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Scott Miller, Curator of Lepidoptera
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Research
Interests:
Scott Miller has managed research and collections programs in major
institutions for 20 years. At the Smithsonian's National Museum of
Natural History, he has served as Chairman of the Department of Entomology
and Chairman of the Department of Systematic Biology, with oversight
of a combined staff over 300 federal employees with an annual budget
of over $20 million.
His previous experience includes 12 years at the Bishop Museum (Hawaii) managing
its programs in biology and geology, with heavy involvement in public programs
and development. He spent two years in Kenya initiating a biodiversity and conservation
program at an international agriculture research institute (the International
Centre of Insect Ecology and Physiology).
In addition to managing and fundraising for research, collections, and public
outreach, all these positions have included significant infrastructure renovation,
management of field stations, and implementation of information management systems.
He also serves on the Committee on Research and Exploration of the National Geographic
Society, as well as the boards of several scientific societies.
He is committed to applying biodiversity information from museums and similar
research institutions to sustainable development, has participated in major reviews
of biodiversity related to conservation planning, and catalyzed an Integrated
Conservation Development Project in Kenya.
Miller is very interested in the "big picture" of tropical
biology, and the role of biodiversity information in understanding
and managing the related issues of tropical deforestation, climate
change, invasive species, loss of biological diversity, and the resultant
biological, economic, and political consequences. He has also been
heavily involved in education, including initiating an NSF-funded
minority high school intern program at Bishop Museum, training programs
for international professionals, parataxonomist programs in developing
countries, and mentoring graduate students.
Miller has had continuous NSF funding since 1986, and maintains an active and
personal research program. He has published over 145 research publications in
systematics, biogeography, and ecology, and co-edited the books Papua New Guinea
Biological Diversity Country Study;The origin and evolution of Pacific island
biotas, New Guinea to Eastern Polynesia: Patterns and processes; and Arthropods
of tropical forests: Spatio-temporal dynamics and resource use in the canopy.
Scott Miller is also Senior Program Officer in the Office of the Under
Secretary for Science at the Smithsonian Institution.
Selected Publications:
Novotny, V., S. E. Miller, J. Hulcr, R. A. I. Drew, Y. Basset, M. Janda,
G. P. Setliff, K. Darrow, A. J. A. Stewart, J. Auga, B. Isua, K. Molem,
M. Manumbor, E. Tamtiai, M. Mogia, and G. D. Weiblen. 2007. Low beta
diversity of herbivorous insects in tropical forests. Nature 448:692-695.
Hulcr, J., S. E. Miller, G. P. Setliff, K. Darrow, N. D. Mueller, P.
D. N. Hebert, and G. D. Weiblen. 2007. DNA barcoding confirms polyphagy
in a generalist moth, Homona mermerodes (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae).
Molecular Ecology Notes 7:549-557.
Miller,
S.E. 2007. DNA barcoding and the renaissance of taxonomy. Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences 104: 4775-4776.
Novotny, V., P. Drozd, S. E. Miller, M. Kulfan, M. Janda, Y. Basset,
and G. D. Weiblen. 2006. Why are there so many species of herbivorous
insects in tropical rainforests? Science 313:1115-1118.
Weiblen, G. D.,
C. O. Webb, V. Novotny, Y. Basset, and S. E. Miller. 2006. Phylogenetic
dispersion of host use in a tropical insect herbivore community. Ecology
87(supplement):S62-S75.
Novotny, V., S. E. Miller, Y. Basset, L. Cizek,
K. Darrow, B. Kaupa, J. Kua, and G. D. Weiblen. 2005. An altitudinal
comparison of caterpillar (Lepidoptera) assemblages on Ficus trees in
Papua New Guinea. Journal
of Biogeography 32: 1303-1314.
Basset, Y., V. Novotny, S. E. Miller,
G. D. Weiblen, O. Missa, and A. J. A. Stewart. 2004. Conservation and
biological monitoring of tropical forests: The role of parataxonomists. Journal
of Applied Ecology 41:
163-174.
Novotny, V., Y. Basset, S. E. Miller, R. L. Kitching, M. J.
Laidlaw, P. Drozd, and L. Cizek. 2004. Local species richness of leaf-chewing
insects feeding on woody plants from one hectare of a lowland rainforest. Conservation
Biology 18: 227-237.
Basset,
Y., V. Novotny, S. E. Miller, and R. L. Kitching, eds. 2003. Arthropods
of tropical forests: Spatio-temporal dynamics and resource use in the
canopy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. xvi + 474 pp. http://www.cambridge.org/uk/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521820006.
Novotny,
V., Basset, Y., Miller, S.E., Weiblen, G., Bremer, B., Cizek, L. & Drozd,
P. 2002. Low host specificity of herbivorous insects in a tropical
forest. Nature 416: 841-848.
Miller, S. E., and L. M. Rogo. 2002. Challenges and opportunities
in understanding and utilisation of African insect diversity. Cimbebasia 17:
197-218 ("2001").
Holloway,
J.D., Kibby, G. Peggie, D., Carter, D. & Miller, S.E. 2001. Families
of Malesian moths and butterflies. Fauna Malesia Handbook Series.
Brill, Leiden. xii + 456 pp.
Keast, A. & Miller, S.E. (eds)
1997. The origin and evolution
of Pacific island biotas, New Guinea to Eastern Polynesia: Patterns
and processes. SPB Publications, Amsterdam. viii + 531 pp.
Sekhran,
N. & Miller, S.E. (eds)
1995. Papua New Guinea Country Study on Biological
Diversity. Papua New Guinea Department of Environment and Conservation,
Waigani. xl + 438 pp.
Related Websites:
Tropical Forest Ecology of Papua New Guinea: www.entu.cas.cz/png
Mpala Research Center, Kenya: www.mpala.org
Kakamega Forest Integrated Conservation Project, Kenya: www.mnh.si.edu/kakamega
Consortium for the Barcode of Life: www.barcoding.si.edu
Biodiversity Heritage Library: www.bhl.si.edu
Science at the Smithsonian Institution: www.si.edu/research
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