Environmental science and policy professor Alan Hastings has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS).

Hastings, a theoretical ecologist, uses mathematical models to understand shifts in natural systems — from saltmarsh grasses and coral reefs to chaos in ecology. His recent research has helped explain synchronous events in the environment — work applicable to why species go extinct — as well as how humans may be forcing an irreversible “tipping point” for Earth. He developed with collaborators some of the initial models of marine protected areas, showing their value as a management tool. In addition to other influential work, a number of his contributions have helped explain the dynamics of ecological populations and food webs.

NAS is a private, nonprofit institution established under a congressional charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Election to the academy is one of the highest science honors in the United States. The new NAS class comprises 84 members and 21 foreign associates elected in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. The academy has 2,250 active members and 452 foreign associates. UC Davis has 27 NAS members.

Alan Hastings
Department of Environmental Science and Policy
530-752-8116
amhastings@ucdavis.edu
 

http://www.caes.ucdavis.edu/news/publications/currents/2015/may-14-2015#alan