n a recent analysis for in-cites, Washington University in St. Louis showed the highest percent increase in total citations in the field of Environment/Ecology. The ISI Essential Science Indicators Web product shows that the university has 91 papers cited a total of 1,373 times to date in this field. In the interview below, Dr. Jonathan Losos talks about the university’s citation successes. Dr. Losos is a Professor in the Department of Biology as well as the Chair of Washington University’s Environmental Studies Program.

  How do you account for Washington University's significant increase in the number of citations in the field of Environment/Ecology over the 1990s?

The increase reflects both the breadth of research conducted at Washington University and the increased emphasis on environmental sciences and issues by the university in the last decade.  With regard to the former, Washington University has researchers conducting a wide variety of environmental research in departments throughout the Medical School and Engineering schools, as well as in Biology, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Anthropology, and other departments within Arts & Sciences.

With regard to the university's commitment, about 10 years ago Chancellor Wrighton, upon arriving at Washington University, articulated his goals for the future. Among them, he stated that environmental issues were likely to be among the leading issues confronting society in the 21st century and he wanted to position Washington University at the forefront. As a result, environmental programs have been developed and emphasized; this was not difficult given the broad base upon which we could move forward.

Finally, I should note that student interest played an important role in leading to the development of these programs. Because of student demand, a new interdisciplinary major, Environmental Studies, was created in the early ‘90s. This major has been wildly successful and is now in the 10 largest Arts & Sciences majors. The undergraduates have demanded more environmental courses and research opportunities, and that has helped to drive us in that direction.

  Does this reflect a deliberate plan to enhance the institution's research effort in this field, or was this an unexpected or serendipitous development?

Certainly, it was fortunate that Washington University had so many different types of environmental researchers before there was a concerted effort to develop the area as a whole.

  What is your prediction for the state of our knowledge about this particular field 10 years from now?

It will grow immensely, particularly as technological developments in fields as disparate as molecular biology and geographic information systems are harnessed and integrated to study environmental questions.

  What research fields or capabilities do you see as critical for the future of your institution?

Geographic information systems, computational biology, bioinformatics, and molecular biology. However, it is important to keep in mind the importance of basic studies of environmental systems. Without on-the-ground researchers learning the basics of organisms and how they interact, and how ecosystems function, all the technology in the world will not allow us to understand the world around us.

  What are the implications of your institution's work for the future of this particular field or neighboring fields?

Washington University has researchers at the cutting edge of a variety of aspects of environmental sciences. Current plans are to expand our faculty even more in this direction.  I expect that research emanating from Washington University will have great impact both on environmental science, and how scientific information is translated in policy.

Jonathan B. Losos, Ph.D.
Washington University
St. Louis, MO, USA