Congressional Briefing
Date: Thursday, September 17, 2026
Time: 10:00 – 11:00 AM Eastern Time
Location: 2325 Rayburn House Office Building
A sustainable economy relies heavily on the steady supply of biological resources and critical ecosystem services, including agricultural crops, forestry products, and aquaculture; effectively, our bioeconomy supports our broader economy. Healthy well-managed ecosystems are resilient to extreme climatic conditions such as drought and severe storms, buffering the built environment from their impacts. Ecosystem science provides the tools to understand, quantify, and manage these natural assets by enabling an understanding of ecological processes, such as nutrient cycling, water retention, and pollination, that directly underpin resilient agricultural, recreational, and urban landscapes. Ecosystem research centers provide a vital nexus for knowledge acquisition, education, and problem-solving to optimize these services for the bioeconomy. This briefing will feature speakers highlighting the role of ecosystem research in leveraging and protecting ecosystem services to promote a thriving bioeconomy across agriculture, watershed management, and aquaculture.
Moderated by:
- Dr. Joel Trexler, AERC President
Speakers:
- Dr. Bernard Engel, Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture, Professor of Agricultural & Biological Engineering, Purdue University
A Healthy Bioeconomy Requires a Healthy Ecosystem - Dewey R. Houck II, Retired senior executive & applied scientist, Chief Technology Officer, Cypress Point Oyster Company
What Restorative Aquaculture Means to a Healthy Ecosystem - Dr. Jennifer Tank, Galla Professor of Biological Sciences, Director of the Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative, University of Notre Dame
Conservation Practices and the Bioeconomy: Ecosystem Research That Protects Farming and Freshwater
