, the Peter Buck Fellowship Program has naturally seen quite a few of its participants complete their training and move on to continue their careers. Program advisors recently spoke with 21 of the program’s 27 alumni to find out what they are doing now. Over half of the group have already obtained permanent or career-track positions in science or cultural studies. Another nine have moved on to subsequent postdoctoral positions or other temporary employment in their fields, and one has taken parental leave while still working part- time on research. Of those in career positions, there are seven tenure-track Assistant Professors or Lecturers at academic institutions, three museum curators, and a journal editor. The academic institutions that have hired Peter Buck Fellows include Massey University in New Zealand, the University of Akron in Ohio, Haifa University in Israel, the University of Minnesota, the University of Chicago, Marshall University in West Virginia, and the University of Puerto Rico. Of the three museum curators, one is at the Denver Museum of Natural History, the very museum where Sant Director Kirk Johnson was Chief Scientist before his role at the Smithsonian. Another is at the Arizona Museum of Natural History, and the third was selected to become a Curator of Entomology here at the National Museum of Natural History. Finally, the editor is at Science, the prestigious international journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Nearly half of the group reported that they obtained another postdoctoral fellowship or other temporary funding for their careers following their Peter Buck Fellowship. This group includes highly accomplished scientists who can be expected to find permanent career positions. Of the 21 alumni who provided feedback, all are pursuing careers that make use of their museum-based training. As alumni attain permanent positions in their fields, their training at the Museum serves as an important foundation upon which they are building their careers. This exemplifies the long-term benefits of the Peter Buck Fellowship Program, both to the lives of the fellows themselves, and to the general advancement of museum-based scholarship. The investment made in a predoctoral or postdoctoral fellow is highly leveraged when that scholar becomes a productive career scientist inspired by experiences at the National Museum of Natural History. 2014 - 2015 Progress Report 4 Peter Buck Fellows: At a Glance 2014 - 2015 Progress Report 5 Current Buck Fellow Listing Name Department Dates of Fellowship Cheryl Ames Invertebrate Zoology January 2014 – December 2015 Bastian Bentlage Invertebrate Zoology July 2015 – June 2017 Antoine Bercovici Paleobiology December 2014 – December 2016 (Deep Time Fellow) Monica Carlsen Botany February 2015 – February 2017 Frederick Davis Mineral Sciences September 2012 – September 2015 Anthropology and Vertebrate Kristina M. G. Douglass January 2016 – January 2018 Zoology Klint Ericson Anthropology September 2013 – September 2016 Nathaniel Evans Invertebrate Zoology August 2014 – August 2015 Danielle Fraser Paleobiology August 2015 – August 2017 Jessica Goodheart Invertebrate Zoology September 2015 – August 2017 Botany Morgan Gostel September 2015 – September 2017 (GGI Fellow) Andrew Gottscho Vertebrate Zoology September 2015 – June 2017 AJ Harris Botany January 2016 – January 2018 Maria Heikkilä Paleobiology February 2015 – January 2017 Margaret A. G. Hinkle Mineral Sciences June 2015 – June 2017 Ana Ješovnik Entomology July 2014 – July 2016 Caroline Judy Vertebrate Zoology January 2014 – January 2016 Ehsan Kayal Invertebrate Zoology September 2014 – August 2016 Neil Kelley Paleobiology January 2014 – December 2015 Fredrick Larabee Entomology September 2015 – September 2017 Francesca Leasi Invertebrate Zoology September 2015 – August 2017 (GGI Fellow) Stéphanie Leclerc-Caffarel Anthropology January 2016 – January 2018 Nicole Lunning Mineral Sciences September 2015 – September 2017 Matthew McCurry Paleobiology August 2015 – August 2016 Molly McDonough Vertebrate Zoology February 2014 – February 2016 Bryan McLean Vertebrate Zoology January 2015 – December 2015 2014 - 2015 Progress Report 6 Theresa Miller Anthropology June 2015 – June 2017 Miguel Pinto Vertebrate Zoology February 2015 – January 2017 Eduardo Ribeiro Anthropology July 2014 – June 2016 Erin Sigel Botany September 2014 – September 2016 Emily Smith Paleobiology September 2015 – September 2017 Laura Soul Paleobiology July 2015 – July 2017 (Deep Time Fellow) Lauren Spearman Entomology January 2015 – January 2016 Nawa Sugiyama Anthropology September 2014 – December 2015 Luke Tornabene Vertebrate Zoology August 2015 – August 2017 Maureen Turcatel Entomology September 2014 – September 2016 Rachel Warnock Paleobiology March 2014 – March 2016 Laura Waters Mineral Sciences January 2015 – December 2016 2014 - 2015 Progress Report 7 Cheryl L. Ames, Dept. of Invertebrate