Matt Chew
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Phone: 480-965-8422
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Fax: 4809658330
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LSE 717 Tempe, AZ 85287-4501
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Mail code: 4501Campus: Tempe
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Dubbed a ‘gadfly of invasion biology’ by Scientific American, Matt Chew is known for critiquing ecology’s overreliance on societal metaphors and conservationists’ misapplication of notions like ‘nativeness’. A creature of the American southwest, Dr. Chew was raised in Arizona, earned two natural resources degrees at Colorado State University, then returned to Phoenix to consult for the Defense Department, Bureau of Indian Affairs and other government clients. As statewide Natural Resources Planner for Arizona State Parks, he coordinated their Natural Areas Program, researched wildlife issues, and served on interagency committees—one of which also included his future wife, plant ecologist Julie Stromberg. With her encouragement, he abandoned government work to earn a biology Ph.D. based entirely on historical research.
Remaining at Arizona State University, Dr. Chew conducts a senior-level field course in ‘novel ecosystems' and works with postgraduate students. He was awarded an Oxford research fellowship in 2014. His articles in "Nature," "Science" and niche publications in history and conservation have been cited over 1000 times in over 250 different journals. Drs. Chew and Stromberg live in a historic farmhouse on irrigated land, where they rescue dogs, garden to attract wildlife and buy more books than they can read.
- Ph.D. Biology (Biology and Society) Arizona State University 2006
- M.S. Range Science (Ecology) Colorado State University 1991
- B.S. Environmental Interpretation, Colorado State University 1990
Ecology and Conservation Biology
History and philosophy of Ecology and Conservation Biology
Metaphors, analogies and proxies in Ecology and Conservation Biology
Anekeitaxonomy (categories of nativeness) and other normative accessory classifications
Center for Biology and Society
Publications (Peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters)
Davis, M.A. and M.K. Chew. 2017. The Denialists are Coming! Well, not exactly: A response to Russell and Blackburn. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 32(4): 229-230.
Chew, M.K. 2017. Indigene vs. Alien in the Arab Spring: A view through the lens of invasion biology. in U. Rabi and A. Bouasria, eds. Lost in Translation: Forgotten Paradigms of the Arab Spring. Eastbourne: Sussex Academic Press.
Chew, M.K. 2015. Ecologists, Environmentalists, Experts, and the Invasion of the Second Greatest Threat. International Review of Environmental History 1:7-40.
Chew, M.K. 2014. A Picture Worth Forty-one Words: Charles Elton, Introduced Species, and the 1936 Admiralty Map of British Empire Shipping. Journal of Transport History 35(2):225-235.
Chew, M.K. 2013. Tamarisk Introduction, Naturalization and Control in the United States 1818-1952 in A. Sher and M. Quigley eds. Tamarix: A Case Study of Ecological Change in the American West. New York: Oxford University Press.
Makings, E., L. Butler, M. Chew, & J. Stromberg. 2011. Noteworthy collections from Tempe Town Lake Riverbed. Desert Plants 27(1):3-10.
Davis, M.A., M.K. Chew, R.J. Hobbs, A.E. Lugo, J.J. Ewel, G.J. Vermeij, J.H. Brown, M.L. Rosenzweig, M.R. Gardener, S.P. Carroll, K. Thompson, S.T.A. Pickett, J.C. Stromberg, P. Del Tredici, K.N. Suding, J.G. Ehrenfeld, J.P. Grime, J. Mascaro and J.C. Briggs. 2011. Don’t judge species on their origins. Nature 474:153-154. doi:10.1038/474153a
Chew, M.K. 2011. Anekeitaxonomy: Botany, Place and Belonging. in I.D. Rotherham and R.A. Lambert, eds. Invasive and Introduced Plants and Animals: Human Perceptions, Attitudes and Approaches to Management. London: Earthscan.137-152.
Chew, M.K. and A.H. Hamilton. 2011. The Rise and Fall of Biotic Nativeness: A Historical Perspective. in D. Richardson, ed. Fifty Years of Invasion Ecology: The Legacy of Charles Elton. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. 35-47.
Chew, M.K. 2009. The Monstering of Tamarisk: How scientists made a plant into a problem. Journal of the History of Biology 42:231-266. doi 10.1007/s10739-009-9181-4
Stromberg, J.C., M.K. Chew, P.L. Nagler, and E.P. Glenn, 2009. Changing Perceptions of Change: The Role of Scientists in Tamarix and River Management. Restoration Ecology 17:177-186. doi 10.1111/j.1526-100X.2008.00514.x
Chew, M.K. & M.D. Laubichler, 2003. Natural Enemies—Metaphor or Misconception? Science 301:52-53.
Stromberg, J.C. & Chew, M.K. 2003. “Flood pulses and restoration of riparian vegetation in the American southwest.” pp 11-49 in B.A. Middleton, ed. Flood Pulsing in Wetlands: Restoring the Natural Hydrological Balance. New York: John Wiley & Sons. 11-49.
Stromberg, J.C. & M.K. Chew 2002. “Foreign visitors in riparian corridors of the American Southwest: Is xenophytophobia justified?” pp 195-219 in B. Tellman, ed. Invasive Exotic Species in the Sonoran Region. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
Stromberg, J.C. and M.K. Chew, 1997. Herbaceous Exotics in Arizona’s Riparian Ecosystems. Desert Plants 13:11-17.
Publications (Other articles, issue papers, reports and commentaries)
Chew, M.K. 2012. The Positively Biased Life. Invited guest commentary, Journal of Ecology Blog, British Ecological Society. 23 May 2012. http://jecologyblog.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/the-positively-biased-life/
Chew, M.K. & S.P. Carroll. 2011. The Invasive Ideology. The Scientist. http://the-scientist.com/2011/09/07/opinion-the-invasive-ideology.
Chew, M.K. 2010. Culling Lionfish Doesn’t Actually Improve Nature. Scuba Diving 19(2):73-74.
Chew, M.K. 2009. “Good Ideas at the Time: Historians Look at Ecology.” Symposium Report, Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America 90:142-152.
Chew, M.K. 2008. Alien grasses are finding new homes in Arizona. High Country News July 16, 2008. www.hcn.org/wotr/15802.
Chew, M.K. 2006. Global Warming: Life as We’ll Know It. History News Network www.hnn.us/articles/30149.html.
Chew, M.K. 2005. ‘Alien’ grasses just another desert migrant (‘My Turn’ Op Ed) Arizona Republic 11 October 2005. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/1011chew11.h…
Stromberg, J.C., S.J. Lite, & M.K. Chew, 2003. Alien plants and riparian ecosystem restoration: The Tamarix case. (invited feature) Southwest Hydrology 2(2): 22-23
Stromberg, J.C. & M.K. Chew. 2003. Fire and riparian ecosystems. (invited feature) Southwest Hydrology 2(2): 23
Chew, M.K. 2000 Book Review: “Chance and Change: Ecology for Conservationists” by W.H. Drury. Restoration Ecology 8(2):209
Chew, M.K. 2000. Essay/Op Ed: ‘A Theme Park Grows Beneath the Ground’ Boston Globe, 6 Feb 2000. (Also published as “When is a Cave Not a Cave?” Australasian Journal of Cave and Karst Management.)
Stromberg, J.C. and M.K. Chew. 1999. Restoration of riparian ecosystems in the arid Southwest: Challenges and opportunities. in P. Shafroth, B. Tellman & M. Briggs, Eds. Riparian Ecosystem Restoration in the Gila Basin: Opportunities and Constraints. Water Resources Research Issue Paper 21. Tucson: University of AZ.
Patten, D., J. Stromberg, M. Scott and M. Chew. 1997. Sustainability of Western Riparian Ecosystems in Minckley, W.L. ed. Aquatic Ecosystems Symposium: Report to the Western Water Policy Review Advisory Commission. Arizona State University, Tempe.
Chew, M.K. 1989. Great-tailed Grackle at Fort Collins, Colorado, November 24, 1989 (Photo Credit). American Birds 44:133.
Publications (Encyclopedia entries)
Chew, M.K. 2013. The Balance of Nature. in B. Black, ed. Climate Change: An Encyclopedia of Science and History. Oxford: ABC-CLIO. 129-136
Chew, M.K. 2012. “Species Extinction.” in S.G. Philander, ed. Encyclopedia of Global Warming and Climate Change. 2nd Edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. 1283-1289
Chew, M.K. 2011. Invasion Biology: Historical Precedents IN D. Simberloff and M. Rejmánek, eds. Encyclopedia of Biological Invasions. Berkeley: University of California Press. 369-375
Chew, M.K. 2011. The Emergence of the American Ranch. in A. Andrea and C. Neel, et al., eds. World History Encyclopedia. Oxford: ABC-CLIO.
Chew, M.K. 2008. “Species Extinction.” in S.G. Philander, ed. Encyclopedia of Global Warming and Climate Change. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. 921-927.
Chew, M.K. 2008. “Climatic Data, Lake Records. in S.G. Philander, ed. Encyclopedia of Global Warming and Climate Change. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. 238-239.
Chew, M.K. 2001. “Riparian Ecosystems: Are southwestern riparian ecosystems being managed effectively?” in F. Miller, ed. Water and the Environment: Global Perspectives. Chicago: St. James Press. 212-218.
Courses
2024 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BIO 492 | Honors Directed Study |
| BIO 493 | Honors Thesis |
| BIO 407 | Novel Ecosystems |
| LIA 194 | Special Topics |
2024 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BIO 492 | Honors Directed Study |
| BIO 493 | Honors Thesis |
| BIO 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| BIO 407 | Novel Ecosystems |
2023 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BIO 492 | Honors Directed Study |
| BIO 493 | Honors Thesis |
| LIA 194 | Special Topics |
| BIO 407 | Novel Ecosystems |
2023 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BIO 492 | Honors Directed Study |
| BIO 493 | Honors Thesis |
| BIO 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| BIO 407 | Novel Ecosystems |
2022 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BIO 492 | Honors Directed Study |
| BIO 407 | Novel Ecosystems |
2022 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BIO 493 | Honors Thesis |
| BIO 316 | Hist Bio:Conflicts&Controversy |
| HPS 330 | Hist Bio:Conflicts&Controversy |
| BIO 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| BIO 407 | Novel Ecosystems |
| LIA 194 | Special Topics |
2021 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BIO 492 | Honors Directed Study |
| HPS 340 | Biology and Society |
| BIO 311 | Biology and Society |
| BIO 407 | Novel Ecosystems |
2021 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BIO 493 | Honors Thesis |
| BIO 316 | Hist Bio:Conflicts&Controversy |
| HPS 330 | Hist Bio:Conflicts&Controversy |
| BIO 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| BIO 407 | Novel Ecosystems |
2020 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BIO 492 | Honors Directed Study |
| HPS 340 | Biology and Society |
| BIO 311 | Biology and Society |
| BIO 407 | Novel Ecosystems |
| BIO 311 | Biology and Society |
| HPS 340 | Biology and Society |
2020 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BIO 316 | History of Biology: Conflicts |
| HPS 330 | Hist Bio:Conflicts/Controversy |
| BIO 495 | Undergraduate Research |
| BIO 407 | Novel Ecosystems |
2019 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| HPS 340 | Biology and Society |
| BIO 311 | Biology and Society |
| BIO 494 | Special Topics |
Invited Presentations and Panels
Invasive Species are Neither, and Why it Matters. Maricopa Audubon Society, November 3, 2015; also at Boyce Thompson Southwest Arboretum, December 14, 2015.
Webinar Presentation: Thinking About “Invasive Species.” University of New Mexico; University of California, Berkeley; University of Alaska, Fairbanks. The Human Dimension of Natural History Biology 402-502, 2 September 2014.
Webinar Presentation: How Did Weeds Became Invaders? University of Nebraska, Lincoln, North American Invasive Plant Short Course. 6 February 2014. https://connect.unl.edu/p8ozwok9nem/
Presentation: Hearts, Minds and “Invasive” Species. Beyond Pesticides 31st National Pesticide Forum. “Sustainable Families, Farms and Food: Resilient Communities Through Organic Practices.” University of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM, 6 April 2013
Workshop Panelist: Organic Land Management and Cutting Edge Alternatives. Beyond Pesticides 31st National Pesticide Forum. “Sustainable Families, Farms and Food: Resilient Communities Through Organic Practices.” University of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM, 6 April 2013
Presentation: Biological invasions aren’t invasions—And why that matters to science and society. University of Nevada, Reno. Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Colloquium Series. Reno, NV 21 February 2013.
Moderator: Film discussion panel, Watershed: Exploring a new water ethic for the New West. Arizona State University, Global Institute of Sustainability and the Arizona Riparian Council, Tempe AZ, 27 September 2012.
Panelist: Science Magazine, ScienceNOW Live Chat: Invasive Species—Threats or Just Misunderstood? 26 July 2012. http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/07/live-chat-invasive-specie…
Panelist: Adopting and Adapting a Father: Charles Elton’s Meaning to Invasion Biology. University of Sydney Environmental Humanities Group Conference: Rethinking Invasion Ecologies: Natures, Cultures, and Societies in the Age of the Anthropocene. Sydney, NSW, Australia. June 2012.
Plenary panelist: The Surprising History of Biological Invasions: Certain uncertainties, philosophical failures and metaphorical mistakes. American Fisheries Society, Idaho Chapter Annual Conference, Coeur d’Alene Idaho, March 2012.
Natives and Aliens: Not Even a Good Idea. 30th Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, Eugene, Oregon, March 2012.
Presentation: Pragmatic Environmentalism. Arizona Association of Environmental Professionals. Scottsdale, AZ, 24 May 2011.
Panelist: Second Annual 21st Century Challenges for Conservation Biology. Central Arizona Chapter, Society for Conservation Biology. Tempe, AZ April 2011.
Presentation: Where Natives Come From. Northern Arizona University, Forestry Graduate Students Association Seminar Series. Flagstaff, AZ, 27 October 2010. http://www.for.nau.edu/mosaddphp/Seminar/Recordings/101027/MattChew.html
Presentation: Phytogeography: 175 Years of Negative Nativeness. From Linnaeus to the Encyclopedia of Life: Tracking Diversity in the Natural World. MBL-ASU History of Biology Summer Seminar. Woods Hole, MA May 2010.
Panelist: 21st Century Challenges for Conservation Biology. Society for Conservation Biology, Central Arizona Chapter. Tempe, AZ April 2010.
Presentation: No Place Like Home: The Competing Social Metaphors of Ecological Science. University of Tasmania: School of Government and Environment Centre special joint symposium. Hobart, Australia, July 2009.
Keynote Presentation The Dagger and the Asterisk. Symposium: “Fifty years of Invasion Ecology – the Legacy of Charles Elton.” Stellenbosch, South Africa. November 2008.
Presentation: Is it Really an Invasion? McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, Scottsdale AZ, June 2007.
Presentation: Monsters from Another World: Arizona Aliens. Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix AZ, July 2002. (With J.C. Stromberg)
Meetings, Workshops, Conferences, and Symposia: Contributed Presentations and Posters
"Unwanted! Anthropomorphizing and Personifying Introduced Species as Criminals" with Rachel Hall, Louisiana State University. American Society for Environmental History Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, March 2014.
Changing conservation goals and strategies: A succession of failed metaphors? (Symposium Paper) Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, Portland OR August 2012.
Prescriptive Political Biogeography: National Identity and ‘Invading Alien’ Species. Nature and Nation Network Second Workshop: The State of Nature. Bucharest, Romania, December 2011.
The Last Nineteenth Century Naturalist: Charles Elton’s Visits to the American Tropics. International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Science Biennial Meeting, Salt Lake City, Utah July 2011.
Found then Drowned: Three Noteworthy Collections from Tempe Town Lake. 8th Arizona Botany Meeting. E. Makings, L. Butler, Matthew Chew & Juliet Stromberg; presented by Elizabeth Makings. Phoenix AZ, February 2011.
A Modified Kind of Man and a Modified Kind of Nature: Charles Elton’s Vision of Millennial Conservation. History of Science Society Annual Meeting, Montreal Quebec November 2010.
Biotic Nativeness: A historical look at a “simply negative” idea. School of Life Sciences Seminar Series, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. October 2009.
Anekeitaxonomy: Botany, Place and Belonging. World Congress of Environmental History, Copenhagen, Denmark, August 2009.
Tamarisk: Five Framings. International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Science Biennial Meeting, Brisbane, Australia, July 2009.
Tamarisk: From Good and Pretty to Bad and Ugly (invited conference dinner presentation) Arizona Riparian Council Annual Meeting, Camp Verde, Arizona. April 2009.
The Role of Scientists in Tamarisk and River Management: Perpetuation of a Mythology (poster, with J. Stromberg, P. Nagler and E. Glenn). Tamarisk and Russian Olive Research Conference, Reno, NV February 2009; Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM, August 2009.
Ecology and the De-Natured World. (Symposium Paper). Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, Milwaukee, WI August 2008.
Invasion Biology’s Forgotten Forerunners (poster). Ecological Society of America / Society for Ecological Restoration; Joint Annual Meeting, San Jose, CA August 2007. also at Symposium: “Fifty years of Invasion Ecology – the Legacy of Charles Elton.” Stellenbosch, South Africa. November 2008.
H.C. Watson and the Civil Claims of “British” Plants,” International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Science Biennial Meeting, Exeter, UK, July 2007.
5000 Years of Tamarisk in 5 Minutes. Special Session Panel, Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, Memphis, TN August 2006.
Anekeitaxonomy: Biologizing Belonging. Southwest Colloquium in the History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, Davis, CA March 2006.
The Anti(?)-Aesthetics of Invasion Biology. International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Science Biennial Meeting, Guelph, Ontario, Canada July 2005.
Nativeness Considered (with Andrew L. Hamilton, UC San Diego) Southwest Colloquium in the History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, Tempe AZ March 2005
Endangered with Criticized Habitat: A Bird in the Wrong Bush. American Society for Environmental History Annual Meeting, Victoria, BC, Canada April 2004.
The Costs of Caricature: Is Invasion Biology Exploiting Science Illiteracy? (Poster) American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, March 2004. also at Gordon Research Conference on Science and Technology Policy, Big Sky, MT August 2004.
Biological Invasions as Ecological (and other) Models (with M.D. Laubichler) Southwest Colloquium in the History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, Austin, TX March 2004.
The Stone the Builders Rejected: Marston Bates, Charles Elton and the Foundations of Invasion Ecology. International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Science Biennial Meeting, Vienna, Austria, July 2003.
The Tangled Tale of Tamarix: A Study in Status, Southwest Colloquium in the History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, Tempe, AZ February 2003.
The Invasion of the Second Greatest Threat, History of Science Society Annual Meeting, Milwaukee, WI, November 2002.
2014-15 Huntington Exchange Fellow, Corpus Christi College, Oxford University
Natural Resources Planner, Arizona State Parks 1993-2000
Field Biologist / NEPA Specialist, Gutierrez-Palmenberg Inc. 1991-1993