DURHAM, N.C. – Four Nicholas School faculty members have been invited to present recent research findings at the 2005 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Feb. 17-21, in Washington, D.C.

The AAAS meeting is the largest general science conference of the year. It attracts thousands of researchers, policy makers, students and reporters from around the world. Being invited to present or moderate a symposium at AAAS is widely viewed as a measure of a researcher’s high stature in his field.

The Nicholas School is always well represented at the meeting. Last year, five faculty members were invited to present.

Scheduled presenters for the 2005 meeting are:

•&Բ;, Stephen Toth Professor of Marine Biology, will present "The Impact of Interacting Threats to Marine Ecosystems," at 1:45 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20, as part of a symposium titled "Recovering Our Lost Legacy: Science and Policy to Restore Overfished Seas.” He is co-organizer of the symposium.

Crowder also will serve as moderator for a second symposium, “New Findings Challenge Foundations of Fisheries Management,” at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 19.

•, Doris 51 Professor of Conservation Ecology, will present “What Food Web Models Can and Cannot Tell Ecosystem Managers” at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, as part of the symposium, “Marine Ecosystem-Based Management: Lessons from the Land.”

•&Բ;, Harvey W. Smith Professor of Biological Oceanography and chair of the Division of Coastal Systems Science and Policy, will present, “El Nino Southern Oscillations: Decadal Low-Frequency Impacts on Biological Productivity of the Oceans” at 8 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 20. His talk is part of the symposium, “Biological Perturbations in the Melting World Oceans: Impacts of Climate Change.”

•&Բ;, professor of resource ecology, will present “Ecological Assessment of the Restoration Potential of the Mesopotamian Marshes” at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 20. Richardson’s talk is part of the symposium, “Can the Mesopotamian Marshes’ Garden of Eden in Iraq be Restored?” He also will serve as moderator of the symposium.

For a complete list of all AAAS symposia and presenters, go online at  and click on the link for the 2005 annual meeting.