Robert N. Coulson is Professor of Entomology at Texas A&M University. He earned the BS degree in biology (1965) from Furman Universityand MS (1967) and Ph.D (1969) degrees in entomology from the University of Georgia. After a year of post doctorate study at the Institute of Ecology at the University of Georgia , he joined the Texas A&M University System where he was initially employed as Principal Entomologist with the Texas Forest Service and Assistant Professor with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. In 1973 he received an academic appointment with the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University . Dr. Coulson's research has been transdisciplinary in approach and directed to investigations of the activities and impacts of insects and other taxa in forest, prairie, savanna and agricultural landscapes. The research addresses issues of significance to ecological science as well land-use management. In 1984 he co-founded the Knowledge Engineering Laboratory (KEL) to facilitate research and development of computer applications for planning, problem-solving and decisionmaking in environmental science and management. Focus of KEL research is directed to landscape-scale problems that require integration, interpretation, and use of different representations of knowledge. Special emphasis has been placed on ways and means of blending qualitative heuristic knowledge of experts, using methodologies from artificial intelligence, with quantitative information that results from scientific investigations. His research accomplishments have been recognized at local (Former Student Association Faculty Achievement Award for Research, Texas A&M University ), state (Award of Merit in Recognition of Outstanding Achievements in Forest Research, Texas Forestry Association), regional (A. D. Hopkins Award, Southern Forest Insect Work Conference), and national (J. E. Bussart Award, Entomological Society of America) levels. Dr. Coulson teaches undergraduate courses in insect ecology and forest protection and a graduate course in landscape ecology <http://kelab.tamu.edu/coulson/>. He currently is a member of the Entomological Society of America, International Association of Landscape Ecology, and the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations. He is a regular contributor to the scientific agenda of these societies.