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 <malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com> 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 <kgsm...@uark.edu> 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 kgsm...@uark.edu > > **************************************** > > > > ________________________________________ > > From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news > > [ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] on behalf of Andrés Santana > > [andres.sant...@ots.ac.cr] > > Sent: Friday, May 16, 2014 5:20 PM > > To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU > > 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:ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] On Behalf Of Malcolm McCallum > > Sent: Friday, May 16, 2014 01:08 PM > > To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU > > 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 <ino...@umd.edu> 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 <pday...@ucsd.edu> > > > > > > > > -- > > 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. -- David McNeely
