Conceptual diagrams are 'thought drawings' that use symbols to convey meaningful ecological information. The IAN symbol library was created in order that more people would be able to produce conceptual diagrams. Between the Marine Botany Group at the University of Queensland and the IAN team, the Science Communicators have produced over a thousand conceptual diagrams that have been used in scientific papers, books, newsletters, fact sheets, posters, and websites.

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New ways of looking at data promise to give a clearer picture of the effects of restoration in the ecosystem. People have worked hard to bring the Chesapeake Bay back to health. Yet, why is it so difficult to see the results? The IAN program’s Chesapeake Bay Report Card for 2011 gives the bay a D+.

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I traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for a two day workshop at the relatively new, The Water Institute of the Gulf (of Mexico). I have been to Baton Rouge several times over the past few years, most recently to work with the State of Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority on the 2012 Master Plan. My role in that project was co-chair of the Science and Engineering Board. The other co-chair on that Board is now the CEO of the Water Institute, Dr. Chip Croat.

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This is the sixth and final blog post in a series which celebrates the IAN symbol library by highlighting some of the most interesting symbols. Previous blog posts have focused on marine flora and fauna, birds, trees and animals. This blog post focuses on human aspects, with human structures and people themselves. 1. The symbol of a teacher reflects one of the developments of the IAN symbol library.

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The IAN team (Simon Costanzo, Bill Dennison, Jane Thomas and Brianne Walsh) traveled to Prince William Forest Park for a workshop on 8 March 2013 with National Park Service staff. IAN is initiating a new series of Natural Resource Condition Assessments for the National Capital Region of the National Park Service.

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We conducted our first workshop with 8 high school science teachers from around the U.S. to initiate a virtual environmental partnership. This initiative is called USAUS-H2O, and will be officially launched on World Water Day, 22 March 2013. The intent of the program is to educate and inform responsible stewardship of water resources between U.S. and Australian student teams through an interactive-virtual partnership.

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This is the fifth blog post in a series of blog posts which celebrate the IAN symbol library by highlighting some of the most interesting symbols. Previous blog posts have focused on marine flora and fauna, birds and trees. This blog post focuses on terrestrial animals, from small (e.g., butterflies) to large (e.g., whales). 1. The Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) was the first butterfly that I learned growing up in Ohio. We had milkweed plants in our yard, which attracted Monarchs.

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Yesterday, I provided testimony to the Maryland General Assembly in support of a bill that would require Maryland farmers to conduct soil testing for phosphorus levels and to report their findings. The bill was sponsored by Senator Pinsky and my testimony was to the Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs committee, chaired by Senator Joan Carter Conway. My written submission follows:

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This is the fourth blog post in a series which celebrates the Integration and Application Network (IAN) symbol library by highlighting some of the most interesting symbols. The previous blogs were on marine flora and fauna, and birds and this blog is focused on trees and shrubs in the IAN symbol library. 1) The Gum Tree (Eucalyptus spp.) symbol is one of my favorites, with its distinctive shiny leaves, open canopy and mottled bark.

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This is the third blog post in a series which celebrates the Integration and Application Network (IAN) symbol library by highlighting some of the most interesting symbols. The first blogs were of marine flora and fauna and this blog depicts some of the beautiful birds in the IAN symbol library. 1) My favorite bird is the laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae), a large raucous Australian bird with a distinctive call.

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