Jim Beach

Jim Beach

Assistant Director for Informatics
785.864.4645
Dyche Hall
Publications: 

Cavner, J.A, Stewart, A.M. Grady, C.J. & J.H. Beach, 2012. An innovative web processing services-based GIS architecture for global biogeographic analyses of species distributions. OSGeo Journal 10: 15-25.

Granzow de la Cerda, Í. and J.H. Beach.  2010. Semi-automated workflows for acquiring specimen data from label images in herbarium collections. Taxon 59:1830-1842.

Michener, W. K., Beach, J. H., Jones, M. B., Ludaescher, B., Pennington, D. D., Pereira, R.S. Rajasekar, A. and M. Schildhauer. 2007. A knowledge environment for biodiversity and ecological sciences. Journal of Intelligent Information Systems 29(1): 111-126. DOI: 10.1007/s10844-006-0034-8

Stockwell, D. R. B., J. H. Beach, A. Stewart, G. Vorontsov, D. Vieglais, R. Scachetti Pereira. 2006. The use of the GARP genetic algorithm and internet grid computing in the Lifemapper world atlas of species biodiversity. Ecological Modeling 195 (1/2): 139-145. DOI:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2005.11.016. 

Michener, W., J. Beach, S. Bowers, L. Downey, M. Jones, B. Ludaescher, D. Pennington, A. Rajasekar, S. Romanello, M. Schildhauer, D. Vieglais and J. Zhang. 2005.  Data integration and workflow solutions for ecology. Pp. 321-324, in Data Integration in the Life Sciences. DOI: 10.1007/11530084_32.

Beach, J. H., Pramanik, S., and J. H. Beaman. 1993.  Hierarchic taxonomic databases.  Pp. 241-256 in: Fortuner, R. (Ed.), Advances in Computer Methods for Systematic Biology, Johns Hopkins University Press.

An additional 19 ecological publications in refereed biological journals

Education: 

1976, B.S. in botany, Michigan State University
1983, Ph.D. in botany, University of Massachusetts

Previous Academic Appointments: 

1997 – 1998    Project Director, National Biological Information Infrastructure, USGS
1995 – 1997    Program Director, Database Activities in the Biological Sciences, NSF
1994 – 1995    Informatics Specialist, Information Systems & Technology, UC Berkeley
1991 – 1994    Data Administrator, Arnold Arboretum, Herbaria and MCZ, Harvard
1989 – 1991    Visiting Assistant Research Professor, Michigan State University

Grants: 

1999-2014.  32 Competitive Research Awards, Total: $12.8 Million

Colleagues and Collaborators: 

I. Granzow (U. Barcelona); J. Ibarra (FIU);  L. Krishtalka (U. Kansas); B. Ludaescher (UC Davis); W. Michener (UNM); P. Myers (U. Michigan); R. Peet (UNC Chapel Hill); D. Pennington (UTEP); M. Schildhauer (UCSB); D. Vieglais (U. Kansas); J. Wieczorek, (UC Berkeley); E. O. Wiley (U. Kansas); P. Risser (Oklahoma); Y. Luo (Oklahoma); M. Palmer (Oklahoma State); Xiangming Xiao (Oklahoma); M. Yuan (Oklahoma); D. Andresen (Oklahoma State); W. Dodds (Kansas State); D. F. McMullen (Arkansas); N. Songer (U. Michigan); R. Colwell (UConn); G. Riccardi (Florida State); D. Miranker (Texas)

Blog Posts: 

Specify Software Sustains 20% Growth
Monday, October 10, 2011
James Beach


Specify is now the database management of choice for over 375 biological collections worldwide. The Project is sustaining a 20% annual growth in the number of supported biological collections. In addition to offering research community software helpdesk support, the Project has produced 11 software updates in 2011, many of them extending and enhancing features researchers have requested for more effective management and analysis of specimen information.  Recent research funding awards by the U.S. National Science Foundation's 'ADBC' initiative for accelerating the computerization of information associated with biodiversity specimens have stimulated additional research repository adoption of Specify for their project data management.