Winter 2008, Vol. 4, No. 1 | Index

As we begin this New Year, I am pleased to welcome a number of new employees who have joined the MBL over the last few months. These new colleagues are working in a variety of scientific laboratories and administrative departments. Two particular areas of the MBL that have experienced recent employee growth are the Ecosystems Center and Encyclopedia of Life’s Biodiversity Informatics team.

The Ecosystems Center welcomed two new faculty members earlier this month. Senior scientist Zoe Cardon studies microbial life in the rhizosphere, the zone that surrounds the roots of plants. She will play a key role in the MBL’s micro-eco initiative, which combines the research and resources of the Bay Paul and Ecosystems Centers to the analysis of microbial communities. Newly appointed assistant scientist Jim Tang is a terrestrial ecologist who studies plant and soil microbial metabolism and the impact that climate change will have on such ecosystem processes.

The Encyclopedia of Life’s growing Biodiversity Informatics group added four new members to its team and is in the process of conducting searches for additional positions. This group of taxonomists and programmers is creating the computer infrastructure behind the construction of EOL web pages—one for each of the 1.8 million recognized species on Earth. The team is busy preparing for the February launch of the first 30,000 EOL species pages, including 20 video and image rich “exemplar” pages comprised of species information contributed by our own Roger Hanlon, Seth Bordenstein, David Patterson, and Neil Sarkar.

I hope you will all join me in welcoming all new members of the MBL family. You can view a complete list of all new employees, and read more about Zoe and Jim, in the “Employee News” section of the newsletter.

Our new colleagues are joining a special community of talented, hard-working, and committed individuals, dedicated not only to making the MBL a better place, but also the world around them. This was clearly evident in the overwhelming response of our staff to recent holiday charity activities. Employees opened their hearts and their pocket books to provide Thanksgiving meals and holiday gifts for local disadvantaged families. I commend your efforts to improve the quality of life for our neighbors in need and would like to recognize and thank MBL Activities Committee members for organizing these important charity events.

The MBL is also dedicated to being a responsible member of the global society. And it is with that in mind that the Climate Commitment Committee (MBL-CCC) was established late last year. Climate change is the most pressing scientific problem facing our generation. In creating the CCC, the MBL recognizes its role as a model for developing workable new strategies, systems, and behaviors towards having less of a negative impact on the environment. You can read more about the work of the committee, which is being led by Richard Cutler and Hugh Ducklow, later in this newsletter.

I look forward to sharing more MBL news and accomplishments with you in the future. In the meantime, best wishes for a happy and healthy 2008.

Gary Borisy

Director & CEO

The Collecting Net is an employee newsletter published by the Communications Office. Comments and suggestions are welcome. Call (508) 289-7423 or e-mail us at