Canon National Parks Science Scholars Announced for 2002; Program Expanded to Become International in Scope.

Business Editors

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 28, 2002

The Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program for the Americas has selected eight new Ph.D. students as recipients of its prestigious $78,000 annual scholarships.

This year, the program has expanded to include students and research in national parks throughout the Americas. The Americas include the United States, Canada, Mexico, the countries of Central and South America, and the countries of the Caribbean.

By providing support to Ph.D. students throughout the region, the Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program for the Americas hopes to develop the next generation of scientists working in the fields of conservation, environmental science, and national park management. The scholarship program is a collaboration among Canon U.S.A., Inc., the National Park Service (NPS), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

National Park Service Director Fran Mainella said, "I am always thrilled to welcome the most recent Canon Scholars into the program, and this year I am very excited about the direction in which the program is heading. By including the rest of the Americas in the program the NPS becomes partners with others in this hemisphere interested in the preservation and understanding of national park resources. I look forward to seeing the new and exciting research projects that come from this partnership."

Canon U.S.A., Inc. President and CEO, Kinya Uchida said, "As a technological innovator Canon understands the power of science; this is why we are so proud to be a founder of the Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program. The work these brilliant students accomplish will benefit the national parks and citizens of nations throughout the Americas for decades to come."

The eight winning students for 2002 are: Linda Erica "Rikki" Grober-Dunsmore, from the University of Florida; Mark Hebblewhite, from the University of Alberta; Patricia Illoldi, from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM); Jessica Lundquist, from the University of California, San Diego; Ramona Maraj, from the University of Calgary; Carolina Laura Morales, from the Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Argentina; Ashley Morris, from the University of Florida; and Marc Stern, from Yale University.

This prestigious Ph.D. scholarship program is the first and only of its kind to encourage doctoral students to conduct innovative research on scientific problems critical to the national parks.

Funded solely through a philanthropic commitment by Canon U.S.A., Inc., the expanded program annually awards eight scholarships totaling $624,000 to Ph.D. students to conduct research critical to conserving the national parks of the Americas. The Canon Scholars' research and findings will be applied to the contemporary and vital challenges facing the long-term preservation of the national parks throughout the Americas.

The Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program for the Americas objective is to develop the next generation of scientists working in the fields of conservation, environmental science and park management. Students are chosen from the disciplines of biological sciences, physical sciences, and social/cultural sciences. In 2002, technology innovation in support of conservation science was added as a new category. Since the Canon National Parks Scholars Program began in 1997, students have conducted research in over 45 national parks, and published and presented over 55 scientific articles and presentations.

Canon U.S.A., Inc.'s commitment to the Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program for the Americas totals more than five million dollars. Since 1990, the company's environmental philanthropy has exceeded $30 million, establishing Canon as one of the largest corporate supporters of environmental education and conservation throughout the Americas. Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc., (NYSE:CAJ) is a top patent-holder of technology, ranking third overall in the U.S. in 2001. Canon Inc. also is a global leader in sustainable product design and industrial ecology.

Dr. Gary Machlis, NPS Visiting Senior Scientist and Program Coordinator for the Canon National Parks Scholars Program for the Americas said, "Throughout the hemisphere, it's clear that we need science for effective park management, and parks are extraordinary places for research in many scientific disciplines. 'Parks for science, science for parks' is essential - and the Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program for the Americas does both. These young scientists are extraordinary, and Canon U.S.A., Inc. is to be congratulated for the legacy it is building with their generous support."

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the premier scientific organization in the United States. They are committed to the Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program for the Americas and to furthering the research efforts of these young scientists. The AAAS is a nonprofit professional society dedicated to fostering scientific freedom and responsibility, improving the effectiveness of science in the promotion of human welfare, advancing education in science and increasing the public's understanding and appreciation of the promise of scientific methods in human progress.

AAAS Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Alan Leshner said, "AAAS, as an international, interdisciplinary science organization, is pleased to be a partner in the Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program for the Americas. It is important to incorporate science and technology into the management and preservation of national parks throughout the Americas. Investing in the next generation of researchers makes good sense for the long term health of parks."

For more information about the program contact Dr. Gary Machlis, Program Coordinator, Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program for the Americas, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, NW, MIB-3217, Washington, D.C. 20240; telephone: [phone]; or email: [e-mail].

Editor's Note: Research Summaries on the 2002 class of Canon National Parks Science Scholars for the Americas are attached.

2002 Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program For the Americas

Research Summaries

Linda Erica "Rikki" Grober-Dunsmore is studying the application of terrestrial nature reserve principles to design and manage marine protected areas in coral reef ecosystems. Recently developed large-scale maps of the marine habitat will be used to test their utility to predict hotspots of reef fish diversity and abundances of targeted species. Combining the disciplines of landscape and coral reef ecology offers promise to address important management questions relevant to habitat-based conservation of reef fishes. Rikki is a student in the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences at the University of Florida and will be conducting her work in the Virgin Islands and Florida.

Mark Hebblewhite is a student at the University of Alberta. Mark is studying how management of a migratory elk population is affected by differences in management strategies for predators and habitat across jurisdictional boundaries along the eastern slopes of Banff National Park, Alberta. Land use in areas adjacent to Banff National Park include forestry, fire and human harvests, and his research will provide a scientific basis for cooperative transboundary management.

Patricia Illoldi is a student at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She is studying distributional patterns of mammals in the highly biodiverse state of Oaxaca in Mexico, using a computer genetic algorithm for modeling species distributions. By overlapping these distributional hypotheses, she will be able to identify areas with high species richness for conservation of mammals within the Natural Protected Areas of Oaxaca.

Jessica Lundquist is a student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, at the University of California, San Diego. When asked which ocean she studies, Jessica replies, "Yosemite National Park," where she has dozens of instruments monitoring streamflow and snowmelt. Jessica studies diurnal cycles in streamflow in Yosemite and across the Western United States, in an effort to understand how daily flow variations can be used to better understand where and when snowmelt occurs, with the ultimate goal of improving runoff forecasts.

Ramona Maraj is a student in the Department of Environmental Design at the University of Calgary. She will be studying the cumulative effects of the human use on grizzly bear habitat and mortality in the Greater Kluane ecosystem. The research she is conducting will provide a tool with which to map and evaluate habitat suitability and effectiveness for grizzly bears. Using various statistical regression techniques she will present a landscape-scale evaluation for grizzly bear habitat by modelling the relationship between grizzly bear locations and landscape characteristics.

Carolina Laura Morales is a student at the Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Argentina. She is studying the relationship among habitat disturbance, invasion of alien plants and pollinators, and plant-pollinator interactions in the temperate forests of NW Patagonia. Her research will explore how anthropogenic disturbance promotes the invasion of alien plants and pollinators, and how the establishment of alien species in disturbed habitats disrupts the pollination - and reproduction - of native plants. She will be conducting fieldwork in Nahuek Huapi National Park.

Ashley Morris, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Botany at the University of Florida, is studying the biogeographic history of eastern North American trees using molecular techniques, with emphasis on the importance of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Big Thicket National Preserve as refugia for temperate tree species during times of dramatic climatic change. She will integrate genetic data and inferences of past population movements into models to predict potential future population distributions under different scenarios of global warming.

Marc Stern is a student at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Marc's research focuses upon the relationships between national parks and local residents living within their immediate vicinities. By analyzing local responses to various conservation initiatives associated with three national parks, the research aims to uncover important lessons relevant to the sustainability of environmental and social welfare in widely varying social and ecological conditions. The research will take place in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina, U.S. Virgin Islands National Park on St. John, and Podocarpus National Park in southern Ecuador.

2002 Honorable Mention Awards

The following students received an Honorable Mention Award of $1000 each.

James D. Forester, University of Wisconsin-Madison, U.S.

Bradford Martin, Northwestern University, U.S.

Monique Elizabeth Rocca, Duke University, U.S.

Brigitte M. Vlaswinkel, University of Miami, U.S.

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