WWU to present 'Move, Adapt, or Die: How Arctic Species Survived the Ice Ages' at city hall May 18

Western Washington University Assistant Professor of Biology Eric DeChaine will present “Move, Adapt, or Die: How Arctic Species Survived the Ice Ages” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 18, at the Bellingham City Council chambers, second floor, Bellingham City Hall, 210 Lottie St.

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is offered as the third event of the annual Science and the UniverCity community science lecture series. It is sponsored by the WWU College of Sciences and Technology, the City of Bellingham, and, along with the other CST outreach programs, ‘Wizards at Western” and the “Leaders in Their Fields,” is also sponsored in part by a grant from the Cherry Point BP refinery.

During the ice ages, the climate oscillated between cold and warm periods and habitats shifted accordingly – forcing populations to either persist in isolated areas, migrate to areas of more suitable habitat, adapt to the changing environment, or go extinct. This talk will focus on the role that ice-age climate cycles played in the development of biological diversity in the Arctic. In this presentation, DeChaine will lead attendees across the Arctic on an adventure researching the beautiful world of the tundra, its dramatic landscapes, and the spectacular life that evolved in some of the world's harshest climate regions.

Eric DeChaine is from northern California; he earned his doctorate in ecological and evolutionary biology from the University of Colorado in Boulder and then moved to Cambridge, Mass., for a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University. He has been an assistant professor and the herbarium curator in the Biology Department at WWU since 2006. DeChaine’s research areas include Quaternary biogeography, evolution, and plant systematics, and he is author of numerous publications in professional journals.

“We are pleased again this year to have the support of the City in our efforts to bring programs on important topics in science and technology to the Bellingham community. Furthermore, to have endorsement of our efforts, in the form of support for this series by the BP Corporation, is especially gratifying,” said Arlan Norman, dean of the College of Sciences and Technology. “This is a program for the community, a program that we hope really contributes to the general understanding of many important and exciting topics in today’s complex world of scientific and technological advances.”

All of WWU’s Science and the UniverCity lectures are also taped and rebroadcast on Bellingham BTV 10.