Jordan mentions another aspect, the decline of courses on particular taxonomic groups of organisms. Those of us old enough to have used (or even taught) the Odum ecology text well remember his "layer cake" graphic of the organization of biological science. He represented biology as a layer cake, with taxonomic groups making up the cake's layers, while "functional studies" such as ecology, evolution, and physiology he treated as slices through the whole cake. Using that metaphor, the layers of the cake are missing from the modern biologist's education. How many institutions still offer courses in mammalogy, ichthyology, plant systematics, phycology and so on? Some do, yes, but these courses may be disappearing even more than courses with a field focus, much to the detriment of those who need or want to learn about a particular group of organisms. I realize that some of the organisms formerly grouped into some recognized taxa have been recognized to be members of disparate evolutionary lineages, but there is still reason for a prospective marine biologist to know the "algae," or a fish and wildlife scientist to know the "fish." We have the odd situation now where people investigate the evolution of a group of organisms, without having ever formally studied the group. Interesting, at any rate.
David McNeely ---- Jordan Mayor <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Ling, > > I think the onset of this discussion began with it being pointed out that > many Biology Dept.’s have gone “molecular” or even “nano” and this financial > refocusing, perhaps combined with increasing enrollment straining class > sizes, has resulted in a reduced number of field courses being offered. > > I have experienced this while a T.A. at a major R1 US university. The > field-trip-oriented General Ecology course was under constant pressure to > eradicate field trips so more than 14 students (the maximum # of students > that could fit on the dept.’s buses) could enroll in a lab section (thus > removing a T.A.-ship for one ill-fated grad student). This was thankfully > avoided — much to the benefit of the students, many of whom have never > experienced an ecological perspective on the many unique ecosystems FL has to > offer (hint: it’s not just mangrove and slash pine). > > When I was an undergrad I also had direct experience in hitting a “pay wall” > while trying to increase my field biology experience. OTS and The School for > Field Studies both offered excellent programs that very much piqued my > interest but were quashed by my financial reality (loans and part-time jobs). > In the end I very much enjoyed field trips and eventually found paid summer > field experience chasing birds around on an undergraduate professor’s > research grant. > > I think another big issue, besides the reduction in field trips in Ecology > courses, is the general loss of taxonomist positions at universities. > Taxonomy courses (plant tax, mycology, entomology, etc.) often require direct > observation or even personal collection of organisms in their environment. > Such taxonomy courses may offer the sort of field experience that will > energize young field biologists — not to mention make them better ecologists > ;) > > So please. If you are in a position to either fight to retain field courses > or offer one yourself please do. And make it one to remember. > > > > -- > Jordan Mayor, PhD > Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU > Forest Ecology & Management > jordanmayor.com > > On May 17, 2014, at 3:00 PM, ling huang <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Some thoughts and questions: > > > > I'm not sure if it has clearl > > Hi all > > > > Some thoughts and questions: > > > > I'm not sure if it has clearly been mentioned but what are the reasons for > > the loss of field courses? > > Is it a recent phenomenon? Is it area / state/country specific? Are there > > reasons given? Has there been a large reduction in the numbers of field > > courses offered? or is it part of a reduction due to shortage of interest, > > shortage of student enrollment, insurance, financial etc. ? (I'm grabbing > > at straws)? > > > > In my previous email I did list some courses, programs offered that looked > > very interesting and thorough in their field component (incl. at my own > > school). > > > > All interesting stuff. > > > > Ling > > Ling Huang > > Sacramento City College > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > From: Malcolm McCallum <[email protected]> > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Saturday, May 17, 2014 11:11 AM > > Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Loss of field courses, continued > > > > > > For perspective...This is what financially disadvantaged students deal > > with.. > > > > Every single decision made is based on whether or not you will have to > > pay for it above and beyond the cost of attendance. The class has an > > optional field trip to a place 10 mi away? I don't have a car, how > > will I get there? Sometimes you can go with other students, but often > > you can't because the seats are taken. there is an optional class to > > be taken on the other side of the city/county/state/planet...its not > > happening. > > > > I came into undergrad broke. > > The dorms fed you M-F, then Sat you got two meals, and Sunday you got one. > > That is what I ate my first year in college because all of my money > > went to school. The rules were all freshman and sophomores that lived > > outside of a certain distance form ISU had to live in the dorms > > (unless married). > > > > Each summer, I would work multiple jobs so I had enough to pay for > > books and possibly some other expenses. The summer after my freshman > > year I worked night shift at the truck stop as a janitor 40+ hrs a > > week, then turned around and worked in the kitchen washing dishes and > > cleaning vats at the hospital. Between these two I made enough at > > $4.00/hr to pay for most of my expenses. This gave me just enough > > money I could afford to go to the movies once a week and eat on the > > weekends after also working 20-30 hours a week at school. The end of > > Sophomore year I was an undergrad research assistant for 5 hrs a week > > and worked at burger king for $3.35/hr. Most of that went into > > school. > > > > Junior year I started working in the night manager program (night > > shift) 30 hr/wk. I did this through my senior year. It paid > > substantially more and financial aid benefits had grown a lot by that > > time. However, my father lost his job after 22 years and so I was > > sending money home. Even though I was now making more. That > > continued on midway through my MS. > > > > Then, when you graduate with a PHD, you don't have the option of > > declining a bad job, because you have a student loan heap on your head > > that must be paid, forget feeding yourself or your children. > > > > It sounds like no big deal to go off campus to take necessary courses > > the school doesn't offer. But if you are financially disadvantaged, > > its not an option. And, that financial disadvantage continues to haunt > > you all the way through until after you graduate with a PHD because > > you have to take care of all those student loans, and deal with the > > missed opportunities that result because you could not afford to take > > advantage of them. > > > > It actually angers me quite a bit when people use the old, "well you > > can just..." No you can't if you are living from dime to dime, day to > > day. > > > > Malcolm > > > > > > On Sat, May 17, 2014 at 12:23 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Absolutely true, Malcolm and others. Sure, OTS is an important > >> organization that provides access to tropical field locations for those > >> students who can afford it. But when I was an undergrad, I had to work at > >> a job year round, and go to school near home. I did not have money for > >> travel to foreign countries, I had to spend my money to eat, have a roof > >> over my head, have clothing to wear, and pay school expenses. > >> > >> I have been a faculty member in institutions that served primarily poor > >> and mostly first generation students. Though they generally had more > >> financial support than was typical 50 years ago, they still struggled > >> financially. Some were single parents, trying to get a leg up in school. > >> Try telling the OTS adviser that you'll be bringing your three year old > >> with you. > >> > >> No field courses at the institution? Then for them, no field courses. > >> Even making the field trips in country can be a struggle for some poor > >> students, when the institution specifies that students pay their own > >> travel expenses. Getting their head, and their wallet, around travel to > >> Brazil may just be beyond them. > >> > >> But I made it a point to provide meaningful field biology experiences > >> within my department, and close to home. And a major reason that is going > >> away in so many institutions is that field biology is going away. It > >> needn't. > >> > >> David McNeely > >> > >> ---- Malcolm McCallum <[email protected]> wrote: > >>> When students must travel half-way around the world to get this kind > >>> of experience, you can be assured that their will be a significant > >>> disadvantage for those who are financially disadvantaged. My attitude > >>> as an undergraduate would have been (and was) if this was really > >>> important, the school would have it on campus for everyone to take. > >>> > >>> Boy, I've learned how wrong I was about how schools often select what > >>> they offer. > >>> > >>> On Fri, May 16, 2014 at 10:41 PM, Kimberly G. Smith <[email protected]> > >>> wrote: > >>>> I am following this thread with some amusement... I am in Belize with 20 > >>>> undergraduates on a natural history course... next week, 45 students > >>>> from University of Arkansas will travel to Dangriga Belize for your 7th > >>>> summer of service/learning for 3 weeks.... > >>>> > >>>> As others have mentioned, if you feel seriously about field experiences, > >>>> it is up to you to provide those experiences for your students... I > >>>> find it is very rewarding and a life changing experience for many > >>>> students.... > >>>> > >>>> Saludos, Kim > >>>> **************************************** > >>>> Kimberly G. Smith > >>>> University Professor of Biology > >>>> Department of Biological Sciences > >>>> University of Arkansas > >>>> Fayetteville, AR 72701 USA > >>>> phone 479-575-6359 fax 479-575-4010 > >>>> email [email protected] > >>>> **************************************** > >>>> > >>>> ________________________________________ > >>>> From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news > >>>> [[email protected]] on behalf of Andrés Santana > >>>> [[email protected]] > >>>> Sent: Friday, May 16, 2014 5:20 PM > >>>> To: [email protected] > >>>> Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Loss of field courses, continued > >>>> > >>>> We at OTS share this concern. We truly believe that field courses and > >>>> field research present students with some of the best opportunities to > >>>> do research and understand nature. I know firsthand that spending a > >>>> semester out in field stations taking courses and doing research is a > >>>> life changing experience. I was fortunate enough to be chosen to > >>>> participate in a field semester with and OTS program. > >>>> OTS specializes in field courses and we welcome any faculty member that > >>>> wants to teach a course at any one of our field stations. We are > >>>> constantly working on and thinking of new field course topics in > >>>> ecology and evolution that will prove beneficial to students (undergrad > >>>> and grad) in their professional and academic careers. We would be glad > >>>> to hear your input and work with any of you setting up courses to teach > >>>> your students or students from any university. > >>>> > >>>> Best, > >>>> > >>>> Andrés Santana > >>>> Graduate Education Department > >>>> Organization for Tropical Studies > >>>> San Pedro, Costa Rica. 676-2050 > >>>> (506) 2524-0607 ext. 1511 > >>>> Skype: andres.santana_otscro > >>>> www.ots.ac.cr > >>>> twitter: @ots_tropicaledu > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> -----Original Message----- > >>>> From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news > >>>> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Malcolm McCallum > >>>> Sent: Friday, May 16, 2014 01:08 PM > >>>> To: [email protected] > >>>> Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Loss of field courses, continued > >>>> > >>>> Bruce Bury's article... > >>>> Bury, B. 2006. Natural history, field ecology, conservation biology, and > >>>> wildlife management: Time to connect the dots. Herpetological > >>>> Conservation and Biology 1:56-61. > >>>> http://www.herpconbio.org/volume_1/issue_1/Bury_2006.pdf > >>>> > >>>> On Fri, May 16, 2014 at 10:19 AM, David Inouye <[email protected]> wrote: > >>>>> Paul Dayton asked me to post this: > >>>>> > >>>>> Dear Colleagues, I have enjoyed reading your laments about the loss of > >>>>> field courses and of course have strong opinions about this because it > >>>>> really is also the loss of respect for nature herself. We can't > >>>>> really understand nature without experiencing it and students can't > >>>>> experience it hiding behind computers in cloistered ivory towers. > >>>>> Harry Greene and I have written about this: > >>>>> > >>>>> The importance of Natural Sciences to Conservation, 2003. American > >>>>> Naturalist (162) and Organisms in Nature as a central focus in biology > >>>>> 2005, TREE (20) > >>>>> > >>>>> and Ian Billick and Mary Price have a wonderful book: The Ecology of > >>>>> Place I urge you to buy and read it. > >>>>> > >>>>> But the most important challenge I offer those of you who care enough > >>>>> to comment is to offer a field course yourself. Try it; it takes a > >>>>> little time but even if you don't know that much, your students will > >>>>> help teach it for you and soon you will be considered a legendary > >>>>> naturalist. Don't just complain, offer a field course yourself. It > >>>>> will evolve and you will learn a lot and have a lot of fun as well. > >>>>> Finally, ESA has a Natural History Section in need of your support and > >>>>> enthusiasm as it I think Nature is disappearing within ESA just as it > >>>>> did in the Amer. Soc. of Naturalists. > >>>>> Once students lose track of nature and become professors with no > >>>>> understanding or experience themselves, it is hard to recover the > >>>>> sense of wonder nature can induce in our science. > >>>>> > >>>>> Paul Dayton <[email protected]> > >>>> -- David McNeely
