Coupling Biodiversity: Dynamics and Human Impact in the Islands of Polynesia led by Rosemary Gillespie (ESPM) brought a new international focus to campus, using the natural laboratories provided by oceanic islands to examine how biodiversity has been modified by the colonization of humans and associated commensal species. In November 2012, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded $2 million to Rosemary Gillespie to focus on the insect and spider life of the Hawaiian Islands in search of clues to discover how animals explore and settle into new niches, leading to increasing biodiversity over time.
