AASP Primary Records Program

ESA 2001 - Day 3 - Tuesday 7 August 2001
nasw.org/users/ajacobson/BMN/ESA_Day3_Davis.htm

Profile:
Margaret B. Davis
by Anne Jacobson

"Science is a search for answers to questions. That being the case, how can one think about science without doing research? "

Part time-traveler and part fortune-teller, Margaret Davis coaxes information about the future health of tree species from the pollen deposits of ancient forests. By tracking the changing numbers of each species' pollen grains, she maps the long-term migration of trees over the North American landscape. Determining the past migration of tree species - each with its own specific climate requirements - also reveals patterns of historic climate change. Her latest research, conducted at the University of Minnesota, where she is Regents professor of ecology, suggests that some trees may not meet the challenge of adapting to today's rapid changes in temperature and moisture. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, Davis served as the 1988-1989 president of the Ecological Society of America and won the society's Eminent Ecologist Award in 1993.

What event led you into research?

No single event led me to a career in scientific research. I understood from the scientists I met that science is a search for answers to questions. That being the case, how can one think about science without doing research?

Who has most inspired and/or influenced your work?

When I finished college, I was fortunate to have a Fulbright fellowship to Denmark, where I studied in the laboratory of Johannes Iversen. He emphasized the paleoecologists must understand ecology in order to interpret the fossil record of communities and ecosystems in the past.

Who awarded you your first grant and what was it for?

The National Science Foundation. The grant was for research to calibrate pollen records against modern vegetation. I proposed to collect surface samples of sediment, analyze the pollen, and compare the pollen frequencies with quantitative samples of modern vegetation.

Which scientific idea (yours or others') do you regret the most?

I encouraged everyone to measure pollen concentrations, but the method I developed to determine concentration was so difficult to use that everyone found it daunting. A few years later, another scientist developed an easier method, and then the field developed more quickly.

What is the greatest unanswered scientific question?

There are many, many unanswered questions in science. No one should have difficulty finding research to do.

What are your scientific plans for the next 5 years?

I am retired now and feel that I should not initiate major research programs. In any case, I doubt that granting agencies would support me in research. I plan to write up all the research results I have obtained that are as yet unpublished. When I have completed that I will do something different - perhaps science writing for nonscientists.

What are the qualities of a successful researcher?

Success depends 50% on brains and 50% on personality. I believe that a good researcher must have insights, but must also persist in following up on those insights. Willingness to work very hard with few external rewards is essential.

If you could work with any scientist (historical or current), who would it be?

I have collaborated with many different scientists, but not for extended periods with any one person. It is stimulating to have colleagues who continually provide new perspectives on research problems, and this has led me to seek out new colleagues as new research horizons have opened for me.

The Quaternary Times 2002. Vol. 32, No. 2, p. 1-2.

AMQUA Distinguished Career Awards presented by President Cathy Whitlock at the Anchorage AMQUA Meeting -- 2001 Award, Margaret Davis

Margaret Davis received the 2001 Distinguished Career Award at the AMQUA Biennial meeting in Anchorage in recognition of more than four decades of research in Quaternary paleoecology. Margaret's research contributions range from her work in establishing pollen analysis as a paleoenvironmental tool to her studies of the response of plant communities to past, present, and future climate changes.

She served as AMQUA President from 1987-19880 and President of the Ecological Society of American in 1987-1988, and currently is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Margaret recently retired from the University of Minnesota where she taught and mentored many young scientists in Quaternary paleoecology

Dick Brugam introduced Margaret and President Cathy WHitlock presented the Award to her at the Business Meeting.

In Accepting the award, Margaret described some of the research areas that interest her and make paleoecology especially relevant for modern conservation efforts. She noted that species adapt to environmental change in a variety of ways. Among the responses is the ability for populations to adjust their ranges, and tree migration is a key feature of the Quaternary record.

Margaret cautioned that the unprecedented climate changes projected in the future may disrupt the balance between adaptation and migration and ultimately affect the species. She stressed the need for interdisciplinary research at the cutting edge of genetics, paleoecology, and environmental change if we are to tackle critical biodiversity issues.

Cathy Whitlock