As Malcolm pointed out it is sad when students can not obtain field experience in "our backyard". I am not dishing the overseas programs - I would have loved to participate in them when I was a student but it was all I could manage to put myself through school. We need to not rely only/primarily on the already developed programs at field stations because that will focus on those more financially able to participate. I was lucky I went to California State University, Long Beach in the 1990s and the professors I had developed many field courses for the students. Most were day excursions or occurred in a three hour lab block but we also had weekend ones at a local field station. It was on one of these weekend field trips to a local marine station that I knew I was in the course of study that was right for me and was my passion. I would hate our field to lose out on a student in the future from lack of exposure. Local course need to be developed so students who can't afford to go away for a few weeks won't be left out and then not exposed to basis of our planet and out lives - nature.
On Sat, May 17, 2014 at 11:38 AM, 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]> > > > > > > > > -- > > Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP > > Department of Environmental Studies > > University of Illinois at Springfield > > > > Managing Editor, > > Herpetological Conservation and Biology > > > > “Nothing is more priceless and worthy of preservation than the rich > array of animal life with which our country has been blessed. It is a > many-faceted treasure, of value to scholars, scientists, and nature lovers > alike, and it forms a vital part of the heritage we all share as Americans.” > > -President Richard Nixon upon signing the Endangered Species Act of > > 1973 into law. > > > > "Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive" - > Allan Nation > > > > 1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea" W.S. Gilbert > > 1990's: Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss, > > and pollution. > > 2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction > > MAY help restore populations. > > 2022: Soylent Green is People! > > > > The Seven Blunders of the World (Mohandas Gandhi) Wealth w/o work > Pleasure w/o conscience Knowledge w/o character Commerce w/o morality > Science w/o humanity Worship w/o sacrifice Politics w/o principle > > > > Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, > is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain > confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, > disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended > recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies > of the original message. > > > > > > > > > > > > --- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by > MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. > > > > -- > Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP > Department of Environmental Studies > University of Illinois at Springfield > > Managing Editor, > Herpetological Conservation and Biology > > “Nothing is more priceless and worthy of preservation than the rich > array of animal life with which our country has been blessed. It is a > many-faceted treasure, of value to scholars, scientists, and nature > lovers alike, and it forms a vital part of the heritage we all share > as Americans.” > -President Richard Nixon upon signing the Endangered Species Act of > 1973 into law. > > "Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive" - > Allan Nation > > 1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea" W.S. Gilbert > 1990's: Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss, > and pollution. > 2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction > MAY help restore populations. > 2022: Soylent Green is People! > > The Seven Blunders of the World (Mohandas Gandhi) > Wealth w/o work > Pleasure w/o conscience > Knowledge w/o character > Commerce w/o morality > Science w/o humanity > Worship w/o sacrifice > Politics w/o principle > > Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any > attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may > contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized > review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not > the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and > destroy all copies of the original message. > -- Diana S. Weber, Ph.D. [email protected] +1 646 652 9428 "Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend." *- Corey Ford*
