ANN ARBOR, MI, November 15, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Ronald A. Nussbaum, Ph.D., with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Dr. Nussbaum celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Dr. Nussbaum is a professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology and a curator emeritus of herpetology, which is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and reptiles, at the University of Michigan. An expert in herpetology, Dr. Nussbaum spent half of his career in tropical places conducting research and the other half teaching in Michigan. Researching systematics, evolution and ecology of amphibians and reptiles throughout his career, as well as conservation issues, he also maintains a continued interest in the evolution of parental care, parental investment, demography and life history strategies. His field research and curatorial activities have been focused on the Pacific Northwest, the Seychelles Archipelago and Madagascar. Dr. Nussbaum's work in Madagascar has involved biodiversity surveys of amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals in the diminishing forests of the large island. He has also been involved as the director of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) species survival project aimed at assessing the status of the amphibian and reptile fauna of Madagascar and the Seychelles Archipelago.
Professor Nussbaum has served as the Herpetological Editor of Copeia, Associate Editor of the Journal of Morphology, and Associate Editor of Systematic Zoology. He has held adjunct academic appointments it the Carnegie Museum, the British Museum of Natural History, the Bombay Natural History Society, and as a Fellow of the Academy of Zoology of India. Dr. Nussbaum is a member of many scientific societies and was elected to membership of the prestigious Phi Sigma Society (Biological Sciences Honorary), Sigma Xi Society (Science Honorary), and Phi Kappa Phi Society (Academic Honorary). In 2003, Professor Nussbaum was invited to present the inaugural Philip C. Dumas Lecture in Biology at Central Washington University.
A former research associate at Oregon State University for two years beginning in 1972, Dr. Nussbaum began teaching at the University of Michigan in 1974, where he remained until his retirement in 2016. During his tenure at Michigan, one of the courses he taught included BIO 120, First Year Seminar in Biology, which covered the broad topic of evolution, including the history of evolutionary thought and the philosophy of evolution, micro-evolution or small adaptive changes within lineages, macro-evolution or speciation and phylogeny and special topics such as rates of evolution, diversity of life and human evolution.
During his 42-year career at the University of Michigan, Dr. Nussbaum also devoted 23 years to serving as the director of the Edwin S. George Reserve (ESGR) in the Alexander G. Ruthven Museum of Zoology and director of the Newcomb Tract in the Department of Biology. The purpose of the ESGR is to provide research and education opportunities in the natural sciences and preservation of the native flora and fauna. Notably, more than 475 research papers have been published on studies carried out wholly or in part on the ESGR, and 81 Ph.D. dissertations and 31 master's theses have resulted from graduate studies on the ESGR. During Dr. Nussbaum's time on the reserve, he was the recipient of a large grant from The National Science Foundation to receive more property and to build a deer-proof fence to keep state deer out and ESGR deer in. The fence allowed for students and faculty to carry out research that was formerly difficult due to intruders.
Writing extensively on the systematic of caecilians, Dr. Nussbaum has authored nearly 200 articles in various peer-reviewed journals. He is also the coauthor of "Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest", and has written numerous chapters included in other books on evolution and biology. Highlighted in the 63rd edition of Who's Who in America, he has also had several species of amphibians named after him. Dr. Nussbaum holds a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Idaho, Master of Science in biology from Central Washington University and a Doctor of Philosophy in zoology from Oregon State University. He is most proud of his Ph.D. dissertation research on the evolution of Pacific giant salamanders of the genus Dicamptodon.
In recognition of outstanding contributions to his profession and the Marquis Who's Who community, Ronald A. Nussbaum, Ph.D., has been featured on the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement website. Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honor.
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
# # #