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EEB 50th Anniversary Symposium and Celebration

March 29 - 31 in Tucson, AZ

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When

All Day, March 29 – 31, 2026
 
In 1975, the University of Arizona established one of the first Departments of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in the world. For fifty years, EEB has worked to understand life’s diversity from genomes to ecosystems and to integrate across levels of biological organization, with impacts ranging from basic theory to conservation and human health.
To mark this milestone, we will hold the EEB 50th Anniversary Celebration and Symposium on Monday, March 30, 2026, in Tucson. The symposium will celebrate our history, reflect on major advances and missed opportunities in ecology and evolution, and look ahead to the next era of integrative biological science.
Celebratory EEB 50th events during March 29th-April 1st will include:
•     A series of lectures by renowned visitors
•     Round-table discussions of key issues facing our fields
•     Poster presentations by our students and faculty 
•     A public lecture on the powers of awe, wonder, and storytelling in science
 
We are pleased to share the speaker lineup for the symposium on Monday, March 30th, which reflects the breadth and intellectual reach of EEB:
Planned events include keynote lectures, a panel discussion with invited speakers, round-table discussions, student poster presentations, and a public lecture. Activities are planned from March 29 through April 1.  Please view this page for updates to the schedule of events.

Tentative Schedule of Events

Mountain-Standard Time 

Sunday, March 29    
6:00-8:00    Reception


Monday, March 30    
7:00-9:00    Registration, poster setups
8:45-9:15    Opening Remarks


SPEAKER SESSION ONE    
9:15-10:00    Michael Donoghue, "Phylogenetic biology: Past, present, and future"
10:30-11:15   Michael W. Nachman, "The Genetic Basis of Evolutionary Change"
11:15-12:00    Susan Harrison, "Spatial (Large-Scale) Ecology: History, Reflections, and New Results"
12:15-1:45    Research Showcase (Poster Fair)


SPEAKER SESSION TWO    
1:45-2:30    Daniel Bolnick, "The ecological theatre, the evolutionary playwright"
2:30-3:15    Marlene Zuk, "Genes, Evolution and Why Behavior Isn't Special"
3:45-4:30    Suzanne Alonzo, "Sexual Selection: What we have learned and where are we going?"
4:30-5:15    Brian McGill, "The ecology of biodiversity: where we've been and where we're going"
5:30-6:30    Reception
7:00-8:30    Keynote by Sean Carroll, "More Awe and Wonder for Everyone: The emotions that fuel scientific curiosity and inspire us all"
8:30 pm       Public Reception with light refreshments


Tuesday, March 31    
7:30-10:00    Hike at Tumamoc Hill
10:30-12:00    Roundtable Discussions
12:30-1:00    Roundtable Closure & Group Discussion
1:00-1:30    Closing Remarks
1:30-3:00    Catered Lunch with Grads
3:00             Grad Student Meetings with speakers

Contacts

Alexis Montoya
alexishenderson@arizona.edu