We offer our deepest thanks to all the individuals and organizations that contributed to organizing the symposium “Biology: Challenges for the New Millennium” and publishing its papers in this book.
Preparations for the symposium began at the November 22, 1997, meeting of the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), when then President Elect Gary W. Barrett was appointed to chair a committee to organize the annual meeting for 2000. He suggested that internationally recognized scholars be invited to reflect on the accomplishments of the biological sciences during the past century and envision the opportunities and challenges of the twenty-first century.
Barrett felt that the “Year 2000” meeting (the institute’s fifty-first annual meeting) should be held in Washington, D.C., which has been the headquarters of the AIBS since its founding in 1947, and that the Smithsonian Institution should be asked to cosponsor and host the event. On March 17, 1998, he met with Robert Hoffmann—a longtime friend and colleague—who introduced him to Barbara Schneider, senior program adviser in the Office of the Provost at the Smithsonian, to discuss the prospects for this meeting. Barrett submitted a letter to Smithsonian Provost J. Dennis O’Connor on April 23, 1998, to gain approval of these plans.
Hoffmann agreed to serve as cochair, with Barrett, of a twelve-member planning committee. Members representing the AIBS were Frank Harris, Kent Holsinger, Marilynn Maury, Richard O’Grady, and Hilary Swain; members representing the Smithsonian were Kathleen Desmond, John Kress, Michael Robinson, Barbara Schneider, and Dennis Whigham. We will always be grateful for the time, effort, and ideas offered by the Planning Committee, not only in helping to organize the meeting but in providing an infrastructure for this book. At its first meeting, on November 20, 1998, in the Smithsonian Castle, the committee agreed that “Biology: Challenges for the New Millennium” would be held from March 22 through March 24, 2000.
Next the Planning Committee, in consultation with the AIBS Executive Committee and additional scholars at the Smithsonian, drew up a short list of scientists to present plenary addresses and be honored for their contributions to biology. The process-oriented areas on which they were invited to comment included behavior, conservation, development, diversity, dynamics, energetics, evolution, integration, and regulation.
Once a consensus was reached on the meeting format, the AIBS Executive Committee, the Planning Committee, and the director of the Smithsonian Press, Peter F. Cannell, agreed to publish these presentations. W. John Kress and Gary Barrett agreed to serve as coeditors, and the speakers consented to publication of their presentations.
We sincerely thank these distinguished scholars for making this book possible. We are deeply indebted to Thomas Lovejoy for preparing an additional chapter. We extend special thanks to the following reviewers of these chapters (in alphabetical order): Brian Boom, New York Botanical Garden; Jane Brockmann, University of Florida; Paula DePriest, Smithsonian Institution; Patricia Gensel, University of North Carolina; Patricia Gowaty, University of Georgia; Gary Hartshorn, Duke University; Linda Kohn, University of Toronto; Gary Krupnick, Smithsonian Institution; Richard Norgaard, Berkeley, California; Lynne Parenti, Smithsonian Institution; Hilary Swain, Archbold Biological Station; Amy Ward, University of Alabama; and Judith Weis, Rutgers University. The assistance of Julie Barcelona in final editing is also much appreciated.
Finally, we thank Peter Cannell for his encouragement and helpful suggestions in bringing our efforts to fruition. We dedicate this volume to him in great appreciation of his love of books and his friendship.