Wikipedia

James B. Grace

James Benjamin Grace, aka James Grace, Jim Grace (born October 6, 1951) is a senior research scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey.[7] Formerly he was a professor at Louisiana State University and associate professor at the University of Arkansas. He is an ecologist whose work has focused on science methodology, particularly the use of structural equation modeling as a means of investigating complex, system-level hypotheses.

James B. Grace
Born
James Benjamin Grace[6]
Alma materPresbyterian College

Clemson University

Michigan State University
AwardsMeritorious Research Award from the Society of Wetland Scientists (2000)[1]

Fellow of the Ecological Society of America (2014)[2] Highly Cited Researcher – Web of Science (2019, 2020)[3]

Presidential Rank Award Winner (2021)[4]
Scientific career
InstitutionsU.S. Geological Survey

Louisiana State University

University of Arkansas
Thesis Phenotypic and Genotypic Components of Growth and Reproduction in Typha latifolia (1980)[5]
Websitehttps://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/james-grace?qt-staff_profile_science_products=0#qt-staff_profile_science_products

Early life and education

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Grace grew up in the Appalachian Mountains near Matewan, West Virginia until he was 13 years old. He attended Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Georgia from the 8th to 12th grades before attending Presbyterian College in Clinton South Carolina for his undergraduate studies. During his Master of Science work at Clemson University he received an Oak Ridge National Fellowship to conduct research at the Savannah River National Laboratory. During his PhD studies at Michigan State University, he was supported by the Department of Energy while conducting research at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station.

Research and career

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Grace is an ecologist known for his work in science methodology, especially integrative methods for quantitative analysis. His early work focused on species interactions, leading to his first book project (Perspectives on Plant Competition, Grace and Tilman 1990),[8] which resolved a major controversy about competitive strategies. This later led Grace to introduce meta-modeling to the field of statistical ecology as a means of operationalizing multi-dimensional concepts.[9]

The second half of Grace’s career has focused on exploring and promoting the utility of causal networks as a framework for integrative analysis (as discussed in his 2003 book Analysis of Ecological Communities and his 2006 book, Structural Equation Modeling and Natural Systems).[10][11] His applications of these methods have spanned the range from wetlands to deserts, from the arctic to the tropics, from trophic cascades to the design of cities, and have included the effects of fires, hurricanes, and changes in climate. Pursuit of a reconciliation of competing theories related to productivity-diversity interrelations led Grace and collaborators to the resolution of a 40-year debate through the testing of integrative hypotheses (Grace et al. 2016 Nature).[12]

Awards and honors

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As of 2020, Grace has given over 200 invited lectures and workshops in 9 countries during his career.[7] In 2000, he received the millennium Meritorious Research Award from the Society of Wetland Scientists[1] and in 2003 received the National Science Excellence Award from the U.S. Geological Survey. He was selected to be a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America[2] and promoted to the USGS Senior Scientist ranks in 2014. He was selected as a Distinguished Ecologist by Colorado State University’s Graduate Program in Ecology in 2019.[13] In 2021 he received the Presidential Rank Award, which is given out by the president of the United States and is the highest honor given to career senior scientists or other executives for the conduct of their duties. He has achieved the designation of ‘Highly-Cited Researcher’ by the Web of Science[3] in recognition of his scientific impact of his work. He has published over 200 papers and reports,[14] including 3 books, one on competitive interactions, one on community analysis, and one on structural equation modeling. His publications have received several awards and been featured in news articles numerous times. His 2016 paper in Nature was among the top science stories of the year,[15] featured in 12 science news articles, 9 blog articles, and highlighted in Nature Magazine.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Society of Wetland Scientists Meritorious Research Award (2000)". Society of Wetland Scientists. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Ecological Society of America Fellow (2014)". Ecological Society of America. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher (2019, 2020)". Web of Science. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  4. ^ "Presidential Rank Award (2021)". KBS Alum Receives Presidential Honor for Career in Public Service. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  5. ^ Grace, J.B. (1980). "Phenotypic and Genotypic Components of Growth and Reproduction in Typha latifolia". Department of Energy. doi:10.2172/5303196. OSTI 5303196. S2CID 85066743. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  6. ^ "Wikidata profile". wikidata. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "USGS researcher profile". USGS Staff profile page. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  8. ^ Grace, James B.; Tilman, David (11 November 2012). Perspectives on Plant Competition. Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-294452-9. Retrieved January 15, 2021. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  9. ^ Grace, James B.; Anderson, T. Michael; Olff, Han; Scheiner, Samuel M. (2010). "On the Specification of Structural Equation Models for Ecological Systems". Ecological Monographs. 80: 67–87. doi:10.1890/09-0464.1. hdl:11370/7c1539d0-3580-4f38-97e6-950647931c25. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  10. ^ "Analysis of Ecological Communities". MjM Software. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  11. ^ Grace, James B. (2006). Structural Equation Modeling and Natural Systems. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511617799. ISBN 9780511617799. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  12. ^ Grace, James B.; Anderson, T. Michael; Seabloom, Eric W.; Borer, Elizabeth T.; Adler, Peter B.; Harpole, W. Stanley; Hautier, Yann; Hillebrand, Helmut; Lind, Eric M.; Pärtel, Meelis; Bakker, Jonathan D.; Buckley, Yvonne M.; Crawley, Michael J.; Damschen, Ellen I.; Davies, Kendi F.; Fay, Philip A.; Firn, Jennifer; Gruner, Daniel S.; Hector, Andy; Knops, Johannes M. H.; MacDougall, Andrew S.; Melbourne, Brett A.; Morgan, John W.; Orrock, John L.; Prober, Suzanne M.; Smith, Melinda D. (2016). "Integrative Modelling Reveals Mechanisms Linking Productivity and Plant Species Richness". Nature. 529 (7586): 390–393. Bibcode:2016Natur.529..390G. doi:10.1038/nature16524. PMID 26760203. S2CID 4464434. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  13. ^ "Colorado State University Distinguished Ecologist (2019)". Colorado State University. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  14. ^ "Google scholar profile". Google Scholar. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  15. ^ "Nature article metrics". Nature. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  16. ^ Gross, Kevin (January 2016). "Nature research highlight" (PDF). Nature. 529 (7586): 293–294. doi:10.1038/nature16867. PMID 26760204. S2CID 4466661. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
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