[ECOLOG-L] Organic Agriculture
Lately, a lot of people in skeptical communities have been saying that not only does organic agriculture use more land than conventional, it's no better or even worse for the environment overall. What do those of you with expertise in agroecology think about this? Jane -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Lecturer and DBER Fellow, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "Muad'Dib learned rapidly because his first training was in how to learn. And the first lesson of all was the basic trust that he *could* learn. It's shocking to find how many people do not believe they can learn, and how many more believe learning to be difficult." --Frank Herbert, *Dune*
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Request for Readings/Videos for Honors Course on Future of Human Civilization
I taught a similar seminar a few years ago that was built around David Brin's novel "Earth:. It's idea-dense science fiction that gives students a lot to sink their teeth into and provides a framework for discussing a lot of science. I also strongly recommend "The World in 2050" by Laurence C. Smith, which looks at big environmental and demographic trends. "Thinking in Systems" by Donella Meadows is also a good supplement. Hope that helps, Jane On Wed, Feb 1, 2017 at 6:53 PM, Neufeld, Howard S. wrote: > Dear All – > > This semester I am teaching an experimental Honors seminar course to > juniors/seniors titled *The Future of Human Civilization: Climate Change, > Population Growth and the Possibilities for Sustainability*. > > > > I know the title may sound pretentious, but I purposely wanted to make it > provocative. The students are a mix of STEM and non-STEM majors. > > > > I would welcome suggestions for ancillary materials for the course. We > have a large number of primary journal articles and a large cadre of books, > including the updated *Limits to Growth*, *2050* and *2052* (yes those > are two books about the future!), Al Gore’s *The Future*, Oreskes & > Conway’s *Collapse of Western Civilization*, and Ron Scranton’s *How to > Die in the Anthropocene*. > > > > I almost included Diamond’s *Collapse*, which was high on the list, but I > didn’t think it had the proper perspective. I'm currently reading David > Biello's *The Unnatural World*. > > > > I’d be particularly interested in any high quality videos that pertain to > the course subject, plus further suggestions for readings. We opened with > Nick Bostrom’s article “*The Future of Humanity*” to set the stage for > the rest of the course, then followed up with the Ehrlichs’ recent PNAS > article on whether global civilization can avoid a collapse. Then we read > Schramski et al.’s article in PNAS on the analogy of Earth as a discharging > battery. > > > > Thanks! > > Howie Neufeld > > -- > Dr. Howard S. Neufeld, Professor > Director, Southern Appalachian Environmental Research and Education Center > (SAEREC) > Chair, Appalachian Interdisciplinary Atmospheric Research Group (AppalAIR) > > Mailing Address: >Department of Biology >572 Rivers St. >Appalachian State University >Boone, NC 28608 >Tel: 828-262-2683; Fax 828-262-2127 > > Websites: > Academic: http://biology.appstate.edu/faculty-staff/104 > Personal: http://www.appstate.edu/~neufeldhs/index.html > SAEREC: http://saerec.appstate.edu > AppalAIR: http://appalair.appstate.edu > Fall Colors: > Academic: http://biology.appstate.edu/fall-colors > Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FallColorGuy > > -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Lecturer and DBER Fellow, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "Muad'Dib learned rapidly because his first training was in how to learn. And the first lesson of all was the basic trust that he *could* learn. It's shocking to find how many people do not believe they can learn, and how many more believe learning to be difficult." --Frank Herbert, *Dune*
[ECOLOG-L] Math for Life Sciences Teaching Position at UCLA
and continue until the position is filled. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: UC Nondiscrimination and Affirmative Action Policy (http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct). -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "Muad'Dib learned rapidly because his first training was in how to learn. And the first lesson of all was the basic trust that he *could* learn. It's shocking to find how many people do not believe they can learn, and how many more believe learning to be difficult." --Frank Herbert, *Dune*
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Should Calculus Be Required of All Ecology/Biology Majors?
For the last four years, I have been working on a new Math for Life Scientists course at UCLA that our life sciences majors can take (along with a stats course) instead of the usual Calculus for Life Sciences sequence. This course dives right into dynamical modeling, with students learning how to write basic differential equation models on the first day, before we do any calculus, treating X' as just a piece of notation. (Most of our students took calculus in high school but this is not a requirement and we cover the essential concepts of calculus, which most students who took AP Calculus have very little understanding of.) During the two-course sequence, we teach the core concepts of calculus, including multivariable, and linear algebra, but our main focus is on making, simulating and analyzing differential equation models, including many ecological ones. Topics covered include state space, vector fields, trajectories, equilibria and stability (both graphical and linear), nullclines, bifurcations, oscillations and limit cycles, chaos and multivariable optimization, with models from ecology, physiology, and other subject areas including chemistry and physics. There's also a weekly computer lab that uses the free, Python-based program SageMath, so our students also learn basic programming. Student response has been tremendous, to the point where our main challenge now is keeping up with demand. (If you might be interested in teaching this course, please email me off-llist.) We've had many students seek out opportunities to learn more about modeling, get into research that uses it, ask for ways to stay involved with the course after finishing it (we started an undergraduate learning assistant program for the computer labs based on a combination of need and student enthusiasm) and request that a third quarter be added to the sequence. (This would probably cover stochastic and spatial models.) Basically, we're teaching nonlinear dynamics to biology freshmen and they love it. Some combination of this kind of modeling course and statistics would serve most students much better than calculus. Jane Shevtsov On Thu, Oct 20, 2016 at 8:30 PM, John Grady wrote: > Great conversation. I guess I'll add my two cents too. In my experience > (postdoc, macroecology) I deal regularly with calculus equations, but > really only insofar as I see them in a paper and need to understand what > they are trying to say. I'm not integrating many equations, and I suspect > the number of ecologists actually doing such work is somewhere near 1%. > Sure, the theory behind most ecology - from Lotka-Volterra to modern > statistical methods we use in R - is based on some amount of calculus, > probability theory or linear algebra. These are all great things to know, > but rarely of much actual use for the vast majority of practicing > ecologists. However, what I think *is* very useful, is knowing how read > and understand equations. To understand *dN/dt*, you should understand > what a derivative is and why its such an important concept. Likewise, > understanding integrals and limits are quite useful. A course designed to > give biologists a basic vocabulary in calculus - filled with real > biological examples - would be invaluable and not nearly so painful and > mostly pointless as the calculus many of us have taken. Those classes > basically consisted of pattern recognition (what kind of math problem is > this?), plugging in some algorithm you'll forget the next week, and then > chugging away at a solution that makes little sense. Most math taught today > is too abstract and mechanical to offer conceptual insight to biologists. > It goes in one ear and out the other. > > Theoretical and computational type ecologists could certainly benefit from > more learning, but I think a mandatory semester stressing conceptual and > reading competency in math would be sufficient for 90+ percent of biology > majors. The main challenge I suppose would be designing an appropriate > curriculum and getting the right instructor to teach it. > > John > > On Thu, Oct 20, 2016 at 6:17 PM, Loretta Fisher > wrote: > >> Hello, all, >> >> What an interesting discussion. I am a master's student in ecology. I >> am also from a very rural area in Colorado that has poor public math >> education, and am a first generation college student from a low-income >> family. Calculus requirements were much of the reason I initially dropped >> out of my undergraduate schooling in an aerospace engineering program. >> When I finally returned to finish my undergraduate studies, I went to the >> humanities instead of the sciences, because I had completely lost my >> confidence in my quantitative abilities. It has taken me a long time to >> develop the confidence and sk
[ECOLOG-L] Lynx-Hares Data
Does anyone have the actual data for the Canada lynx and snowshoe hare dataset that Elton studied? Thanks!
[ECOLOG-L] Culturing Acellular Slime Molds
Hi all, Does anyone here work with Physarum or similar slime molds? How do you prevent the cultures from getting moldy? Do you just transfer the organism to new medium every few days or are there other things that help? Thanks, Jane Shevtsov -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency." --Daniel Burnham, architect of first skyscraper (1864-1912)
Re: [ECOLOG-L] advice for disabled student seeking grad program in wildlife biology?
Dear Laura, I also use a wheelchair because of cerebral palsy and earned a Ph.D. in ecology, combining both fieldwork and modeling, in 2012. (I'm currently a postdoc doing curriculum development.) I'll be happy to correspond off-list, but here are two main points that I want to make publicly so others can benefit. 1. Don't assume that having a physical disability means being unable to do field work, especially if the disability in question is a spinal cord injury. There are off-road powerchairs ( http://www.accesstr.com/All_Terrain_Wheelchairs_s/1513.htm) that maybe a grant could pay for. People with SCIs can usually paddle a kayak or canoe (possibly with a seat frame or paddle holder, but those are not hard to build). They can also rock climb with adaptive equipment ( https://www.nolimitstahoe.com/) and such equipment could be adapted to tree climbing for canopy work. Horseback riding ( http://www.grit.com/animals/horse-saddles-for-handicap-riders.aspx) can provide a way to reach field sites. Or how about a snowmobile? http://www.mobility-advisor.com/adaptive-snowmobiling.html The point is that there's a lot of room for creativity here! If your school has an outdoor recreation program, they may be able to help out. Plus, there's always the time-honored tactic of asking your friends to help out. I went to my field sites to get a feel for them and identify plants, but friends did much of the actual data and sample collection. The university also paid for a field and lab assistant. 2. There's always work to be done with theory, other people's data or data collected for you. (See Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation, http://www.adventurescience.org, for the latter.) Plus, depending on the student's intellectual tastes, there's modeling (dynamical and statistical), GIS, remote sensing and all that good stuff. (Ecologists are starting to use drones!) Definitely encourage your student to learn basic modeling, one or two programming languages (Python, R, Matlab, etc.) and basic GIS. She can branch out from there. Please email me if you want to correspond further. I'd also be happy to correspond with your student directly. Best, Jane On Tue, Apr 21, 2015 at 7:54 AM, Gough, Laura wrote: > Dear all: > > A student has contacted me who wants to pursue graduate studies and an > academic career in wildlife biology. Tragically, she fractured her back two > years ago and is currently confined to a wheelchair. There is only a remote > chance that she will be able to walk again. > > I am reaching out to the Ecolog community to see if any of you have ideas > for how she can pursue her dream if she is not physically able to conduct > field work. > > Please respond to me off-list. > > Thanks in advance, > > Laura Gough > > > > > Laura Gough, Professor and Interim Chair > Department of Biology > University of Texas Arlington > Arlington, TX 76019-0498 > 817-272-2872 > go...@uta.edu<mailto:go...@uta.edu> > http://www.uta.edu/biology/gough/lab/index.htm > -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency." --Daniel Burnham, architect of first skyscraper (1864-1912)
Re: [ECOLOG-L] open source alternatives to MATLAB
I've used Octave and Sage. Octave is very, very close to Matlab. If you want to run Matlab code without buying Matlab, Octave is what you want. The graphics aren't as polished, but otherwise it seems like a solid piece of software. I've used it in my research to do metacommunity analysis. Sage is a very different animal, and I am absolutely in love with it. Why? First of all, the syntax. Sage is based on Python (although it incorporates other programs, like Octave and R) and retains Python's accessibility and clarity. How do you plot x^2? plot(x^2). If you want to specify a plotting range, use plot(x^2, (x,-5,5)) or whatever. You can create an animation in two lines, one of which is just the show() command. My Math for Life Scientists students (mostly lower-division bio students at UCLA) create slider-driven interactive plots on their first day in lab. I created a complex interactive that does dynamic simulation, vector fields, equilbria and nullclines 3 or 4 weeks after starting to use Sage. A student of mine put together some very useful network weight computation and visualization code in a weekend, about 3 weeks after he started using Sage. (He was moderately proficient in Matlab and knew a little R before starting; I knew the basics of those languages and had a working knowledge of C++ but was not an expert programmer by any means.) In no other programming environment that I have ever seen can you go so far so fast. The other great thing about Sage is that it will do pretty much anything. You can simulate differential equation models (much more easily than in Matlab or R.) You can do symbolic work, like in Mathematica or Maple. You can plot things. You can study networks. And you can do anything Python can do. If Sage doesn't do what you want but there's a Python library for it (and there usually is), you're good to go. (This is easiest on a Linux or Mac system; you may be able to install packages on the virtual machine that Sage runs on in Windows but I've never tried it.) And if you or your students are using Sage a lot, you can set up a server for them to use. Since you typically use Sage inside a web browser, this is indistinguishable from running it on your own computer and saves the trouble of installation. I'm happy to answer any Sage questions people may have. Jane Shevtsov On Sun, May 4, 2014 at 6:13 PM, Malcolm McCallum < malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com> wrote: > On a whim, I did a google search for "open source version of matlab" > and was shocked to see just how many supposed open equivalents there > were! > > Does anyone know enough about these to evaluate which they think is > the best or the pluses and minuses of these different free > alternatives? > > GNU Octave (http://www.gnu.org/software/octave/) > FreeMat (http://freemat.sourceforge.net/) > Scilab (http://scilab.org/) > Sage (http://www.sagemath.org) > > If you want to email me directly, I can post a follow up summary. > M > > -- > 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. > -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org “Those who say it cannot be done should not interfere with those who are doing it.” --attributed to Robert Heinlein, George Bernard Shaw and others
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Recent PhDs on Food Stamps - Overwhelmed with Replies
People from comfortable middle-class backgrounds don't know how to be poor. In grad school, other students were complaining about their assistantships, but it was more money than I had ever had. Since graduation, I've alternated between temporary full-time and half-time positions (reasonably well-paid, thanks to the University of California's very active unions, but in a very expensive city), but my family's support and the expectations shaped by my background have made it a good experience. As long as you avoid or minimize undergrad debt, coming from a low-income background can be an advantage in academia. Jane Shevtsov On Mon, Feb 10, 2014 at 10:45 PM, Cynthia O'Rourke wrote: > Jason touches on my primary concern with this situation, other than having > a Ph.D. that might eventually enable me to do no better than tech position > in the field that I love. Ecology, evolution, and to a broader extent the > organismal sciences have been predominately white and middle-class fields > ever since they stopped being exclusively white and upper-class fields. The > current situation makes it insanity for anyone without a strong safety net > to pursue a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology, which further limits the > diversity of viewpoints that we can bring to our investigations and > discussions. I think that will hinder the progress of evolutionary biology, > and perhaps these other fields as well. > > > On Mon, Feb 10, 2014 at 6:25 PM, Jason Hernandez < > jason.hernande...@yahoo.com> wrote: > > > I was one of those who responded offline to the original post. Rather > > than tell my story again here, I offer further thoughts. > > > > Steven Schwartz wrote (in part) < > much one is willing to sacrifice with the knowledge that you may never > > achieve your dream. >> > > > > My answer: more than I ever thought I would. But when my savings > > completely dry up, I have to pay the bills somehow, and if a job > completely > > outside my chosen field finally presents itself, then the question > becomes: > > which risk do I take? Do I risk becoming trapped in that other career > > track, taking me away from my dream as my degree recedes into the past? > Or > > do I risk becoming a bum on the streets for love of a dream? Because > that > > is the reality some of us face. > > > > Every day, I see announcements for really great experiences that are not > > only unpaid, but in many cases, require the intern to cover his/her own > > expenses. I don't really care about upward mobility; but if I don't have > > the money, I cannot be a part of those opportunities, no matter how > > wonderful they may be in terms of the work being done. Unfortunately, > > anyone interested particularly in tropical ecosystems will face this > > situation; I do not remember ever seeing an opening for a paid position > in > > any project in a tropical country. If students coming in knew this, how > > many would still pursue that path? Who would do these internships, > knowing > > that they essentially are preparing for a career as an intern? The > urgency > > of the situation in the tropics needs quality work, but economic > realities > > tend to turn aspiring researchers away from those parts of the world. > > > > Jason Hernandez > > M.S., East Carolina University > > > > > > -- > > > > Date:Sun, 9 Feb 2014 22:40:15 -0500 > > From:Steven Schwartz > > Subject: Re: Recent PhDs on Food Stamps - Overwhelmed with Replies > > > > I=92ll add my two cents. The scarcity of positions is absolutely = > > nothing new. In the 1980=92s it was not unusual for there to be 300-400 > = > > applicants or more for positions in any kind of organismal biology. It = > > was during that decade that doing a post-doc in ecology became the norm = > > as a holding place for the emerging cohort. I don=92t mean to plead a = > > sad tale, but I was a post-doc at a major lab, published many papers, = > > and later taught and taught before getting a tenure-track job after way = > > too many years. I stuck with it, through the tough times, when I = > > perhaps should have recognized my giving-up-time. I was financially = > > insecure most of the time but that was price I was willing to pay to = > > achieve my dream. Perhaps the question ought to be how much one is = > > willing to sacrifice with the knowledge that you may never achieve your = > > dream. This isn=92t fair and I, more than most, feel badly for all the = > > young scientists who won=92t get what they so badly want. And deserve. > =
[ECOLOG-L] Summer Programs and the Quarter System
This time of year, I scan ECOLOG for summer opportunities for students I mentor. However, I end up having to discard many excellent programs, including the majority of REU positions, because they start a week or more before spring quarter ends at UCLA. The quarter system isn't that rare. For example, all University of California campuses other than Berkeley and Merced run on it. (I personally prefer semesters, but quarters are what we've got.) While some longer programs may require a may or early June start date, those lasting 8 or fewer weeks should be able to run from mid-June to August, allowing students on both quarter and semester systems to participate. I therefore issue a plea for program scheduling that considers the needs of students on the quarter system! -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "Those who say it cannot be done should not interfere with those who are doing it." --attributed to Robert Heinlein, George Bernard Shaw and others
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Why No "Foundations" Book for Evolution?
Thanks, Mitch. The Ridley reader looks close enough to what I was looking for that I just ordered it. (These days, it's generally possible to find the full text of papers that pique your interest online anyway.) I'd appreciate your list as well. BTW, if you haven't read the Applebaum book, it's a must-have. It's particularly strong on connections with the humanities. Best, Jane On Tue, Aug 27, 2013 at 10:24 PM, Mitch Cruzan wrote: > Hi Jane, > Some years ago I ran into the same problem when I taught a "Foundations > of Evolution" graduate-level course. I ended up choosing my own collection > of papers and it worked pretty well - I can send you my list if you want. > You should also have a look at Ridley's Oxford Reader on evolution, but it > is heavily annotated like the one you describe. Be aware that some of the > "classic" papers by Fisher, Haldane, Wright, Kimura, and others are pretty > math-heavy and incomprehensible for many students. Depending on the level > of students, a text that provides excerpts from classic papers and > interpretations might be just the thing you are looking for. > Mitch Cruzan > > > > On 8/27/2013 9:24 PM, Jane Shevtsov wrote: > >> Recently, while looking for some readings to use with students, I tried >> locating a book similar to "Foundations of Ecology" for evolution. To my >> surprise, the only things I was able to find were Appleman's Norton >> Critical Edition of Darwin, which is excellent but omits much of >> scientific >> importance, and Wetherington's "Readings in the History of Evolutionary >> Theory", which is also very good but uses highly abridged selections and a >> much stronger editorial voice than the Foundations series. Have I missed >> something? If not, maybe someone will be moved to produce such a book! >> >> > -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org “Those who say it cannot be done should not interfere with those who are doing it.” --attributed to Robert Heinlein, George Bernard Shaw and others
[ECOLOG-L] Why No "Foundations" Book for Evolution?
Recently, while looking for some readings to use with students, I tried locating a book similar to "Foundations of Ecology" for evolution. To my surprise, the only things I was able to find were Appleman's Norton Critical Edition of Darwin, which is excellent but omits much of scientific importance, and Wetherington's "Readings in the History of Evolutionary Theory", which is also very good but uses highly abridged selections and a much stronger editorial voice than the Foundations series. Have I missed something? If not, maybe someone will be moved to produce such a book! -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org “Those who say it cannot be done should not interfere with those who are doing it.” --attributed to Robert Heinlein, George Bernard Shaw and others
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Job: National Coordinator for the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives initiative, USFWS
The word "nice" used to mean "foolish". Etymology is fascinating, but it's a mistake to think that historical meanings or sources of words constrain current meanings. See http://www.fallacyfiles.org/etymolog.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymological_fallacy . Jane Shevtsov On Sun, May 26, 2013 at 10:44 PM, Wayne Tyson wrote: > The etymology of the term "landscape" means "to scrape the land." Not much > to do with ecology. Yes, I know that the word has come to mean something > else, but it interferes with public understanding of the fundamental > opposition of landscaping with ecosystems. > > It may be futile, but I'm gonna keep on griping about it. > > WT > > - Original Message - From: "David Inouye" > To: > Sent: Thursday, May 16, 2013 7:31 AM > Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Job: National Coordinator for the Landscape > Conservation Cooperatives initiative, USFWS > > > This is a heads up for those who might be interested in applying for the >> position of National Coordinator for the Landscape Conservation >> Cooperatives initiative. Doug Austen has announced his departure, and the >> FWS will shortly post the position in USA JOBS. >> >> We believe the posting will be only open for two weeks. The following >> infomation should be helpful in locating the position, but regular users of >> USAJobs will know that the published title might not match exactly what the >> position title is >> >> USFWS Title: National Landscape Conservation Coordinator >> >> OPM Title: Fish and Wildlife Administrator >> >> Series and Grade: GS-0480, Series 15 >> >> Duty Location: Washington, DC (Arlington, VA, is actual office location) >> >> >> - >> No virus found in this message. >> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >> Version: 10.0.1432 / Virus Database: 3162/5828 - Release Date: 05/16/13 >> >> -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org “Those who say it cannot be done should not interfere with those who are doing it.” --attributed to Robert Heinlein, George Bernard Shaw and others
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Take the Train to ESA Minneapolis
As far as I'm concerned, the best reason for taking the train is that it's fun! You see fascinating places, meet new people and eat good food. What's not to like? Jane Shevtsov On May 2, 2013 5:33 PM, "Reinmann, Andrew, Brett" wrote: > Hello Ecologgers, > There is quite an interesting discussion in response to my post about > taking the train to ESA, so I thought I would chime in. Paul is 100% > correct, taking the train to ESA will have no mathematical impact on > climate change. In fact, nothing that any one of us changes in our own > lives will have an impact on climate change, and the same can be said for > many other environmental issues. So then, why take the train to ESA? > > 1. Reduce the carbon footprint of science. While many of us have made > changes to our liftestyles to reduce our carbon footprints, increased air > travel has caused the carbon footprint of many scientists to surge to 2.5 x > the American average (see Fox et al. 2009 in Frontiers, > http://www.esajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1890/09.WB.019). So, finding > alternative means of travel to conferences will reduce our individual > carbon footprints and that of the conferences we attend. > 2. Symbolism. While some may shrug this off as meaningless, I would > argue that symbolic activities set an example for others to follow and can > have a cascade of effects that COULD make a mathematical contribution to > the climate change equation. History has shown us that acts of symbolism > work (think civil rights protests in the 1960s) and there is no reason to > think that they cannot continue to bring about positivie change. > 3. Demand alternatives to air travel. Admittedly, the passenger rail > system in the U.S. is not what it should, or could be, given our wealth. > Amtrak largely travels on tracks designed for and owned by freight train > companies. As a result, they are not designed for high-speed train travel > and freight trains almost always get the right of way. If train travel > demand increases so will the resources and justification for investing in > our passenger rail infrastructure. > > While bad train travel experiences, such as those described by McNeeley, > do occur, I would challenge you to find a mode of long-distance travel that > does not have its own share of frustrating experiences (flight delays, > getting searched, traffic jams, etc.). I have traversed the country many > times via train and I will add that a sleeping car might be ideal, but I > have never had one and just make do with my reclining train seat. My back > is still ok, though I am only 34! > Telecommuting would certainly have a bigger impact on the footprint of > conferences and this is something that perhaps we should move towards. > However, when we do have to travel to conferences, taking the train is one > way to reduce our environmental impact. Certainly train travel will not be > feasible for everyone, so when flying is necessary consider taking a direct > flight and purchasing carbon offsets through one of the many reputable > programs available (e.g., Carbonfund.org and Terrapass.com). 'Scientist' is > one of the most respected and trusted professions in the U.S. As such, we > have a great ability and responsibility to lead by example. As with all > societal issues, we cannot expect the world around to us to change if we, > ourselves, are unwilling to. > REMINDER: If you decide to take the train to ESA this year and/or buy > carbon offsets for your travel please email me the details so I can help > coordinate and tally up the numbers. Feel free to contact me if you want > some tips for saving money on your train ticket. > Thanks! > -Andy Reinmann > > > -- > > Andy Reinmann > > Ph.D. Candidate > Biology Department > Boston University > 5 Cummington St > Boston, MA 02215 > > > From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [ > ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] on behalf of Wayne Tyson [landr...@cox.net] > Sent: Monday, April 29, 2013 12:28 AM > To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU > Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Take the Train to ESA Minneapolis > > Lou Ziegler once said that "Nature has shrugged off countless species in > the history of the earth, and she will shrug of Homo sapiens in the same > way. When that happens, things can get back to normal." > > WT > > “In the heart of the city I have heard the wild geese crying on the > pathways that lie over a vanished forest. Nature has not changed the force > that drives them. Man, too, is a different expression of that natural > force. He has fought his way from the sea’s depths to Palomar Mountain. He > has mastered the plague. Now, in some final Armageddon, he confro
Re: [ECOLOG-L] A response to EO Wislon's opinion about math
It's interesting that Kim is from Canada and Robert is from the UK, while David is from the US. I'm also from the US and I've never heard of a biology program that didn't require at least one term of calculus, although I've heard of such things having existed in the past. (BTW, I think linear algebra is also a very good option.) I don't know about Canadian universities, but in the UK, students start to specialize as early as 16, while in the US, specialization is at least nominally discouraged until the last 2-3 years of college. American science students usually take calculus in college; as far as I know, students in the UK tend to do so before college -- and may not do so at all if they study biology. For Oxford's biology program, math is not an entry requirement (http://www.biology.ox.ac.uk/admissions.html); students do take "Quantitative Methods", but this is apparently statistics. I would be very surprised if any reputable US university allowed this, although the usefulness of the typical freshman calculus course is debatable. Could the difference in math requirements be a consequence of early vs. late specialization? Jane Shevtsov On Thu, Apr 11, 2013 at 8:26 AM, Kim Cuddington wrote: > Extremely limited or even no math requirements may be a more common > feature of biology programs > than you realize. For example, up until recently, my program required only > a stats course. It is my > understanding that this is an increasingly common approach for biology > programs. > > Partially as a result of my efforts, all our biology students now require > a math course, but it is not > necessarily a calculus course (linear algebra is an option, and > non-calculus physics for some reason). > Don't get me wrong, I think linear algebra is equally necessary, but many > of our ecology students opt > for the easier algebra course. Students from another environmental campus > program on campus > require no math course at all. Therefore, when I explain concepts as basic > as exponential growth in a > 4th year ecology course, I also have to explain the meaning of a > derivative. > > Needless to say, I find the situation ludicrous. Educated students in ANY > science need to know what a > derivative is, and educated citizens, regardless of what their university > major, REALLY need to > understand exponential population growth. Math is not an optional part of > any education, let alone a > science education, but I've seen it being treated that way at at several > institutions. > > Kim Cuddington > University of Waterloo > (BTW this is a notoriously "mathy" school) > -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org “Those who say it cannot be done should not interfere with those who are doing it.” --attributed to Robert Heinlein, George Bernard Shaw and others
Re: [ECOLOG-L] A response to E.O. Wilson's opinion about math
Some of you may be interested in a response I wrote on Google+, from the perspective of someone who does plenty of modeling. https://plus.google.com/u/0/109678189789435119043/posts/7mZ9iuhztKC Jane Shevtsov On Tue, Apr 9, 2013 at 7:56 PM, malcolm McCallum < malcolm.mccal...@herpconbio.org> wrote: > I disagree. E.O. Wilson has written an essay that few seem to be > actually reading. He is targeting specific audiences, and providing > encouragement for those without math skills. He is not telling people > to blow off math. See below. > > 1) This article is written with two specific audiences in mind: A) > students interested in science but who find math very very difficult, > and B) people who believe that if you are not a mathematical superstar > you have no place in science. > It is not concerning those who can do math well. NO, you do not need > to have great math skills, it helps, a lot, but you can get around it. > > The audience is made clear in this paragraph: > "During my decades of teaching biology at Harvard, I watched sadly as > bright undergraduates turned away from the possibility of a scientific > career, fearing that, without strong math skills, they would fail. > This mistaken assumption has deprived science of an immeasurable > amount of sorely needed talent. It has created a hemorrhage of brain > power we need to stanch." > > 2) He does not say math is not important, he says that the ability to > form concepts is more important than math. Based on the comments on > this listerve over the year, I believe we all agree here. > > I come to this based on this excerpt: > "Fortunately, exceptional mathematical fluency is required in only a > few disciplines, such as particle physics, astrophysics and > information theory. Far more important throughout the rest of science > is the ability to form concepts, during which the researcher conjures > images and processes by intuition." > > 3) He makes the point that math without conceptualization ability is > basically useless, whereas when you combine the two it can be much > better, but you must team up with a person who does have the skills, > and these folks are everywhere happy to team up with you. > > I come to this based on this excerpt: > "Ideas in science emerge most readily when some part of the world is > studied for its own sake. They follow from thorough, well-organized > knowledge of all that is known or can be imagined of real entities and > processes within that fragment of existence. When something new is > encountered, the follow-up steps usually require mathematical and > statistical methods to move the analysis forward. If that step proves > too technically difficult for the person who made the discovery, a > mathematician or statistician can be added as a collaborator." > > and from this excerpt: > "Call it Wilson's Principle No. 1: It is far easier for scientists to > acquire needed collaboration from mathematicians and statisticians > than it is for mathematicians and statisticians to find scientists > able to make use of their equations." > > 4) He specifically tells people that if their math skills are not > adequate, they better take more math. > > He is very clear on this in this excerpt: > "If your level of mathematical competence is low, plan to raise it, > but meanwhile, know that you can do outstanding scientific work with > what you have." > > > 5) The entire point of this article is that just because you are poor > in math, does not mean you are a poor scientist. You just have to > pick your field properly. (I recall an environment chemist once > telling me he has never needed to use any math higher than a simple > regression, and he is at an R1 with quite a funded lab). > > To support this notion, I concluded this from the final paragraph: > "For aspiring scientists, a key first step is to find a subject that > interests them deeply and focus on it. In doing so, they should keep > in mind Wilson's Principle No. 2: For every scientist, there exists a > discipline for which his or her level of mathematical competence is > enough to achieve excellence." > > I have a feeling that a lot of people jumped to a conclusion before > finishing reading the article, because nowhere does he say math is not > necessary. He just says that if you need math, you must either attain > the skills yourself, or find someone else who has the skills and can > work with you. > > This is actually not only good and encouraging advice (because so many > of us learn math late in life), it is also spot on accurate with how > we do much science today. > > On Tue, Apr 9, 2013 at 8:22 PM, David I
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Livestock practice and ethics
When you say that Americans spend less than people in other countries on food, don't forget that we have to spend more on insurance and medical expenses. These things are either free or heavily subsidized in other wealthy countries. Also, the cost of housing varies greatly from place to place, but in many places, like Los Angeles, it can easily take up half of a person's income. Jane Shevtsov On Thu, Mar 28, 2013 at 1:21 PM, Yasmin J. Cardoza wrote: > Hello all, I am posting this on behalf of one of our students in animal > science, Keena Mullen, with whom I shared this interesting discussion > thread > and she wishes to provide her insights on the topic. Her e-mail address is > below if you wish to correspond to her directly. Cheers! > > > > Yasmin > > > > From: cefslist-ow...@lists.ncsu.edu [mailto:cefslist-ow...@lists.ncsu.edu] > On Behalf Of Keena Mullen > Sent: Thursday, March 28, 2013 9:12 AM > To: Yasmin J. Cardoza > Cc: CEFS List; Wilmer Pacheco-Dominguez; David Rosero Tapia; Santa Mendoza > Benavides > Subject: Re: [cefslist] FW: [ECOLOG-L] Livestock practice and ethics > > > > Hi all, > > > > Here is the response that I sent to Dr. Ganter last night. > > I received your post on the ECOLOG-list from Yasmin Cardoza at NCSU. I am a > PhD candidate in Animal Science at North Carolina State University, and I > would like to respond to your comments. I won't be able to address all of > your questions, but I would like to give you some points to ponder. > > One of the major challenges that Animal Science faces is to produce animals > more efficiently so that we can feed the ever-growing population with less > land and resources. In order to do this, we have studied management > strategies to increase production of food from animals. These strategies > include those you mentioned - beak trimming, hormone usage, and "mass > rearing facilities". Many animal science programs around the country have a > mandatory animal welfare/animal well-being class that undergraduate > students > take. In addition, research in recent years has focused on animal welfare > and assessing the natural behaviors of livestock, so that we can more > adequately allow these animals to express their natural behaviors. One > example of this research is the work of Dr. Temple Grandin, with whom you > may be familiar. Her work on cattle handling has greatly decreased the > stress of cattle heading to slaughter and her recommendations are being put > into place worldwide. > > Another major issue that Animal Science is dealing with in regards to > increasing efficiency is that many consumers do not seem to care how their > meat has been produced. I say this, because consumers in the United States > spend very little of their income on food ( > <http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/01/america-food-spending-less > > > http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/01/america-food-spending-less) > relative to other countries. Consumers demand cheap meat, so we strive to > come up with technologies to produce it more efficiently. Of course, there > are people who are concerned about where their food comes from, and that > growing segment of the population is demanding change. I work with > pasture-based and organic dairies and I see the great future in the market > for these operations - many are also Animal Welfare Approved. This label is > one way that consumers can make choices on purchasing food that will affect > change in animal production. > > Regarding the "ag-gag laws", I would like for you to think for a moment > from > the side of a farmer. Let's say you own a company, and you have a suspicion > that your employees are doing something terribly wrong, but they seem to be > doing their job and you don't find any evidence that they are doing > something punishable. Your company is expanding and you decide to hire on a > few more people. The next thing you know, those bad things you had > suspicions about are posted all over YouTube by one of your recent hires. > Your reputation is ruined, and your company has a black mark because you > hired in someone that you trusted and, instead of telling you what was > going > on, they video taped it for the whole world to see. My interpretation of > the > "ag-gag laws" is to prevent these types of untrustworthy people from being > hired and destroying farms from the inside out. I agree, farmers should be > more transparent about what they are doing to their livestock. I just think > this can be accomplished by people visiting farms to learn about where > their > food comes from, rather than from a sensational YouTube video that may have > been provoked by an animal rights de
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Gender issues
Let's not forget that the original comment that triggered this whole discussion was made by a woman! I don't think it was intended to be sexist. It's not sexist to say, "In my experience, women tend to do X and would be better off doing Y". It may be accurate or inaccurate, but it's not sexist. Jane Shevtsov On Mon, Feb 18, 2013 at 12:40 PM, Leslie M. Adams wrote: > Now, I am the one who must speak up and voice my support for Yvette (and > Chandreyee). While no slight may have been intended, as a female scientist > I > too experienced the responses Yvette cites - and especially the one > recently > posted by Dr. Olden - as belittling and dismissive. There is considerable > gender bias in the fields of ecology and biology and it is important to > object to it whenever it arises; whether intentional or not. Perhaps it is > easy to counsel "moving on" when you are unaffected by this handicap > personally, but to say that it is somehow unsuitable or inappropriate to > address on this listserv is ridiculous and dismisses the tremendously > damaging effect this bias has on many, many lives. It is also not lost on > me > that the issue of gender has somehow arisen in a discussion of the skills > necessary for landing a job in ecology. I would suggest that this is no > coincidence. > > > > > > Leslie M. Adams, Ph.D. > > Adjunct Professor of Plant Systematics > > Professional Training and Development > > University of New Hampshire > > <http://home.comcast.net/~leslie.adams/> > http://home.comcast.net/~leslie.adams/ > > Home Office: 603 / 659-6177 > > > > Adjunct Associate Professor of Environmental Sustainability > > School of Undergraduate Studies (online) > > University of Maryland University College > > > > Adjunct Professor of Life Sciences > > Department of Liberal Arts > > New Hampshire Institute of Art > > > > "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we > created them." - Albert Einstein > > > > -Original Message- > From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news > [mailto:ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] On Behalf Of Julian Olden > Sent: Monday, February 18, 2013 1:04 PM > To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU > Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] A Graduate Student’s Guide to Neces sary > Skills for Landing a Job > > > > Hi Yvette, > > > > Apologies, but your interpretation of my suggestion is extremely misguided > > and flat-out wrong. My response was a cleaver way of saying that you can > > ignore the silly responses of particular ECO-LOGGERS (some of which have a > > track record of this behavior) by filtering your emails. Unfortunately > > your email has added fuel to a series of ECOLOG posts that have very > > little to do with the original premise of the Blickley et al. (2012). > > Let's all move on now. > > > > > > Cheers, > > Julian > > --- > > Julian D. Olden > > Freshwater Ecology & Conservation Lab > > School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences > > University of Washington, Seattle WA 98195 > > e: <mailto:ol...@uw.edu> ol...@uw.edu, t: (206) 616-3112 < > tel:%28206%29%20616-3112> > > w: <http://www.fish.washington.edu/research/oldenlab/> > http://www.fish.washington.edu/research/oldenlab/ > > skype: goldenolden > > > > "The face of the river . . . was not a book to be read once and thrown > > aside, for it had a new story to tell every day." < Mark Twain > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 2/18/13 7:37 AM, "Yvette Dickinson" < yvette.dickin...@gmail.com> > yvette.dickin...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > >Like Chandreyee Mitra I was surprised by the comment included in Clara's > > >list: > > >"7. ...i am somewhat exercised by your post because, IMO, too many young, > > >especially, female, > > >applicants don't bring much to the table that others don't already know > > >or that cannot be readily > > >duplicated or that is mostly generalist-oriented..." > > > > > >This is a sentiment that I have heard before in other venues and find > > >abhorrent. I initially chose not > > >to comment on it here, but I do support Chandreyee's in her comment. > > > > > >However, I am disgusted by the response Chandreyee recieved. To be told > > >to simply use your email > > >filter and not worry your silly little head over such matters is > > >offensive. The concerns Chandreyee > > >rai
[ECOLOG-L] Grad Students Choosing Their Own Questions (was: Advice for 36 year old trying to get into M.S. program)
Having graduated last year from a research group in which all students had to choose their own questions, I disagree with Aaron's point to an extent that is difficult to express in civil terms. However, I will attempt to do so for the sake of any students reading this. Aaron writes that grad students shouldn't work on their own questions because, "If you already have a certain skillset and can come up with your own research projects and successfully execute them, you do NOT need to be a student (at least in that lab)". But having a project idea and having the skills to execute it are two entirely different things. (Also, I simply could not have asked some of the questions I ended up writing substantial portions of my dissertation on with only my undergraduate background.) You are in grad school to learn the knowledge and skills to formulate and answer this and future questions, to be educated rather than trained. Aaron routinely and quite justifiably rails against students and postdocs being used as technicians. Well, the only way to not be a technician is to find your own questions! Work on your advisor's questions enough to earn your keep if you're on an assistantship and to learn and participate in collaborations within your lab. The rest of the time, focus on your own questions -- and make sure, when contacting prospective advisors, that they will allow and support this. Is it possible that your advisor will take credit for your ideas? Yes, although they probably won't. But if you wait, you may well get scooped by someone else! I will go further. A master's degree earned entirely by working on someone else's questions is fine, but a Ph.D. is not. A Ph.D. is supposed to signify the ability to do original research and the only way to prove this ability is to do a project of your own. I think the Ph.D. degree should simply not be awarded to someone who hasn't done this. No matter how many papers such a student has their name on, they're still working at an MS level. The current trend, driven by funding, of grad students working entirely on their advisors' questions is a profoundly destructive one and must be checked. Jane Shevtsov On Wed, Jan 30, 2013 at 6:25 PM, Aaron T. Dossey wrote: > If you do for some reason (which I cannot currently imagine) to go to > graduate school, here is some advice that will help you get the most out of > it without putting the future of your career at risk: 1) pick a very > HANDS-ON professor who spends a lot of time with his or her students and > postdocs (eg: they spend lots of time in the lab) in a successful lab with > a great reputation (lots of publications, with students and postdocs who > have left it and have successful careers currently who can attribute it to > having worked in that lab) and 2) insist that you ONLY will work on work > that is from the professor's own ideas - from their grants and based on > their ideas. Do not fall into the trap of working for a professor who > expects you to come up with your own projects. You are there to learn from > them primarily, and also to do parts of their research. If you already > have a certain skillset and can come up with your own research projects and > successfully execute them, you do NOT need to be a student (at least in > that lab). Pick a lab and a professor who have a lot to offer you in the > form of TRAINING, connections and projects likely to be very fruitful. > > IF and when you have your own ideas you want to pursue, keep a log book of > those and save those for when you graduate and are on your own/independent. > Otherwise, it can get ugly. Many professors will, to put it bluntly, > steal credit and reward for your ideas and independent work. Might as well > avoid that pitfall and keep everyone happy (and keep you learning) by doing > whatever work originates from the professor - besides, it's their job to > drive the research and come up with the ideas. > > Basically, pick a prof and lab who seems to have YOUR CAREER INTERESTS at > heart and act like it. > > -- > Aaron T. Dossey, Ph.D. > Biochemistry and Molecular Biology > Founder/Owner: All Things Bugs > Capitalizing on Low-Crawling Fruit from Insect-Based Innovation > http://allthingsbugs.com/about/people/ > http://www.facebook.com/Allthingsbugs > 1-352-281-3643 > -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org “Those who say it cannot be done should not interfere with those who are doing it.” --attributed to Robert Heinlein, George Bernard Shaw and others
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Tree stump removal in sensitive area
The number of people killed by falling trees each year isn't really the information we need. That number could be low because few decayed trees kill (or severely injure) people or because there are few such trees in populated areas. What we really want to know is the probability that a decayed tree will fall on somebody (or come close) when it eventually falls, given that it is in an area frequented by people. We can guesstimate this by finding out what fraction of the time there are people in the tree's fall zone, adjusting for any inaccessible areas/directions. (Yes, this ignores things like weather, but that's what makes it a back-of-the envelope estimate.) Suppose there are no inaccessible areas around the tree and there are people near it about 1/4 of the time. Then the probability of a hit or near miss when the tree eventually falls is 1/4 -- quite substantial in my eyes. Adjusting for weather and time of day or treefall may reduce it to 5% or 10%, which is not small considering the stakes. Some might object to this calculation, saying that it could be used to justify the removal of any urban trees. But the chances of a randomly chosen urban tree falling in the near future are very small and we can generally detect the conditions that make a tree likely to fall. The estimate above only makes sense for a tree that we know is likely to fall in the near future. If you wanted to, you could multiply the probability by an estimate of the probability of the tree falling in the next ten years (or whatever the time horizon of interest is), which the calculation above assumes to be 100%. Jane Shevtsov On Sun, Jan 20, 2013 at 12:32 PM, Nirmalya Chatterjee wrote: > Sorry to contradict you here Wayne, but your argument is anecdotal and > seems to be as straw-manly as GWPatton's - people who work in the Forest > Service are likely to get injured by trees, (lethally or otherwise) from > falling branches, trees etc. - there's a term for that - occupational > hazard. That doesn't necessarily mean that the general populace has the > same odds of facing such an injury. > > 2010 CDC data indicate 4.88% accidental deaths (at #5 reason), and ~80% of > those were due to poisoning, accidental falling and motor vehicle related, > that pushes other reasons to sub-1% levels. Wind related tree failures > caused 31 deaths/year from 1995-2007. > http://www.bama.ua.edu/~jcsenkbeil/gy4570/schmidlin%20tree%20fatalities.pdf > . > > That's 407 people in 12 years, don't blame the trees here. Blame human > carelessness, thoughtlessness and Nature's unmitigated fury (the last > cannot be controlled). Trees would be the means here, not the cause. My > point being, yes there are some activities which cause people to be injured > - but this always begs the question of what the odds are. As for the > irrational fear of urban people to dying from tree-related as related by > GWPatton - in my anecdotal experience, yes such fears exist. And trees are > easy to pin the blame on, they aren't vocal about it, and with urban areas > heavily paved and a whole gamut of underground disturbances related to > utility lines etc., it is expected trees don't really find the unfettered > access to the soil to stabilize themselves as evolution and Nature > intended. The solution lies in learning to think more holistically instead > of knee-jerk reactions, which many tend to do. > > And talking to "victims" of tree-fall injuries or their family members to > get your ideas about its dangers is not proper science, neither is hearing > anecdotes from of the likes of you, both would be called biased sources. I > am yet to hear families and victims of auto accidents stopping riding or > driving cars (in significant numbers), post-accident. Or people stopping > use of household poisons because some one they knew mistakenly drank rat > poison. As scientists it behooves us to keep emotion out of science. > > NC > > On 19 January 2013 23:11, Wayne Tyson wrote: > > > Ecolog: > > > > I know I won't convince "Me" that while public safety concerns about > > falling trees (and dropping branches) might sometimes be exaggerated, the > > truth is that trees do fall and break and people die from it, and it is > > only prudent to get the dangerous ones down before they fall down. > "Me's" > > point is also irrational, on this basis, and using straw-man arguments > does > > not advance the issue, it only adds an emotional component. He knows > damned > > well I did not imply that every tree that falls is going to kill someone; > > thankfully, even in heavily-used areas such deaths are somewhat rare, but > > that does not mean that dangerous trees should not be removed. Talk to >
Re: [ECOLOG-L] JOB: Asst/Assoc. Prof. Biology at Bethune-Cookman
This ad has some of the oddest requirements I've ever seen. The applicant must have "normal manual dexterity and visual and auditory faculty"? I understand ads specifying that a person must be able to lift 50 pounds, hike over rough terrain or even, as in this ad, get around campus, as these are meaningful job-related activities, but manual dexterity and sensory acuteness are just means to various ends. Would you turn down Geerat Vermeij because he's blind? It would be much better to think about what you want the person you hire to be able to do. Do you care about their ability to teach lab classes? Give effective lectures? Do research? Then say that. A person who doesn't have "normal manual dexterity" may have other ways of doing these things. Don't shut out qualified applicants with disabilities from the get-go. Jane Shevtsov On Mon, Jan 7, 2013 at 10:43 AM, Elizabeth Congdon wrote: > Bethune-Cookman University has three openings in our Biology Department due > to two retirements and restructuring. > > The full announcements can be seen on HigherEdJobs. You are also free to > e-mail me. I joined the department in the fall of 2012. > > One of these positions will be responsible for our genetics course, one > will be responsible for our anatomy/physiology courses, and one is open to > any discipline specialty. > > JOB SUMMARY: > The Department of Biology seeks to fill a 9-month, tenure-track position at > the Associate Professor level beginning August 2013. Applicants should be > interdisciplinary scholar-teachers with particular expertise in the > biological sciences and a robust background in one or two STEM disciplines. > The ideal applicant will also show strong potential for interaction across > diverse disciplines represented in the College and demonstrated expertise > in pedagogy, curriculum development, and/or assessment. Potential > applicants should be prepared to collaborate with faculty from multiple > departments to develop and apply for extramural funding. > > ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: > The successful candidate will be expected to teach in a predominantly > undergraduate environment in an introductory biology sequence and/or > upper-division major's courses appropriate to the candidate's area of > specialization. Research supervision and mentorship of undergraduate and > students is desired. The successful candidate will be expected to promote > the Department's research profile by establishing a dynamic and vigorous > research program in any area of biology supported by external funding > sources. > > Competitive salary and an excellent benefits program are available. To > apply for the position, please send: a letter of application, which > identifies the position sought; curriculum vitae (with contact > information); a one-page statement of teaching philosophy; statement of > scholarly, creative or research interest. Excellence in teaching, research > and/or scholarly or creative production, and service are required. Official > copies of graduate transcripts required. Three letters of recommendation > should be sent directly from the referee. Send all information to: Human > Resources. > > MINIMUM EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE: > > Qualifications: Ph.D. in Biology or a related field is required; teaching > experience and post doctoral training preferred. Review of applications > begins immediately and will continue until the position is filled. > > ENVIRONMENTAL/PHYSICAL CONDITIONS: > >- Working environment is a normal business office setting >- Demands normal manual dexterity and visual and auditory faculty >- Must be mobile throughout the campus >- Nothing in the job description restricts the right to assign or >reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time > > Application Information > > Postal Address: Elvira WolfordPHR, Assistant Director > Human Resources Management > Bethune-Cookman University > 640 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Blvd > Daytona Beach, FL 32114 Phone: 386-481-2049 Fax: 386-481-2052 Online > App. Form: http://www4.cookman.edu/humanresources/application.html Email > Address: h...@cookman.edu > -- > Dr. Elizabeth Congdon > Biology Department > Bethune-Cookman University > Daytona Beach, Florida 32114 > congd...@cookman.edu > -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org “Those who say it cannot be done should not interfere with those who are doing it.” --attributed to Robert Heinlein, George Bernard Shaw and others
[ECOLOG-L] Patterns (was Permaculture)
Hi Martin, On Mon, Dec 17, 2012 at 3:17 PM, Martin Meiss wrote: > While there similarities between river branching systems and various > biological branching systems, there is no meaningful level of analysis at > which the can be said to be the same. Branching systems can be > characterized by number of orders of branching (and there are various ways > of counting orders), diameter ratios between parent branches and daughter > branches, diameter of daughter branches as a function of branching angle, > distances between branching points, number of anastomoses, etc. Biological > branching systems represent engineering solutions to problems of optimizing > mechanical strength, gas exchange, fluid dynamics (energy efficiency), > redundancy (e.g., finding alternative routes in case of blockages), > mechanical flexibility, repair mechanisms, and more. Even trees (in the > botanical sense) show vast diversity in the details of their branching > systems: pines vs. maples vs. strangler figs vs. rose bushes. Then there > is the diversity of branching systems in animals: airways, nerves, axons > and dendrites, arteries, veins, capillary beds, and more. > > Given this diversity, is it reasonable to refer to branchings systems as "a > pattern"? > Yes. Absolutely yes. All the differences you point out are quantitative differences. In some cases, they're biologically important; in other cases, not. But there's a reason we can refer to all these things as "branching systems" -- their strong qualitative similarity. It's branching, not stripes, spots or something else. Now, there could well be several ways to get branching, but this just adds another layer to our classification. What many contemporary biologists don't realize is that qualitative is more important than quantitative. Think of it this way. Suppose you have a dataset that exhibits cycles. You have one dynamical model of the system that produces cycles of the wrong amplitude and frequency and another that produces a flat line. The second model may give a larger R^2, but the first model is the better one. It has captured something important about the data (the fact that it cycles) that the second model completely missed. It's a bit ironic that my example comes from math (qualitative dynamics). The old anatomists would have understood. So, likely, would some contemporary developmental biologists. Jane Shevtsov -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org “Those who say it cannot be done should not interfere with those who are doing it.” --attributed to Robert Heinlein, George Bernard Shaw and others
[ECOLOG-L] Non-Majors Fungi Book
Does anyone have a recommendation for a book for a one-unit class on fungi aimed primarily at non-majors? I'm leaning toward _Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds_ by George Hudler but would like to hear other opinions. Jane Shevtsov -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org “Those who say it cannot be done should not interfere with those who are doing it.” --attributed to Robert Heinlein, George Bernard Shaw and others
Re: [ECOLOG-L] "The Audacity of Graduate School" -training grad students in teaching and outreach
t; the >>>> pay doesn't bother me as much as some of the other issues. For one I >>>> find >>>> the level of healthcare coverage provided to graduate students to be >>>> ridiculously poor. I know of many graduate students that have suffered >>>> through pain simply because of the poor level of health care coverage or >>>> the >>>> hassle that low quality health care providers cause with each claim. >>>> Additionally, graduate students have very little rights within the >>>> university. I've known others and myself who have appealed to the >>>> Ombudsum >>>> or other intra-university avenues for legal advice and the general >>>> consensus >>>> is that we graduate students should just grin and bear whatever >>>> difficulties >>>> we are having with administration, advisors, or other faculty. We are >>>> after >>>> all ephemeral and if you can just deal with it for another couple years >>>> you >>>> can go away. It seems that there is an unfair conflict of interest when >>>> a >>>> graduate students wishes to bring a complaint against a university when >>>> the >>>> only avenues to do so are a part of the university system itself. It >>>> seems >>>> in the best interest of the university to protect itself rather than >>>> deal >>>> with an ephemeral graduate student's issues. >>>> >>>> Not to focus entirely on the glum. One opportunity graduate school has >>>> provided for me is the opportunity to work with a variety of >>>> governmental >>>> agencies and ngo's on natural resource issues. I've found that >>>> experience to >>>> extremely rewarding. So much so that I am considering working for an >>>> agency >>>> or organization such USFWS, USGS, or TNC upon graduating (if any >>>> positions >>>> exist!). Prior to graduate school I would have never considered a >>>> science >>>> based management or research position within the government. Whether or >>>> not >>>> all the time I have dedicated to working on applied natural resource >>>> management questions (e.g. reports and consultation) rather than >>>> producing >>>> copious amounts of publications will come back to haunt me remains to be >>>> seen. >>>> >>>> I will finish by saying that my comments are based primarily on my >>>> experience at my institution. Other people have had very different >>>> experiences at other institutions and even at my own. Every graduate >>>> student >>>> has different expectations of what they expect from graduate school. I >>>> realize they can't make everyone happy but I do feel that universities >>>> could >>>> do a little better. >>>> >>>> Cheers, >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Tyler L Hicks >>>> >>> >>> -- >>> Aaron T. Dossey, Ph.D. >>> Biochemistry and Molecular Biology >>> Founder/Owner: All Things Bugs >>> Capitalizing on Low-Crawling Fruit from Insect-Based Innovation >>> http://allthingsbugs.com/about/people/ >>> http://www.facebook.com/Allthingsbugs >>> 1-352-281-3643 >> >> >> > > > -- > Aaron T. Dossey, Ph.D. > Biochemistry and Molecular Biology > Founder/Owner: All Things Bugs > Capitalizing on Low-Crawling Fruit from Insect-Based Innovation > http://allthingsbugs.com/about/people/ > http://www.facebook.com/Allthingsbugs > 1-352-281-3643 -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org “Those who say it cannot be done should not interfere with those who are doing it.” --attributed to Robert Heinlein, George Bernard Shaw and others
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Scholarly research training for ecology grad students
I'm a huge fan of Sigma Xi's brochures "Honor in Science" and "The Responsible Researcher". (They also have a collection of articles on authorship issues.) They're not specific to any discipline but are excellent because they focus on ethics rather than "complying with regulations". Jane Shevtsov On Mon, Oct 22, 2012 at 6:15 PM, Russell, Leland wrote: > Hi, > I am writing to seek advice concerning resources for > Scholarly Integrity Training that are ecological, evolutionary or organismal > in their focus. We are required to implement Scholarly Integrity Training > for our graduate students. Topics that we need to cover include publication > practices and authorship, conflict of interest and commitment and data > management and ownership. We are thinking of using the CITI Biomedical > Responsible Conduct or Research Modules, but because we are a Biology > Department it would be nice to complement these biomedically-focused modules > with something from an ecological point of view. I have thought about trying > to incorporate a discussion of the Ecological Society's Code of Ethics into > our new graduate student orientation. However, any ideas about resources for > Scholarly Integrity Training for ecologists would be appreciated. Thanks. > Leland > > > F. Leland Russell, Ph.D. > Associate Professor > Department of Biological Sciences > Wichita State University -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org “Those who say it cannot be done should not interfere with those who are doing it.” --attributed to Robert Heinlein, George Bernard Shaw and others
Re: [ECOLOG-L] "The Audacity of Graduate School" -Knowledge of Today Documentary
It's interesting that the Presidential Fellowship at the University of Georgia explicitly prohibits the recipient from teaching during their first two years, making them less likely to later get the few summer teaching positions, which typically go to the most experienced. Similarly, at least some NSF funding prevents students from TAing, although some do so on a volunteer basis. Maybe such programs need to be rethought so as not to disadvantage those recipients who want to work at teaching-oriented institutions! Jane Shevtsov On Mon, Oct 22, 2012 at 9:09 AM, Russell L. Burke wrote: > I have served on many faculty search committees for positions at a largely > undergraduate teaching-focused university--the sort of school that hires a > large fraction of recent grads and post-docs into tenure-track positions. We > specifically look for people who showed an interest in teaching early on, and > note that serving as a lab TA and giving guest lectures means little to us. > We want people that have actually run lecture courses. Surprisingly, we get > a fair number of those, such as people who took over a summer course or a > special session course. We also look for people who attended professional > workshops in innovative teaching techniques. > > After that, we look for pubs and grants. We don't need to see a huge amount > of either, but we need to see some for a person to make a short list. > > > Dr. Russell Burke > Professor > Donald E. Axinn Distinguished Professor in Ecology and Conservation > Department of Biology > Hofstra University > 516.463.7272 > > > > -Original Message- > From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news > [mailto:ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] On Behalf Of Judith S. Weis > Sent: Monday, October 22, 2012 10:31 AM > To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU > Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] "The Audacity of Graduate School" -Knowledge of Today > Documentary > > In my experience, search committees also look for individuals who have > published while in graduate school. This usually requires motivation and > efforts by both the student and the advisor. > > > >> I'm very sorry to see that a few folks have had bad experiences in >> grad school. Many of us had very happy and productive times as >> graduate students. But I've seen enough over the years to recognize >> that faults in advisors, or in advisees, or both can result in >> mediocre to bad outcomes - most often for the advisee, but sometimes for the >> advisor as well. >> >> I did, however, want to comment on the statement that >> >> "When we graduate, we have more or less the same credentials as >> everyone else (with) a degree." >> >> >> If you intend to pursue an academic career in research, nothing could >> be further than the truth. In cases where large numbers of recently >> minted Ph.D.'s or post-docs apply for several jobs in the same field, >> often the same, relatively few individuals get to short lists and are >> interviewed across the country. Applicants whose Ph.D. research (and >> subsequent work) are perceived to have significant, novel implications >> - and be scalable to future endeavors, and fundable by NSF or other >> agencies or foundations - are much more likely to be interviewed and >> offered jobs. That is what search committees look for. Not that search >> committees never make mistakes; they do, sometimes egregiously. A >> Ph.D. gets you in the door to submit an application, but you need >> excellent research, combined with strong writing and oral presentation >> skills, ability to think on your feet, and empathy to interact well >> with students and colleagues, to have a real chance of success at >> landing a job at first- or second-tier universities. >> >> >> Thomas J. Givnish >> Henry Allan Gleason Professor of Botany University of Wisconsin >> >> givn...@wisc.edu >> http://botany.wisc.edu/givnish/Givnish/Welcome.html >> >> >> >> >> On 10/18/12, brandi gartland wrote: >>> As I am currently deciding on whether to enter a PhD program vs. >>> consulting work/career position, I am finding this feed quite >>> informative and wanted to respond to: >>> >>> "When we graduate, we have more or less the same credentials as >>> everyone else a degree. There are many successful scientists without >>> Ph.D.'s but many more with Ph.D.'s who are unemployed." >>> >>> I immediately thought of sharing this documentary, as it illustrates >>> this very point as well as other ideas: >>> >>> http
[ECOLOG-L] FW: Announcing 2013 Switzer Fellowships
This may be of interest to ECOLOG members. ___ Greetings from the Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation: We are pleased to announce that the application period for the 2013 Switzer Environmental Fellowships is now open! Switzer Fellowships are given to top graduate students in New England and California who are committed to a career in environmental improvement, and who demonstrate the potential for leadership in their chosen field. The Fellowship provides a one-year $15,000 cash award, as well as access to other Switzer grant programs and career support, and membership in the Switzer Fellowship Network, a vibrant community of over 500 Switzer Fellows and environmental leaders. (We invite you to check out Switzer Network News to see live podcast interviews with some of our Fellows working on a diverse set of issues.) The Switzer Fellowship is not intended to be a research fellowship. We fund individuals doing a wide variety of environmental work (e.g., science, law, policy, engineering). Leadership potential is a more significant factor in our evaluation than the specifics of a particular graduate research project, although we are interested in novel and applied approaches to contemporary issues. Please see the Call for Applications which describes the Fellowship program and its requirements. Please pass this on to eligible candidates and colleagues, and post to your financial aid or graduate student office bulletin boards! This year's application deadline is January 10, 2013. If you have any questions about the Fellowship Program guidelines or the online application process, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Switzer Foundation staff. Thank you, and we look forward to receiving your students' applications! Lissa Widoff, Executive Director - li...@switzernetwork.org Erin Lloyd, Program Officer - e...@switzernetwork.org Don Brackett, Administrative Officer - d...@switzernetwork.org Office: (207) 338-5654 (office hours 8:30 am - 5:00 pm Eastern time, Mon-Thurs, other hours available by appointment) The Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation is a results-driven family foundation that invests in individuals and organizations that drive positive environmental change. Founded in 1986, the Foundation is a grant making organization that mobilizes leaders from diverse disciplines who focus on integrated solutions to environmental issues. Through the Switzer Environmental Fellowship Program and related grants, the Foundation supports a Network of over 500 Switzer Fellows who are leaders in the nonprofit, public policy, business, academic and government sectors working to solve today's environmental challenges. For more information see www.switzernetwork.org. -- ----- Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org “Those who say it cannot be done should not interfere with those who are doing it.” --attributed to Robert Heinlein, George Bernard Shaw and others
Re: [ECOLOG-L] "The Audacity of Graduate School"
On Wed, Oct 17, 2012 at 6:40 AM, Aaron T. Dossey wrote:
> When we graduate, we have more or less the same credentials as everyone else
> - a degree. There are many successful scientists without Ph.D.'s but many
> more with Ph.D.'s who are unemployed.
Can you make a rough estimate of the relative frequencies of each.
> Also, to emphasize how little we get out of
> a Ph.D. (a lot is stolen from us), we don't get credit for our work or
> publications because the professor always gets credit for everything we do
> while in their lab as a student or postdoc (which is something I am fighting
> on other fronts - I call it institutionalized intellectual property theft).
Isn't that taken care of by the first author/last author distinction?
A PI may get some undeserved credit, but that's different from the
student not getting credit. The paper is still cited as Student et al.
Or are you talking about taking the student's idea outright?
BTW, if you believe that grad students are employees to the point of
needing a union and thinking of their advisor as their boss, I would
point out that people who do creative work as employees rarely keep
the rights to their work. Typically, the intellectual property belongs
to their employer ("work done for hire"). Isn't it better to say that
grad students are not employees?
--
-
Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D.
Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA
co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org
“Those who say it cannot be done should not interfere with those who
are doing it.” --attributed to Robert Heinlein, George Bernard Shaw
and others
Re: [ECOLOG-L] "The Audacity of Graduate School" - "Reshuffling Graduate Training"
Again, your mileage may vary. When I wrote my first paper in grad school, I automatically put my advsor's name on it. He thanked me but said that he hadn't made enough of a contribution to earn that credit. Only after he made substantial (albeit sometimes exasperating to me) contributions to the writing did we put his name on the manuscript. And all his students had to come up with their own questions -- with some help if necessary, but their own questions. A few dropped out because they couldn't do this, but most did well. The Brazilian system does sound good, although I'd add university funding for the first 1-2 years for the coming up with your own question part. Not everyone will do this well straight out of undergrad, especially if they're skipping the MS. But yes, having faculty be fully paid by their universities (what a concept!) will go a long way toward making my experience a lot more common and the type that leads to burn-out a lot less common. And it should be possible for grad students to be PIs. Jane Shevtsov On Tue, Oct 16, 2012 at 9:55 PM, Aaron T. Dossey wrote: > > Ph.D. students and postdocs "picking their own question" has devolved into > institutionalized intellectual property theft. Why do original research > when you don't get credit or own the IP? Now days many grad students and > postdocs/postechs/postemps are expected not only to do all of the > experiments, but to do the ordering for the lab, WRITE GRANTS, write the > papers and even come up with the ideas. HOWEVER, it is always expected that > the faculty boss is senior corresponding author on all papers that their > students/postdocs/property generate regardless of if those faculty bosses > had anything to do with it or were even aware it was going on. They also > must be PI on all grants, again regardless of their involvement in > formulation, writing or submission of the grant. Most institutions forbid > students and postdocs from being PI of any grant they write, so even if they > want to pursue their own ideas, they must tack on the name of one of the > gatekeeper faculty to have the "right" to submit it to federal agencies for > funding. THAT is institutionalized intellectual property theft - similar to > bribes that people must pay in third world countries to authorities for > various things. Any scientist should always have an unlimited right to PI > their own grants, petition their own government for research funding and > publish their own work independently if the effort warrants it. > > Check out this article: > http://www.sciencemag.org/content/325/5940/528.summary > > Brazil has a fantastic system, as I understand it. There, federal research > grants do NOT contain any salary funding - for faculty, students or > postdocs. "Trainees" (I use the term very loosely for the sake of > discussion here) like students and postdocs write for their own fellowships, > and faculty are paid their full salaries by the institutions. This > accomplishes many nice things such as: 1) giving students and postdocs more > freedom and control of their careers - if they work for an abusive boss, > they can take their funding to another lab, 2) prevents faculty from > obcessing over grants just to get higher salaries, 3) reduces the incentive > for faculty to do NOTHING but try to get grants, since their salaries are > covered and it probably means that more scientists can get funding, > rather than a few faculty oligarchs soaking up all of the grants by design. > > > > On 10/17/2012 12:40 AM, Jane Shevtsov wrote: >> >> The author misses the fact that European Ph.D. programs are 3-4 years >> long because the students do, by and large, work as technicians. There >> are no classes. There is, in most cases, no opportunity or time to >> pick your own question (even within a large project), which is really >> the thing that distinguishes a Ph.D. from an M.S. in my mind. If some >> countries have programs that work differently, I'm interested in >> knowing about them, but from what I've read, American programs are >> better (aside from pay). >> >> Jane Shevtsov >> >> On Tue, Oct 16, 2012 at 5:03 PM, Aaron T. Dossey >> wrote: >>> >>> Very well written article: >>> >>> >>> http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2012_09_28/caredit.a1200108 >>> >>> -- >>> Aaron T. Dossey, Ph.D. >>> Biochemistry and Molecular Biology >>> Founder/Owner: All Things Bugs >>> Capitalizing on Low-Crawling Fruit from Insect-Based Innovation >>> http://allthingsbugs.com/about/people/ >>> http://www.facebook.com/Allthingsbugs >
Re: [ECOLOG-L] "The Audacity of Graduate School"
The author misses the fact that European Ph.D. programs are 3-4 years long because the students do, by and large, work as technicians. There are no classes. There is, in most cases, no opportunity or time to pick your own question (even within a large project), which is really the thing that distinguishes a Ph.D. from an M.S. in my mind. If some countries have programs that work differently, I'm interested in knowing about them, but from what I've read, American programs are better (aside from pay). Jane Shevtsov On Tue, Oct 16, 2012 at 5:03 PM, Aaron T. Dossey wrote: > Very well written article: > > http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2012_09_28/caredit.a1200108 > > -- > Aaron T. Dossey, Ph.D. > Biochemistry and Molecular Biology > Founder/Owner: All Things Bugs > Capitalizing on Low-Crawling Fruit from Insect-Based Innovation > http://allthingsbugs.com/about/people/ > http://www.facebook.com/Allthingsbugs > 1-352-281-3643 -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org “Those who say it cannot be done should not interfere with those who are doing it.” --attributed to Robert Heinlein, George Bernard Shaw and others
Re: [ECOLOG-L] How to chose a Master's Thesis in Biology
Hi Jeremy, You haven't told us the most important thing -- WHY you're doing a Master's and want to do a PhD. Answer that, and you'll be well on your way to picking a topic, with the rest being a matter of finding a specific question. I also highly recommend the book _On Becoming a Biologist_ by John Janovy, Jr. It is a very wise book that deals with these types of questions. Good luck, Jane Shevtsov On Thu, Jul 19, 2012 at 8:55 AM, Jeremy Fontaine wrote: > Hello all, this upcoming Fall semester I will be attending the University of > Massachusetts Lowell to obtain my Master's Degree in Biology with the > possibility of a Biotechnology option. I want to do a Master's Thesis > because I want to get my PHD later on, but I am really not sure what I want > to do my master's thesis on. I completed my bachelors degree in Biology at > the University of Massachusetts Amherst and learned a great deal. > > Some guidance or advice for the process of picking a thesis topic or how to > approach the situation would be very helpful. > > Thank you, > > Jeremy -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular geneticist, a systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both for the individual and for society, than that intended to produce a broadly educated person who has also written a dissertation." --John Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a Biologist"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] a vision?
A fascinating question. The first thing that comes to my mind is that all students should learn the rudiments of systems thinking, at least at the level of Donella Meadows' book _Thinking in Systems_, and some should take it much further. The nationalism you mention is a potential source of serious problems. Geology and evolutionary biology (the history of life) tie in with mining and biodiversity but also provide a broader perspective that may be very salutary. Same for world history and geography -- useful for international business and working with tourists, but also providing a bit of perspective. None of this has to be at a very deep level. A freshman-level introductory course should be enough. As for languages, I think students should learn SOME widely used language. It's probably best to give them a few choices (English, French, Chinese, Arabic, and maybe Spanish or Portuguese come to mind), although English is likely to be a popular one. Jane Shevtsov On Tue, Jul 17, 2012 at 10:25 PM, David Duffy wrote: > If you had a chance to found and direct a university in a developing, > strongly nationalistic country dependent on oil, mining and its > biodiversity (ecotourism, indigenous people), what would you have as its > curriculum? The university would cover all three fields. How should they > influence one another? How much would you involve expats? Would you insist > everyone learn English as the lingua franca so their work could receive > international attention? What should the role of the internet be? > > This is not an idle exercise or pie in the sky but one involving a country > with serious social needs,willing to make an investment in its future, even > in the face of present suffering. > > Thanks, > > David Duffy > -- > > Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit > Botany > University of Hawaii > 3190 Maile Way > Honolulu Hawaii 96822 USA > 1-808-956-8218 -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular geneticist, a systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both for the individual and for society, than that intended to produce a broadly educated person who has also written a dissertation." --John Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a Biologist"
[ECOLOG-L] Explaining Positive Feedback Looks to the Public (was [ECOLOG-L] Confronting climate deniers on college campuses - EOS Forum)
Hi Dawn,
You might take a look at Donella Meadows' excellent book _Thinking in
Systems_. One of her examples of a positive feedback loop ("vicious cycle")
is how she and her brother used to fight when they were kids: he would push
her, she pushed back harder, he pushed back harder yet, and soon an actual
fight would break out.
Jane Shevtsov
On Thu, Jul 5, 2012 at 11:10 AM, Dawn Stover wrote:
> "Water vapor is the most powerful greenhouse gas" is a meme that has been
> around for at least 15 years (I first heard it from people in the
> automotive industry), although I thought it had run its course by now.
> There are plenty of websites that offer factual responses (one example is
> http://www.skepticalscience.com/Climate-change-Water-vapor-makes-for-a-wet-argument.html),
> but they often take the form of a counter-argument and thus are perceived
> as "political." And too often they're a slog for non-scientists.
>
> As a science journalist, I'd love to hear some fresh ideas about how to
> "show" scientific concepts like positive feedback loop to the general
> public. (Journalism is all about showing, rather than telling.) Here are a
> few things to keep in mind:
>
> - Images and graphs are seen as less political than words.
> - Stories are more memorable than numbers.
> - Analogies and metaphors can be powerful.
> - Examples from everyday life can help make science relevant.
> - Humans tend to be interested in other humans.
> - Cultural affiliation affects how people perceive certain types of
> information and sources.
> - Humor is usually appreciated.
> - Journalists have a different role than educators and researchers.
>
> I enjoyed reading about the creative, respectful ways that some of you
> respond to individuals you meet. How can those approaches be applied to
> larger audiences? And which scientists out there are doing the best job of
> communicating with the general public about climate change?
>
>
> Dawn Stover
> Independent Writer & Editor
> 1208 Snowden Road
> White Salmon, WA 98672
>
> tel: 509 493 3652
> email: dsto...@hughes.net
> web: www.dawnstover.com
>
> Contributing Editor, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
> Contributing Editor, Popular Science
>
--
-
Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D.
Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA
co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org
"In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular geneticist, a
systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both for the individual
and for society, than that intended to produce a broadly educated person
who has also written a dissertation." --John Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a
Biologist"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Confronting climate deniers on college campuses - EOS Forum
Seriously? In my undegrad physics class, we did a problem that involved calculating the effect of a doubling of CO2 concentration on temperature, using only the fact that CO2 blocks long-wavelength infrared radiation -- stuff that was known to Arrhenius a hundred years ago. Even though this was just a textbook problem, I remember being struck by how close our prediction was to that generated by complex models. Saying "There is no evidence that changes in CO2 levels have caused any sort of atmospheric warming" is just denying basic physics -- or claiming that the climate system is so wonderfully balanced that some effect or other will exactly compensate for the increase in CO2. On a related note, I recommend that everyone read "The Discovery of Global Warming" by Spencer R. Weart. This is available both in book form and as a free online text. (http://www.aip.org/history/climate/index.htm) It's a great review of how we know what we know. Jane Shevtsov On Wed, Jul 4, 2012 at 3:18 PM, Robert Hamilton wrote: > Actually this climate debate is more about hocus pocus than anything else. > at least a it is. That climate change is occurring is undeniable, and the > oddity would be no climate change occurring. The climate is going to change > regardless. The issue of why is where the hocus pocus comes in. There is no > evidence that changes in CO2 levels have caused any sort of atmospheric > warming; none. It is a predicted outcome of climate models designed to show > that CO2 can affect atmospheric temperatures. We know for a fact that > atmospheric warming would cause CO2 levels to increase because all the > various organisms would increase respiration rates. It is dubious to > suggest that CO2 levels that we observe could have any influence on the > greenhouse effect on earth given the overwhelming effect of water vapour, > and the flux of water vapour, which in itself is substantially greater than > the total effect of CO2, let alone the difference in CO2 past and present. > > Many of the things we do could cause climate change. The massive increase > in runoff of freshwater from terrestrial systems; various drainings and > fillings in of wetlands and floodplains, channeling if rivers along with > rapid runoff through sewers and other means. A lot less standing water in > the spring to ameliorate continental warming through the summer. Conversion > of heat sinks like say Manhattan Island (via urbanization) into heat > sources, possibly radiating more energy back than is input from the sun due > to additional heat from things like air conditioners and automobiles, and > this sort of thing occurs on a massive scale (like say Germany, which used > to be a very moist deciduous forest) in the northern hemisphere. But such > issues are not allowed to be investigated for the sake of the political > hacks with their CO2 argument. There is no science to this process, and > amazingly the public in general sees the weakness of the science. > > The thing of it is that what goes around comes around, and the truth will > out in the end. If we are wrong about CO2 but right about human impacts the > political hacks will blame us for being unscientific even though it is they > that force us this way via the way they dispense power in the form of > academic appointments and funding. A bit like CFCs causing the ozone hole. > They could cause the ozone hole for sure, but do they actually cause it? > Never seen any evidence of that. Could be that flying jet aircraft is > causing the ozone hole, but political hacks don't want to go there! If it > isn't CFCs, they will blame us for sure, because we are supposed to know > for sure in their eyes in such situations. We are the scapegoat if they > (we) are wrong). > > I suppose I am a "denier" because I reject politically motivated science, > and that sort would shout me down, pull my hair and throw things at me if I > were ever to present such heretical arguments to the public. But I don't > need to. As the consequences of the CO2 based policies sink in, they will > be revisited with a more skeptical eye. We move forward, but do bumble > along, and that seems to work in general, although there are casualties > along the way, and the way it looks now is Ecology will be one of those > casualties, which is the real crime here IMHO. > > Rob Hamilton > > > -Original Message- > From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news on behalf of > malcolm McCallum > Sent: Tue 7/3/2012 10:07 PM > To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU > Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Confronting climate deniers on college campuses - > EOS Forum > > society has never been trusting of scientists. > However, the same could be said of business with identical survey > mechanisms. &g
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Non-Majors Biology
gt;> I used those as base for the lab activities. >>> >>> Hope this helps. >>> >>> Helena >>> >>> >>> >>> Helena Puche, Ph. D. >>> >>> Adjunct Assistant Professor >>> >>> University of Illinois at Chicago >>> >>> >>> Biological Sciences, 3464 SES, MC >>> 066 >>> >>> 845 West Taylor Street >>> >>> Chicago, IL 60607hpu...@uic.edu >>> >>> >>> >>> --- On Fri, 5/25/12, Johnson, David R wrote: >>> >>> From: Johnson, David R >>> Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Non-Majors Biology >>> To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU >>> Date: Friday, May 25, 2012, 2:49 PM >>> >>> Greetings, >>> >>> I am teaching a "contemporary biology" course for non-science majors in the >>> fall and for the first time I am fortunate to be able to organize the >>> course at my discretion. Effectively, I can present any material I wish as >>> long as I hit broad themes such as Cell Theory and Evolution. While this is >>> certainly doable, I am struggling deciding exactly what content to present. >>> The course is meant to present the science of contemporary issues that may >>> be important and/or interesting to the non-science student rather than a >>> broad survey course encompassing all of biology. There is another such >>> survey course with a set syllabus that I am not teaching, and there are two >>> other sections of contemporary biology that are focusing on genetics. I >>> would like to focus on the many ecological issues that both affect and are >>> affected by humans. My struggle involves the fact that this may be the only >>> (or last) biology these students get before we cast them out into the world. >>> So I want to be sure and cover all my bases. >>> >>> I am writing Ecolog with two questions. First, what is the relative merit >>> of including as much biology as possible as opposed to focusing on fewer >>> but perhaps more directly relevant ecological topics? These students will >>> most likely not become scientists, and certainly won't need to memorize the >>> structure of all the amino acids, for example. On the other hand, would I >>> be cheating them somehow by not providing enough information to them for >>> making informed decisions on topics outside of my direct area of expertise, >>> such as developmental biology and stem cells? >>> >>> The other question I have involves textbooks. Is anyone aware of a text (or >>> perhaps pop-science books) designed for the non-science major that focuses >>> on ecology, in particular the involvement of humans in ecological systems? >>> I haven't been able to find something I like and am looking for >>> recommendations. >>> >>> Thanks and I'll circulate a summary response if/when the discussion runs >>> its course. >>> >>> Cheers, >>> >>> David >>> >>> David R. Johnson PhD. >>> Postdoctoral Research Associate >>> Systems Ecology Lab >>> University of Texas at El Paso >>> drjohns...@utep.edu >> >> P.S. Please "Like" our new Facebook page at >> http://www.facebook.com/HiltonPond for timely updates on nature topics. >> >> = >> >> RESEARCH PROGRAM >> c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director >> Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History >> 1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA >> office & cell (803) 684-5852 >> fax (803) 684-0255 >> >> Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net): >> Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org >> "Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org >> >> == > > > > -- > Malcolm L. McCallum > Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry > School of Biological Sciences > University of Missouri at Kansas City > > Managing Editor, > Herpetological Conservation and Biology > > "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. -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular geneticist, a systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both for the individual and for society, than that intended to produce a broadly educated person who has also written a dissertation." --John Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a Biologist"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] invasive truffles
I've been trying to avoid having a linguistic and philosophical debate on ECOLOG, having no formal background in either subject, but it looks like the debate is inevitable. Very well. Matt writes, "We say species are invading because we mean to be pejorative, not merely descriptive". That's partly true -- "exotic" is the more neutral term -- but to call the usage pejorative isn't quite right, either. "Invasive" refers to either an exotic that's spread rapidly and/or widely, or an exotic that causes effects we don't like (i.e. harm). Despite the casualness of my initial email -- and I certainly hope ECOLOG is an appropriate forum for casual usage! -- I used that word quite deliberately as I think it's appropriate in this situation. My rejection of the claim that the word "invasive" is anthropomorphic has nothing to do with what a person may be described as doing. I used the example of describing a person as "successful" to reject the claim that calling a species "invasive" ascribes an intrinsic characteristic to it. On the other hand, Matt rejects my "invasive cancer" example as being relevant to the issue of whether the word "invasive" may be used without anthropomorphism. Why? Species aren't cancers, but the question is one of anthropomorphism, not non-neutrality. Blaming a snake or fungus for something would be silly, but ascribing causality is not the same thing as assigning blame. If we say, "HIV causes AIDS", "a tsunami caused the meltdown at Fukushima", or "solar flares cause communication satellites to malfunction", are we blaming the HIV virus, tsunami or solar flares? If not, why the emphasis on fungi not being moral actors? As for "appropriating" your point about causality, Matt, it's called agreeing with you! "X causes Y" ALWAYS implies a particular background; in this case, a background of human knowledge and practices relating to truffles. To take the classic example, striking a match doesn't cause a fire if oxygen is absent, but this doesn't mean we can't say that striking a match caused a particular fire. Similarly, Tuber indicum causes certain problems in France. (And yes, this was my original meaning.) Finally, Matt writes, "The presence of two superficially similar (to casual inspection) fungi in the same place doesn't cause concrete harm. It may violate someone's sense of place or require them to learn to differentiate between the two". And why do they have to learn to differentiate between the two, assuming this to be possible without microscopic or molecular analysis? To avoid economic harm! Just because you can compensate for a change doesn't mean it wasn't harmful. Otherwise, you could say that someone who lost a leg in an accident and got a good prosthesis wasn't harmed. Matt, you and I agree that the exotic species issue is overblown and often badly handled. (Yes, everyone has their favorite horror stories, but most exotics AREN'T harmful.) But I don't think it's helpful to completely deny that the issue exists. Jane Shevtsov On Sat, May 26, 2012 at 9:52 AM, Matt Chew wrote: > The dust has settled a bit, so it's time to respond. > > Jane Shevtsov raised some interesting points in her rebuttal of my analysis > of her post. Most of them further exemplify the conceptual confusion and > questionable communication practices I was highlighting. > > First, she reminded us: "I was speaking casually" Of course she was, and > obviously so. Why, having admitted to speaking casually, try to defend it > as if that casualness had formal underpinnings? It any case it is a poor > justification. Does 'casually' mean carelessly, vaguely, imprecisely or > misleadingly? Is this an appropriate forum for casual remarks? For that > matter, should any conversation between ecologists about the objects we > study be shorthanded either ambiguously or misleadingly? > > Jane's based her rejection of anthropomorphism primarily on what a person > may do or be described as doing. That underlines my point. Truffles > aren't persons. Appealing to the fact that "doctors may speak of invasive > cancers" doesn't have anything to do with whether truffles can invade or > species are invasive. (Species aren't cancers, although that broad > metaphor of reflexive fear and loathing has been applied to them as well.) > > Appealing to "what we often say" hardly implies that what we often say has > been well said. Ecology's 'house' of casually applied metaphors (see > Science 301:52-53) accumulated like a woodrat midden. It's stable the way > any heap of miscellaneous material can be stable, but it isn't much of a &
Re: [ECOLOG-L] invasive truffles
I never said that economic harms were more concrete than environmental and social ones, only that many discussions of exotic species come from a "change is bad" point of view rather than actually demonstrating some kind of harm. In this case, the harm happens to be economic/cultural. Jane Shevtsov On Thu, May 24, 2012 at 7:35 PM, Steve Young wrote: > You make some good points, but I was interested to know about your last > comment on highlighting an article that describes what you would say are > concrete harms arising from an exotic species. Just curious, but why are > economics, at least that was the emphasis I got from the article, a more > concrete harm than loss of services, both environmental and social? > > In Nebraska, introduced common reed in the Republican and Platte Rivers has > been one of the main causes for reducing water flow into Kansas and > obstructing nesting ground for two endangered bird species. Another example > is eastern redcedar (yes, I know we just had a discussion as to the > invasiveness of this native species) that has encroached into prairie > grasslands creating monocultures that reduce diversity in not only herbaceous > plant, but also invertebrate, and mammalian species. > > I know there are other examples of the 'concrete' harms done by exotic > species beyond just the economics. See the link to find out what Asian carp > are doing to kayakers in the Missouri River > (http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/news_cut/archive/2010/08/carp_attack.shtml). > > Steve Young > > > -Original Message- > From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news > [mailto:ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] On Behalf Of Jane Shevtsov > Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2012 1:30 AM > To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU > Subject: [ECOLOG-L] invasive truffles > > As much as I enjoy (and tend to agree with) Matt Chew's commentary on this > list, I must express my disagreement with some of what he says below. > > On Wed, May 23, 2012 at 3:28 PM, Matt Chew wrote: >> Labeling a fungus as an "invader" it is an absurd anthropomorphism. It >> is a further, even less supportable one to call a fungus "invasive" >> as if "invading" is an essential trait or characteristic of the taxon. > > While I was speaking casually, I don't think that using the word "invasive" > implies an intrinsic characteristic any more than, say, "successful" does. A > person's success in some endeavor is a function of both their traits and > their environment; the same goes for invasiveness. Furthermore, there's no > necessary anthropomorphism behind the word "invasive". For example, doctors > may speak of invasive cancers. > >> No "Chinese" truffle found growing in Italy has ever been "Chinese" >> except in name, and possibly as a spore-unless a person knowingly >> moved it from Asia to Italy- in which case the motivation and volition >> were the person's, and the relevant action was translocation, not >> invasion. If there was ever any intention to invade anything as a >> result, it was only and entirely a person's intention. > > Why is volition relevant? Also, we often say that X (a fungus, a person, or > whatever) is Chinese when its immediate ancestors are from China. > >> Claiming this (or any) fungus causes problems violates any rational >> conception of causality. The problem discussed in the article (one >> species of truffle being mistaken for or misrepresented as another) is >> one of unethical conduct by truffle dealers and/or taxonomic error by >> dealers and or buyers. Truffles aren't "causing" anything. > > The article also describes Tuber indicum as becoming established in truffle > orchards and, either by human error or competition, preventing the growth of > the desired Tuber melanosporum. If that's not causality, I don't know what is. > >> Careless metaphorical misconstruction and "blaming" organisms for >> arriving and persisting in unexpected places actively undermines >> ecological understanding, communication, effective research and >> appropriate conservation action. > > Is there any evidence that research is being undemined or that anyone is > "blaming" organisms? I agree that many control/eradication efforts are > thoroughly misguided. > >> We should be interested in working out why any specific translocation >> event results in a viable population (or not).unless ecology's primary >> purpose is to declare, "We hate this change, so we hate this species!" > > One of the reas
Re: [ECOLOG-L] invasive truffles
Interesting question! I think I'd have to lean toward not considering humans "exotic" (and the word "invasive" is typically reserved for exotics, although some people on this list do apply it to natives). This is because we generally label species exotic when they get to a new place with human assistance (which, of course, makes it a rather problematic category, but that's another question). Of course, humans did get to new places with human assistance, but that ends up being circular! We got to places under our own power in the same way that any motile organism gets to new places, just with more technology. For this reason, I'm leaning toward not considering humans "exotic" or "invasive", although I could probably be convinced otherwise. Jane Shevtsov On Thu, May 24, 2012 at 8:58 AM, Katherine Darrow wrote: > Are you willing to use the same concepts of "invasiveness" and "exotic" to > apply to humans as a species? > Why or why not? > > On May 23, 2012, at 11:30 PM, Jane Shevtsov wrote: > > "In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular > geneticist, a systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both > for the individual and for society, than that intended to produce a > broadly educated person who has also written a dissertation." --John > Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a Biologist" > > > Wild About Wildflowers > 25821 N. 41st Drive > Phoenix, AZ 85083 > 623-582-1525 > 623-533-0171 (cell) > > > -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular geneticist, a systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both for the individual and for society, than that intended to produce a broadly educated person who has also written a dissertation." --John Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a Biologist"
[ECOLOG-L] invasive truffles
As much as I enjoy (and tend to agree with) Matt Chew's commentary on this list, I must express my disagreement with some of what he says below. On Wed, May 23, 2012 at 3:28 PM, Matt Chew wrote: > Labeling a fungus as an "invader" it is an absurd anthropomorphism. It is a > further, even less supportable one to call a fungus "invasive" as if > "invading" is an essential trait or characteristic of the taxon. While I was speaking casually, I don't think that using the word "invasive" implies an intrinsic characteristic any more than, say, "successful" does. A person's success in some endeavor is a function of both their traits and their environment; the same goes for invasiveness. Furthermore, there's no necessary anthropomorphism behind the word "invasive". For example, doctors may speak of invasive cancers. > No "Chinese" truffle found growing in Italy has ever > been "Chinese" except in name, and possibly as a spore—unless a person > knowingly moved it from Asia to Italy— in which case the motivation and > volition were the person's, and the relevant action was translocation, not > invasion. If there was ever any intention to invade anything as a result, > it was only and entirely a person's intention. Why is volition relevant? Also, we often say that X (a fungus, a person, or whatever) is Chinese when its immediate ancestors are from China. > Claiming this (or any) fungus causes problems violates any rational > conception of causality. The problem discussed in the article (one species > of truffle being mistaken for or misrepresented as another) is one of > unethical conduct by truffle dealers and/or taxonomic error by dealers and > or buyers. Truffles aren't "causing" anything. The article also describes Tuber indicum as becoming established in truffle orchards and, either by human error or competition, preventing the growth of the desired Tuber melanosporum. If that's not causality, I don't know what is. > Careless metaphorical misconstruction and "blaming" organisms for arriving > and > persisting in unexpected places actively undermines ecological > understanding, communication, effective research and appropriate > conservation action. Is there any evidence that research is being undemined or that anyone is "blaming" organisms? I agree that many control/eradication efforts are thoroughly misguided. > We should be interested in working out why any > specific translocation event results in a viable population (or not)…unless > ecology's primary purpose is to declare, "We hate this change, so we hate > this species!" One of the reasons I highlighted this article is that it describes concrete harms arising from an exotic species, unlike the all-too-common "we must get rid of this species because it's not from here" or presentation of the cost of control efforts as a harm caused by the species. -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular geneticist, a systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both for the individual and for society, than that intended to produce a broadly educated person who has also written a dissertation." --John Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a Biologist" -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular geneticist, a systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both for the individual and for society, than that intended to produce a broadly educated person who has also written a dissertation." --John Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a Biologist"
[ECOLOG-L] Invasive Truffles
Now this is an invasive that causes problems! http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/adventure/2012/05/truffle-trouble-in-europe-the-invader-without-flavor/ -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular geneticist, a systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both for the individual and for society, than that intended to produce a broadly educated person who has also written a dissertation." --John Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a Biologist"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Ride the Train to ESA 2012 in Portland, OR!
I also plan to take the train from Los Angeles, largely because it's a beautiful route and train trips are fun. Jane On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 5:38 PM, Jorge Ramos wrote: > Hello ESA 2012 participants, > > The ESA Student Section is happy to announce that one of its members, > Andrew Reinman, will be riding the train from Boston, MA to to Portland, OR > to attend the 2012 ESA annual meeting! He is doing this and inviting others > to do it to help reduce the environmental footprint of the meeting. > > To read more about him, his initiative, and how to meet up with him at a > train station, visit the link in the ESA Student Section website ( > http://www.esa.org/students/section/node/457). You can also find his > contact info in the ESA-SS website and on the ESA-SS Facebook page ( > https://www.facebook.com/groups/4239397781/) > > Stay involved and make sure you keep an eye out for Andrew at your nearest > train station! > > Jorge > > ESA-SS website: http://www.esa.org/students/section/ > ESA-SS facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4239397781/ > ESA-SS twitter: @esa_students > > -- > Jorge Ramos > PhD Student > Wetland Ecosystem Ecology Lab > Arizona State University > WEEL website: <http://weel.asu.edu/>http://weel.asu.edu/ -- - Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular geneticist, a systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both for the individual and for society, than that intended to produce a broadly educated person who has also written a dissertation." --John Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a Biologist"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Sarewitz on Systematic Error
On Tue, May 15, 2012 at 7:06 PM, malcolm McCallum wrote: > This entire commentary is actually a criticism of our lack of > replication by multiple researchers. When a study comes out, it needs > to be reinvestigated by others, not just accepted. Take a landmark > paper, hand it to an MS student and have them redo the study and then > add a follow up twist. This is simply not done enough today. I wonder if this is related to the apparent decline in the numbers of MS students, as opposed to PhD students, from whom more originality is expected. I was discouraged from pursuing an MS and ended up straight out of undergrad, like many grad students in my program. (We had more PhD students than MS students.) This worked out well for me, but I wonder about the larger consequences. -- ----- Jane Shevtsov, Ph.D. Mathematical Biology Curriculum Writer, UCLA co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular geneticist, a systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both for the individual and for society, than that intended to produce a broadly educated person who has also written a dissertation." --John Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a Biologist"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Ecology (the journal) stalled?
One way to get the serendipity of "articles that catch your eye" is to subscribe to email notifications or TOCs of journals in your field. Jane Shevtsov On Thu, Mar 15, 2012 at 2:35 PM, Ruhland, Christopher T < christopher.ruhl...@mnsu.edu> wrote: > I certainly can see the need to keep paper journals, but the reality of > the situation is that I spend more time reading PDFs of papers (or PDFs > that I've printed) than I do actual *bound* journals. As a graduate > student, I used to walk across campus and spend every Friday afternoon in > the library reading the latest journals directly of the racks. Of course I > was limited to the journals that my library happened to subscribe to, but > at least I was keeping up with most of the newest findings in my field. > > As technology progressed, I then spent every Friday morning on the Web of > Science looking up keywords and limiting my search to papers published > within the past 14 days or so. The ability to find papers published in > journals I didn't even know existed was very exciting. I'd then get a PDF > of the paper, and I wouldn't even have to leave my lab. It's been a while > since I was required to walk over to the library and pull a > journal off the shelf. Technology sure is wonderful. > > That being said, I only read what my key-word searches bring me now a > days, and I miss the articles that would catch my eye (even though they had > nothing to do with my field). I sure do miss those Friday afternoons in > the library somedays. > > Cheers > > Chris > > > > Christopher T. Ruhland, Ph.D. > > Professor of Biological Sciences > Department of Biology > TS 242 Trafton Sciences Center South > Minnesota State University > Mankato, MN 56001 > > > -Original Message- > From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto: > ECOLOG-L@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of David L. McNeely > Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2012 4:07 PM > To: ECOLOG-L@listserv.umd.edu > Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Ecology (the journal) stalled? > > Lonnie Aarssen wrote: > > I wonder if Don Strong would explain to us why Ecology is still > > publishing on paper? No ecologist that I know reads paper journals > > anymore, and hasn't for years. > > I read paper journals, and I have for years. i hope to be able to > continue to do so. > > And libraries > > everywhere are cancelling their paper subscriptions and supporting > > only electronic journal subscriptions. > > Libraries are doing everything they can to corral costs, mainly because of > the political climate that is withdrawing funding from education and > research support. The fact that they are cancelling paper journals has > nothing to do with the desirability of keeping them. > > When we have only digital information, tell me how that information will > be guaranteed into the future? One of the functions of libraries is > curation of the knowledge we have accumulated. In the 60 year lifetime of > digital information storage and retrieval the media of choice have changed > more times than I care to try to count, from paper punched tapes and cards, > to tape, and so on, with multiple ways of reading those media. Most of > them can no longer be read. > > >In the news this week we > > also learned that Encyclopedia Britannica has decided to publish its > > last print edition this year, with only online editions available in > > the future. > > Encyclopedia Britannica is not a journal. > > > > > Is it not time for Ecology to do the same? > > No. > > >The > > advantages seem obvious. If Ecology "has a limited number of pages > >that the ESA can afford to publish", then why not simply break free > >from this limitation by publishing electronically only? The > >ecological community could then benefit from a greater number of high > >quality Ecology articles. > > and the disadvantages are also obvious. > > BTW, I have paper journals on my bookshelves that I have cherished for > years. I hope to keep them until I pass them on to a library that is more > understanding of its curatorial role than those you admire so. > > mcneely > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "She has future plans and dreams at night. They tell her life is hard; she says 'That's all right'." --Faith Hill, "Wild One"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] ESA Position on Open Access
Here's a blog post that analyzes whether inter-library loan is an adequate solution. http://scientopia.org/blogs/christinaslisrant/2012/01/11/access-to-the-literature-does-interlibrary-loan-solve-our-problems/ Jane Shevtsov On Wed, Jan 11, 2012 at 12:11 PM, wrote: > ---- Jane Shevtsov wrote: > > On Wed, Jan 11, 2012 at 7:32 AM, David L. McNeely > wrote: > > > > > The money that ESA and other scholarly organizations charge for > > > electronic copies of their reports goes to support the organization. > The > > > organization makes possible the publication and decimination of new > > > knowledge. There are costs involved, whether or not you think that the > > > only thing the organization has to pay is for the electrical power to > zip > > > electrons around. Yes, the incremental cost of pushing out another > copy is > > > small. But all the infrastructure of the organization is involved in > > > getting there, and is at stake if we succomb to the idea that only the > > > incremental cost should be paid by the user. > > > > > > > Then what did ESA and other publishers do before widespread Internet use? > > Back then, people would go to the library and, if the library subscribed, > > photocopy the articles they needed. They paid the library for copies, but > > publishers saw none of that money. And if they just read the article > > without copying it, they paid nothing at all! > > So, just go to the library and photocopy the article, like in the old days > 10 years ago. That is still an option. mcneely > > > > > Jane Shevtsov > > > > -- > > - > > Jane Shevtsov > > Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia > > co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org > > > > "She has future plans and dreams at night. > > They tell her life is hard; she says 'That's all right'." --Faith Hill, > > "Wild One" > > -- > David McNeely > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "She has future plans and dreams at night. They tell her life is hard; she says 'That's all right'." --Faith Hill, "Wild One"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] ESA Position on Open Access
On Wed, Jan 11, 2012 at 7:32 AM, David L. McNeely wrote: > The money that ESA and other scholarly organizations charge for > electronic copies of their reports goes to support the organization. The > organization makes possible the publication and decimination of new > knowledge. There are costs involved, whether or not you think that the > only thing the organization has to pay is for the electrical power to zip > electrons around. Yes, the incremental cost of pushing out another copy is > small. But all the infrastructure of the organization is involved in > getting there, and is at stake if we succomb to the idea that only the > incremental cost should be paid by the user. > Then what did ESA and other publishers do before widespread Internet use? Back then, people would go to the library and, if the library subscribed, photocopy the articles they needed. They paid the library for copies, but publishers saw none of that money. And if they just read the article without copying it, they paid nothing at all! Jane Shevtsov -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "She has future plans and dreams at night. They tell her life is hard; she says 'That's all right'." --Faith Hill, "Wild One"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] ESA Position on Open Access
On Mon, Jan 9, 2012 at 6:00 PM, wrote: > H. Jane, perhaps you might include sorts of institutions other than > universities, such as government agencies, industrial organizations (why > should Exon Mobil get a free ride?), NGOs? > Sure. Maybe any entity that downloads more than X papers a month. The New York Times has this sort of system. They allow non-subscribers 20 free articles a month. A scientific publisher would have to set a lower threshold than that, but you get the idea. Also, the regulation that ESA's letter was written about includes an embargo period. > Suppose a student or faculty member works at home at night, and makes the > request from there? Free then, but if he makes the request from his office > or a laboratory, he gets dinged? > No, he doesn't get dinged if the university library has a subscription, which it normally would. > Fact is, the publisher has to recoup costs and costs for a a scholarly > organization include things other than publishing. When students first get > into this game most are unaware that authors pay for preprints (including > electronic preprints) and pay page charges for publication. That being the > case, why shouldn't the publisher offset some costs by charging users for > access? Again, libraries would pay for access, as would anyone else who wanted an article during its embargo period. BTW, the part of the letter arguing that an embargo period won't work for ecology journals because our research takes longer than many other kinds is flawed. Citation half-lives are the wrong measure, precisely because our research takes a long time. If I download a paper today, get excited by it, and decide to base a field project on it, I may not publish for several years. This makes the citation half-life much longer than the reading half-life or download half-life. > ESA and most scholarly organizations that publish journals are truly > nonprofit. Elsevier Press is another matter, and "There oughta be a law > ... ." > Which really stinks for me, as Ecological Modelling is a major journal in my area and is published by Elsevier. There definitely oughta be a law Jane Shevtsov -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "She has future plans and dreams at night. They tell her life is hard; she says 'That's all right'." --Faith Hill, "Wild One"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] ESA Position on Open Access
On Mon, Jan 9, 2012 at 1:31 PM, wrote: > You can get the same paper from different sources. You can subscribe to > the journal in print or online. You can go to a library that subscribes to > the journal. You can request a reprint from the author (who may have had > to pay for it himself). You can use online sources that may or may not > have a cost associated, depending on the journal and the source. You can > use interlibrary loan. There are multiple media through which a journal > article may be obtained. These different media have different costs in > coin and effort associated with them. > And ironically, the source with the lowest cost charges the most! On a related but broader note, people might want to read John Perry Barlow's classic essay, "Selling Wine Without Bottles: The Economy of Ideas on the Global Net". http://virtualschool.edu/mon/ElectronicFrontier/WineWithoutBottles.html > So is the $20 per paper price really > > intended to make money directly, or to get people to do something else, > > like joining ESA and buying a journal subscription? > > Which is a pretty good idea. It supports ESA (or whatever organization > publishes the journal, not all ecological work is published in ESA > journals), and it gives one an opportunity to regularly review the spectrum > of work being done in Ecology. Joining provides a great many benefits > beyond the opportunity to subscribe to the journals, as well. One of those > benefits is eventual life membership in emeritus status, which I have > earned and take advantage of. > Indeed, but I hope you're not saying that everyone who might read a few papers a year should necessarily join and subscribe. If they want to, great, but it shouldn't be a condition of access. Just to be clear, I've been an ESA member since 2005, when SEEDS awarded me a one-year membership along with a scholarship to attend the annual meeting. That felt pretty cool to an undergrad, and I've proudly maintained a membership ever since. This is the first time I'm considering not renewing, not because of ESA's own practices, but because of that letter, which supports not only society publishers but the worst actors in the industry. Jane Shevtsov -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "She has future plans and dreams at night. They tell her life is hard; she says 'That's all right'." --Faith Hill, "Wild One"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] ESA Position on Open Access
To be fair, ESA's profit margin is much smaller than that of commercial publishers. But I wonder how much of that money comes from people paying outrageous sums for individual articles. Not much, I'll bet. There would seem to be a simple technical solution. Just as IP addresses are currently used to check whether someone is at a subscribing institution, they could be used to see whether an article request is coming from someone at a university. If yes, they'd only have access if their library subscribed (or if they had an individual subscription). Non-institutional users would get free access. Jane Shevtsov On Mon, Jan 9, 2012 at 2:39 PM, M.S. Patterson wrote: > David, you're correct that many libraries have subscriptions to various > journals, and are capable of getting an article via interlibrary loan. > > However, this is simply a case of passing the buck. Do you think > publishers give free access to libraries and universities? > They do not. The subscription fees that libraries pay are exceedingly > steep, and as library budgets have been getting slashed, many have been > cutting back substantially on their journal access, counting on others > within the library system to maintain subscriptions. And, of course, every > interlibrary loan request costs time, labor, and money to the communities > involved. Surely it is more socially efficient to charge a few dollars for > an article, and make it easily available to people, than it is to charge a > large sum to a library, and then incur additional labor costs to shuttle a > document around from place to place? > > The cost of distribution for the publishers is essentially nil, given that > they already have invested in the sites in place to distribute their > articles, whether they cost $50 or $2. Electrons are quite cheap. This is > a simple case of an industry with substantial monopoly power engaging in > rent seeking. A simple search on "academic publisher profits" would be > extremely enlightening, I suspect. Here is a good place to start: > http://www.economist.com/node/**18744177<http://www.economist.com/node/18744177> > > -m > > > On 1/9/2012 9:51 AM, David L. McNeely wrote: > >> Jane Shevtsov wrote: >> >>> I just checked, and ESA charges nonsubscribers $20 for a single article >>> published in the December 2011 issue of Ecology. How is that reasonable? >>> And I'm no business maven, but isn't that far past the optimal price >>> point >>> in terms of revenue generation? I could see paying $2 or $3 for an >>> article >>> if I was an infrequent reader, but $20? >>> >>> There's a good blog post on what alternatives publishers might support >>> at< >>> http://researchremix.**wordpress.com/2012/01/07/what-** >>> should-the-publishers-lobby-**for/<http://researchremix.wordpress.com/2012/01/07/what-should-the-publishers-lobby-for/> >>> >>>> . >>>> >>> Is it really so difficult to get a paper? I have never been unable to >> get a paper I wanted or needed, and I have never paid the high prices that >> publishers demand for instant access on the internet. Most of us live >> within 50 miles of a library. If the library does not subscribe to the >> journal in which the paper appears, interlibrary loan will get it for a >> reasonable cost. The real problem is the demand for instant gratification >> that we have developed. It is that that we are being asked to pay for. >> >> Should a paper cost $50? I really don't know what it costs the journal >> to produce the paper, what the demand is (well, for some papers the demand >> is virtually nothing), or what distribution costs. I do know that such >> services as BioOne have greatly improved the bottom lines of some scholarly >> organizations, which in the long run makes papers more available, not less. >> >> I guess in this one instance I am suggesting that free market is not so >> bad. If you really must have the paper the instant you locate it through >> the free search and free abstract mechanisms of the publishers, why then >> pay the asking price. Otherwise, use more traditional means of getting it. >> If publishers are getting the asking price, they will maintain it, or >> maybe ask a little more. If they are not getting it, they will back off. >> >> If you are so far back in the sticks that you don't have ready access to >> a library, investigate a bit. I'll bet some library serves you if you find >> out how. If you are living in a cabin off the traveled roads and off the >> grid, then you don't
Re: [ECOLOG-L] ESA Position on Open Access
Dear David, You make some very interesting points. On Mon, Jan 9, 2012 at 6:51 AM, wrote: > Is it really so difficult to get a paper? I have never been unable to > get a paper I wanted or needed, and I have never paid the high prices that > publishers demand for instant access on the internet. Most of us live > within 50 miles of a library. If the library does not subscribe to the > journal in which the paper appears, interlibrary loan will get it for a > reasonable cost. If you know that a paper is the one you need, that's a reasonable strategy. But if it's a case of "this might be relevant, or it might not", you're not likely to go to the trouble. I was in that position some time ago when interning at Kennedy Space Center. NASA didn't subscribe to ecological journals, as most of its staff didn't need them -- but they were certainly relevant to groups working on bioregenerative life support or environmental impact analysis. > The real problem is the demand for instant gratification that we have > developed. It is that that we are being asked to pay for. > When delivery is essentially free, why is a desire for instant gratification a problem? > Should a paper cost $50? I really don't know what it costs the journal to > produce the paper, what the demand is (well, for some papers the demand is > virtually nothing), or what distribution costs. I do know that such > services as BioOne have greatly improved the bottom lines of some scholarly > organizations, which in the long run makes papers more available, not less. > Having more papers in existence is not the same as improving the availability of each paper. > I guess in this one instance I am suggesting that free market is not so > bad. There's no free market here. A free market would exist if you could get the same paper from several different "stores". From a reader's point of view, a publisher is a monopoly. It's a natural monopoly -- but natural monopolies must be regulated. > If you really must have the paper the instant you locate it through the > free search and free abstract mechanisms of the publishers, why then pay > the asking price. Otherwise, use more traditional means of getting it. If > publishers are getting the asking price, they will maintain it, or maybe > ask a little more. If they are not getting it, they will back off. > Now this is a fascinating point. How often do people actually pay the publisher's asking price? Like you say, a reader can go to a university library (public libraries rarely subscribe to technical journals), go to an author's web site, or email the author. Heck, if you access the Web without a university IP address, Google Scholar will automatically try to find free copies of papers you search for. So is the $20 per paper price really intended to make money directly, or to get people to do something else, like joining ESA and buying a journal subscription? Jane Shevtsov -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "She has future plans and dreams at night. They tell her life is hard; she says 'That's all right'." --Faith Hill, "Wild One"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] ESA Position on Open Access
I just checked, and ESA charges nonsubscribers $20 for a single article published in the December 2011 issue of Ecology. How is that reasonable? And I'm no business maven, but isn't that far past the optimal price point in terms of revenue generation? I could see paying $2 or $3 for an article if I was an infrequent reader, but $20? There's a good blog post on what alternatives publishers might support at < http://researchremix.wordpress.com/2012/01/07/what-should-the-publishers-lobby-for/ >. Jane Shevtsov On Fri, Jan 6, 2012 at 9:08 PM, M.S. Patterson wrote: > Here's an additional opinion on the matter, and it is rather less > charitable: > http://phylogenomics.blogspot.**com/2012/01/yhgtbfkm-** > ecological-society-of-america.**html?utm_source=feedburner&** > utm_medium=twitter&utm_**campaign=Feed%3A+**TheTreeOfLife+%28The+Tree+of+* > *Life%29<http://phylogenomics.blogspot.com/2012/01/yhgtbfkm-ecological-society-of-america.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheTreeOfLife+%28The+Tree+of+Life%29>< > http://phylogenomics.**blogspot.com/2012/01/yhgtbfkm-** > ecological-society-of-america.**html?utm_source=feedburner&** > utm_medium=twitter&utm_**campaign=Feed%3A+**TheTreeOfLife+%28The+Tree+of+* > *Life%29<http://phylogenomics.blogspot.com/2012/01/yhgtbfkm-ecological-society-of-america.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheTreeOfLife+%28The+Tree+of+Life%29> > > > > The fact that ESA forces authors to cede the copyright to their work is > offensive, IMO, even if they 'grant' the author reprint or reproduction > rights. It also means that ESA could choose to rewrite their rules such > that authors could lose rights to reprint or reproduce their own work. > Academic publishers should be granted first printing rights, with the > option to acquire additional rights at a later date, as they desire. > Nothing more. As it currently stands, ESA's policy is essentially > treating research articles as work-made-for-hire, which is ludicrous, given > that authors must pay page charges to print the work! In essence > researchers are paying to have their work printed, while ceding all of > their rights to the publisher in the process. > > Further, I don't think anyone is suggesting that ESA should be denied all > subscription fees (or page fees), but simply that papers should become > available publicly over time, and that any research funded by public monies > should be available to the public sooner rather than later. Which is > entirely reasonable, and more than likely beneficial to the public. > > -m > > > On 1/5/2012 12:33 AM, Jane Shevtsov wrote: > >> Fellow Ecologgers, >> >> Have people read ESA's response to a proposed requirement that the results >> of federally funded research be publicly available, possibly after an >> embargo period? It's available here. >> http://www.esa.org/pao/**policyStatements/Letters/** >> ESAResponsetoPublicAccessRFI20**11.pdf<http://www.esa.org/pao/policyStatements/Letters/ESAResponsetoPublicAccessRFI2011.pdf> >> >> I have to say I find this response somewhat disappointing. While some of >> the concerns raised in it are certainly valid, I believe it underestimates >> ecologists' desire to read an interesting new paper now rather than later. >> Also, kudos to ESA for allowing authors to freely post their papers >> online, >> something I relied on when I didn't have university journal access, but >> how >> is this financially different from open access? ESA's 2009 financial >> statement (the latest available online) may be of interest. >> http://www.esa.org/aboutesa/**docs/FS2009.pdf<http://www.esa.org/aboutesa/docs/FS2009.pdf> >> >> Thoughts? >> >> Jane Shevtsov >> >> > > -- > Matt Patterson > MSES/MPA 2012 > Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs > Center for the study of Institutions, Population and Environmental Change > (CIPEC) > Room 226A | 408 N Indiana Ave | Bloomington, IN 47408-3799 > Environmentally Scientific Emblogulations <http://env-sci-blog.blogspot.** > com <http://env-sci-blog.blogspot.com>> > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "She has future plans and dreams at night. They tell her life is hard; she says 'That's all right'." --Faith Hill, "Wild One"
[ECOLOG-L] ESA Position on Open Access
Fellow Ecologgers, Have people read ESA's response to a proposed requirement that the results of federally funded research be publicly available, possibly after an embargo period? It's available here. http://www.esa.org/pao/policyStatements/Letters/ESAResponsetoPublicAccessRFI2011.pdf I have to say I find this response somewhat disappointing. While some of the concerns raised in it are certainly valid, I believe it underestimates ecologists' desire to read an interesting new paper now rather than later. Also, kudos to ESA for allowing authors to freely post their papers online, something I relied on when I didn't have university journal access, but how is this financially different from open access? ESA's 2009 financial statement (the latest available online) may be of interest. http://www.esa.org/aboutesa/docs/FS2009.pdf Thoughts? Jane Shevtsov -- ----- Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "She has future plans and dreams at night. They tell her life is hard; she says 'That's all right'." --Faith Hill, "Wild One"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] UC-Berkeley and other ‘public Iv ie s’ in fiscal peril
Nobody gets a full ride from the Feds. The maximum Pell Grant this year is $5530. Other federal aid is in the form of work-study or loans -- stuff that the student has to work for or pay off later. The state money is replaced by payments from the students and families (including work-study) or loans (also money from the students, just delayed). Jane Shevtsov On Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 9:32 AM, malcolm McCallum < malcolm.mccal...@herpconbio.org> wrote: > Its all pretty obvious. > > Federal government establishes federally funded financial aid to help > those in need. > State governments cut funding to universities, so universities are > forced to raise tuition > and get more of their finances from the federal financial aid programs. > > Lets say a ficticious state, say State A, funded its university system > 50% so that 50% of all costs were > paid by tuition (we will ignore donations). Every student who gets a > full ride from feds has 50% of costs > paid by state and 50% of costs paid by fed financial aid. > > However, if a state reduces its contribution to the costs of running > that university to 25%, the cost of > attendance rises as every school raises tuition. Then, more students > in that state become eligible for > financial aid because of the higher cost of attendance. Now, students > on full rides get only 25% of their > education costs from state, but 75% from the feds. Essentially, State > A has shifted the burden of funding > higher education to the feds while not losing any return on the total > investment in higher education. Then the > state can throw money elsewhere or issue tax breaks for companies to > come into the state. > > I am pretty sure this conspiracy theory would work, and if it does, it > is likely why we see escalating tuition. > Its not the schools raising tuition, its the state governments > lowering investment leading to higher tuition to > cover costs which get more and more shifted to federal financial aid > programs. Anyone who doesn't get > financial aid just fronts the whole bill. > > As for the condition of buildings, its a long known fact that it is > easier as a government entity to build a new building than it is to > repair an old one because of the way funding mechanisms work in > states. So, if you have a choice between building a new building and > refurbishing an old one, as an institution you are more likely to > approach building a new one even if the costs are way higher. No > building will last forever, no matter how well you take care of it. > > If politicians really had our interest at heart, none of this would be > happening. > Instead, they are busy capitalizing on loopholes in insider trading > law to make billions for their own pocketbooks. > > :) > > On Tue, Dec 27, 2011 at 6:29 PM, Paul Cherubini wrote: > >> The University of California at Berkeley subsists now in > >> perpetual austerity. Star faculty take mandatory furloughs. > >> > >> Classes grow perceptibly larger each year. Roofs leak; > >> e-mail crashes. One employee mows the entire campus. > >> Wastebaskets are emptied once a week. Some > >> professors lack telephones. > > > > > > If all of the above is true, then can someone please > > explain why for 20+ years the annual increase in the > > cost of college tuition has far outpaced the consumer > > price index, heath care, energy costs, etc. > > > > http://www.nas.org/polArticles.cfm?doc_id=1450 > > http://tinyurl.com/6xq6hv > > > > Paul Cherubini > > El Dorado, Calif. > > > > -- > Malcolm L. McCallum > Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry > School of Biological Sciences > University of Missouri at Kansas City > > Managing Editor, > Herpetological Conservation and Biology > > "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. > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "She has future plans and dreams at night. They tell her life is hard; she says 'That's all right'." --Faith Hill, "Wild One"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Summary: Transformation of percent cover data for power analysis
The purpose of a power analysis to simulate data that you'll collect in the field. There's no such thing as negative cover, so if your simulation can produce those kinds of values, it's not really doing what you want. Have you considered tinkering with your simulation so it produces only sensible values? Then there will be no need for a transformation. Hope that helps! Jane Shevtsov On Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 6:00 PM, Brian Mitchell wrote: > Hello ecolog, > > Thanks to all of you who responded to my question about data > transformations > suitable for my power analysis of percent cover data (original post is > repeated at the bottom of this summary). > > A number of people suggested the “standard” transformation for percent > cover > data, the arcsine square root transform. While this transformation would > have bounded the data between zero and one, it has the undesirable side > effect of being non-monotonic, which would have been an issue with my > simulated data. > > Several people pointed me towards a recent paper, Warton and Hui 2011 > (Ecology 92:3-10). These authors propose a modification to the logit > transformation, specifically adding a small value to both the numerator and > denominator of the logit function. This is the approach that I am now > pursuing with my analysis. > > There is clearly a lot of debate back and forth about the merits of > transforming data, and the difficulty of interpreting the output when > transformations are used, and I appreciate the recommendations I have > received about using data transformation sparingly. I tend to agree with > these comments, but in this case I feel that having a simulation with > realistic data and meaningful predictions outweighs the difficulties of > back-transforming and interpreting the output. > > Thanks again for the helpful feedback to my query! > > Original post: > I am working on a power analysis simulation for long-term forest monitoring > data, with the goal of documenting our power to detect trends over time. > The > simulation is based on a repeated measures hierarchical model, where future > data is simulated based on the initial data set and a bootstrap of pilot > data differences between observation periods, multiplied by a range of > effect sizes (50% decline to 50% increase). > > My question is about the appropriate transformation to use for percent > cover > data in this simulation. I don’t want to use raw percentages because the > simulation will easily result in proportions less than zero or greater than > one. Similarly, a log transform can easily result in back-transformed > proportions greater than one. Most other transforms I’ve looked at would > not prevent back-transformed data from exceeding one or the other > boundaries. The exception is the logistic transform, which would indeed > force all simulated data to be between zero and one when back-transformed. > However, the logistic transform gives values of negative infinity for a > percent cover of zero, and positive infinity for a percent cover of one. I > was thinking that adding a tiny number to zeros and subtracting a tiny > number from ones (e.g., 0.1) would solve the problem (roughly > equivalent > to a log of x+1 transform), but I have been unable to find reference to > anyone using this approach for percent cover data. Does anyone have any > thoughts about the validity of my proposed approach or of another approach > that would help solve my problem? > > Brian Mitchell > NPS Northeast Temperate Network Program Manager > Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Vermont > brian_mitch...@nps.gov > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "She has future plans and dreams at night. They tell her life is hard; she says 'That's all right'." --Faith Hill, "Wild One"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Summary of Ecology in AP responses
"Just send them to college" can only be done in cities that have colleges.
Also, AP classes are slower-paced than college courses and taught in a more
interactive manner. (AP Environmental Science, for example, is a year-long
course but replaces a one-semester course.)
I didn't take AP Bio but attended a biology magnet school that offered lots
of science courses. 90% of my first-year biology at UCLA was review. If
students who test out of intro courses are struggling, maybe it's because
they missed a chance to learn to take college science courses, not because
they missed content.
Jane Shevtsov
On Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 1:12 PM, Joey Smokey wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> As a biology major recently graduated, as well as a science and math tutor,
> I have also seen the trouble of AP credits in science programs. Many of my
> peers who "think" they are ready for college-level science from AP classes
> seem to struggle the most. I also tend to be old-fashioned in thinking that
> AP coursework tends to be weak and any credit should be given to electives
> or non-major classes.
>
> Like somebody mentioned earlier, if students are ready for college, just
> send them to college. I think Head Start and Running Start programs are far
> more successful than AP and honors programs in high school.
>
> Joey Smokey
> WSU Vancouver
>
> On Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 12:17 PM, Corbin, Jeffrey D. >wrote:
>
> > Hello Ecologgers - Thank you for your quick and numerous responses to my
> > query about the treatment of ecology in AP classes. I received a wide
> range
> > of responses and suggestions. Some summaries:
> >
> > Regarding the coverage of ecology in high school AP classes:
> >
> > - Based on the College Board's published coverage of biology
> > material, ecology is 10% of the test. This is comparable to the
> percentage
> > for cells, evolutionary biology, and heredity. ("Structure and function
> of
> > [organisms]" gets a much larger 32%, but that also encompasses many
> topics)
> >
> > - The logical point was made that if a student received a 4 or
> 5,
> > then the student must have retained enough of the ecology material.
> >
> > - Several current or former H.S. teachers emailed me to say
> that
> > ecology is well-covered.
> >
> > - However, I also received far more comments from individuals
> who
> > said that their own AP class barely, if at all, covered ecology.
> Anecdotal
> > evidence yes, but it was a common comment
> >
> > Regarding the awarding of credit in college:
> >
> > - I agree with the comments of many that to award credit to
> > biology majors for a high school class is to place a lot of faith in high
> > school instruction without any oversight.
> >
> > - Many institutions offer no credit; many others offer non-major
> > credit for a 4 or 5 on the AP.
> >
> > If nothing else, this informal survey did forestall a hasty decision on
> > our part, and I think we are going to do a more complete survey of what
> is
> > common for Colleges and Departments like ours.
> >
> > Thanks again for all of the generous responses.
> >
> > -Jeff
> >
> > ***
> > Jeffrey D. Corbin
> > Department of Biological Sciences
> > Union College
> > Schenectady, NY 12308
> > (518) 388-6097
> > ***
> >
>
--
-
Jane Shevtsov
Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia
co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org
"She has future plans and dreams at night.
They tell her life is hard; she says 'That's all right'." --Faith Hill,
"Wild One"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] a non Ivory Tower view of invasive species
What fraction of the "weeds" affecting agriculture are native? -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, www.worldbeyondborders.org "All wars are civil wars, because all men are brothers... Each one owes infinitely more to the human race than to the particular country in which he was born." --Francois Fenelon, theologian and writer (1651-1715)
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Ethics of spousal hires (was Re: [ECOLOG-L] Job Announcement: US Forest Service Ecologist)
First of all, most spousal hires that I've seen get new, specially created positions. They're not outcompeting or displacing anyone. Second, you're assuming that the primary hire has a lab that their spouse can use. But what if the primary hire is a historian or mathematician and their spouse is an ecologist or, worse, a biochemist? Also, please stop invoking nepotism. That word refers to hiring relatives of a person *in power*. If a dean or department chair (or even an established faculty member) insisted that their spouse be hired when they were not the best person for the job, that would be nepotism. Being or hiring a "package deal" is not. Finally, I would propose that relaxing the emphasis on "quantitative" qualifications is probably a good thing. This emphasis leads to piecemeal, shallow work that churns out large numbers of papers and an emphasis on flashy, fashionable topics at the expense of others that often have more depth. Of course, this should be changed across the board, but hiring at least some people by a different pathway should be healthy for a university. Oh, and for the record, I am single. Jane Shevtsov On Sat, Aug 20, 2011 at 8:32 AM, Aaron T. Dossey wrote: > It's easy to rail against those who demand higher ethical standards when > one benefits personally from lax ethical practices. > > Personal interests like "but my wife/child/friend wants a job too!" should > not be a consideration of any hiring entity. Where does it end? Is it ok > for a chair and group of faculty to decide only to hire members of their > church or their own religion, or only hire other atheists? Is it ok for > them to only hire their friends to the exclusion of all other applicants > regardless of QUANTITATIVE qualification/skill/talent (which are frequently > quantified for other purposes such as grants etc., so this "well, everyone > with a Ph.D. and the minimum credentials is basically equally qualified" > excuse often used is BS)? Maybe a department wishes to be all white, or all > Chinese, or all Jewish? Kosher? > > I understand in England that there are even laws against nepotism even in > the private sector? If so, they will probably over-take us in science soon > if they haven't already. > > Spousal hiring is not benign, it is not a victimless crime. It is an > unethical tragedy which is leading to many very good hard working scientists > to leave the field and their dreams, some of us who have worked hard all our > lives toward this goal of starting our own lab one day, and were the first > in our families to even go to graduate school (and second to college at > all). The "American Dream" has been dead in the private sector for many > years, is it dead in Academia too? > > If you want to say "well, what about the trailing spouse? what about their > plight?" - I will leave you with the following scenarios to consider: > > 1) The department decides not to hire the primary recruit and the spouse. > What of the spouse? So now we have a home with one spouse bringing in a > new faculty salary, both of them are likely covered under the one person's > healthcare plans and other benefits. The unemployed spouse has access to > their spouses lab, University resources (core facilities, library, etc.). > They have a home and bills paid. With these resources, they can likely > continue much or at least some of their research endeavors, continue to > apply for positions at that or a nearby institution as they come up (if they > deem it necessary, which it might not even be to continue their > professional/research interests) and likely even write grants submitted > through the department as PI on a guest appointment of some sort and > possibly even leverage a position of their own with said grants. Hell, > their spouse might even be able to hire them as a postech, adding an > additional small salary to the home. What of the top candidates who were > not the trialing spouse? Well, one of them will get the opportunity of a > lifetime they have been dreaming of: a tenure track position and a lab of > their own. Happy day! Rightly so, they've EARNED it! > > 2) The department decides to hire the primary recruit and the spouse. Yay, > happy day for the cute couple. What of the spouse? Well, they've now got > the holy grail of all science positions, a tenure track faculty position > with a lab of their own, healthy startup package (around a million or more > invested in the average hire including startup package, salary, benefits, > etc.), the home how has TWO faculty salaries - and all is "right with the > world". HOWEVER: What of the candidates whose qualifications outweighed > those of the spouse. who don't h
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Communication Science to Public Plant Roots
There is evidence that plant roots grow along moisture gradients. This is called hydrotropism; here's a link to a Trends in Plant Science review paper on it: <http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.129.6385&rep=rep1&type=pdf>. Following gradients is exactly what animals do when hunting by scent or sound, and I don't think anyone would object to the use of the word "seeking" in that context. So I think it's perfectly reasonable to say that plant shoots seek light and plant roots seek water (among other things). Regards, Jane Shevtsov On Sat, May 21, 2011 at 1:01 PM, David L. McNeely wrote: > Amartya Saha wrote: >> There are many experiments with pots divided into wet/dry and nutrient >> enriched/depleted zones, and most of them show greater root growth and >> density in wetter, high nutrient zones. >> The idea of consciousness is an animal-centric one; plants must be just as >> conscious in their own way, as ultimately a part of consciousness is >> recognition and adaptation to the environment, allowing species survival and >> reproduction. >> Genetically programmed to seek water -- don't all organisms seek water ? > > > If a seed or a seedling is planted in the dry zone of the above experiment, > roots will not grow into the moist zone. Only if the seed or the seedling is > planted in the moist zone will roots grow in the moist zone. > > Now, if the "dry" zone is sufficiently moist for that kind of plant, > including sufficiently moist to promote germination when using seeds, then > the roots will grow in the dry zone. When they reach the moist zone, there > will be increased growth. Such a result might appear to support the idea > that the roots "sought" the water. But in fact, they just grew more with > more water, less with less water. > > If you doubt that the statement is true, set up such an experiment and > determine the results. Let me know what you find out. > > What does "seek" mean? If you wish to define the word in terms of the above > experiment (which would not fit the normal meaning of the term) then you > might say the roots sought the water. But only roots actually in a zone > where moisture was adequate grew. I know of no experiments that have > demonstrated an ability of plant roots to grow from a zone of dryness toward > a zone of wetness due to some sensory mechanism. There are tropisms for > gravity, for surfaces, for light. I do not know of one for water, nor how it > would work. For that matter, true tropisms work by differential growth due > to unequal auxin distribution, so far as I know. > > mcneely > >> Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry® >> >> -Original Message- >> From: "Pekin, Burak K" >> Sender: "Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news" >> >> Date: Sat, 21 May 2011 11:30:09 >> To: >> Reply-To: "Pekin, Burak K" >> Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Communication Science to Public Plant Roots >> >> This seems to me more like a philosphical issue, rather than a scientific >> one. there are obviously several mechanisms that allow plants to actively >> "seek" water. However, unlike the mechanisms that allow an animal to seek >> water, such as detecting moisture in the wind using smell, they do not >> require a conscious desicion, i.e., the animal may decide to follow or not >> follow the scent, the plant does not have a choice. So the question is >> whether "seeking" requires a conscious desicion to be made by the >> individual. It could also be argued to what extent the desicions made by >> animals, such as humans, are conscious versus subconious and whether a >> subconcious desicion satisfies the definition of "seeking". >> >> -Burak >> >> >> Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Communication Science to Public Plant Roots >> >> Well, I can't say what the narrator was basing his/her statement upon, but >> it can be justified. Roots are, for the most part, programmed to grow >> downward (positive geotropism), and in many if not most soil environments, >> water is more abundant at lower levels. Thus, growing downward means >> growing toward water. (One situation where this doesn't hold true is right >> after a rain, when the upper level of soil may be wetter then a lower >> level.) >> >> Additionally, roots (like all protoplasm-based structures) need water to >> grow. Thus, roots that are tentatively entering a wet zone (assuming it's >> not too wet) will grow faster than roots e
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general public: are scientists making science readily accessible?
On Sun, Apr 10, 2011 at 11:38 AM, Wayne Tyson wrote: > I am not suggesting that there be a LAW that reporters clear their stories > with the interviewee, but a CUSTOM. Getting at truth is the issue, reducing > error. Once the cat is out of the bag, it is not a matter of suffering in > silence or writing the editor and getting a "correction" buried in an > obscure corner of some obscure page. The place to work on the issue is where > it starts. Maybe those being interviewed should insist that the reporter > explain back to the interviewee what she/he has just heard, like a pilot > repeating a clearance to an air traffic controller. APPROVAL is NOT the > point--getting it RIGHT is the avowed MUTUAL goal. So I don't disagree with > Dave's point, but it's not my point. Wayne makes an excellent point. Dave, the reason it would be a bad idea to have a politician check a story before you publish it is that it would interfere with conveying the facts to the public. And the reason why it would be a bad idea NOT to have a scientist check a story before you publish it is that it would interfere with conveying the facts to the public. The same goal may be served by different actions in different circumstances. Jane Shevtsov > - Original Message - From: "David M. Lawrence" > To: > Sent: Sunday, April 10, 2011 4:22 AM > Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Disseminating scientific thought to the general > public: are scientists making science readily accessible? > > >> Let's do a thought experiment here. Do we want journalists clear pieces >> with politicians, powerful political interests, and attorneys persons >> accused of serious crimes first? If not, why should journalists do the same >> with scientists? I personally know a handful of scientists whose word I >> would never take for granted -- and I damn sure wouldn't get their approval >> of a story I wrote involving them first. >> >> Many of us who specialize as science/environment reporters work very hard >> at getting facts correct and in making sure we get them correct by running >> quotes past sources. Many of my colleagues won't share an advance copy of a >> story with a source (for the implications above). I understand why -- it >> creates a huge ethical problem for journalists -- how can we fulfill our >> CONSTITUTIONALLY recognized (in the U.S., at least) role as an independent >> source of information when we submit our stories to our sources for >> approval? We cannot. >> >> I can assure you that you don't want to live in a society where such >> clearing is required. There is no shortage of evidence to support my >> statement. >> >> There is an unfortunate trend in the news business in which specialist >> reporters -- such as science and environment reporters -- are removed from >> their beats (because the news publication cannot or does not want to support >> such specialist beats) or are removed from their jobs altogether. The >> coverage gets picked up in a haphazard fashion with more generalist or less >> experienced people who often don't work as hard to understand the material >> or make sure they understand the material. Even when we are allowed to >> specialize, we are forced to achieve unrealistic "productivity" targets that >> may make it difficult to adequately examine our copy for things that need to >> be checked out with a source. And once we file, other people take our >> stories and edit them either to fit the space or time available, or to suit >> their own interests (there has been an interesting thread on a science >> journalism list recently where my colleagues discussed stories they've asked >> to have their name taken off of the byline). >> >> And Wayne, my sympathies to your wife. I see those "documentaries" where >> I would have been embarrassed to have been interviewed in. They'll ask a >> scientist about emerging diseases, then the scientist will find himself >> seeming to endorse an oncoming zombie apocalypse. Those programs are not >> "journalism." They are entertainment, nothing more. I wish I could offer >> better advice on how to weed out requests to be interviewed for such >> programs. I don't know enough about how they approach sources to know what >> to say. >> >> Dave >> >> On 4/9/2011 7:34 PM, Wayne Tyson wrote: >>> >>> Of course, mistakes can happen. From my own experience, reporters can get >>> it wrong--not because they intentionally do so, but because they were >>> CERTAIN that they understood (and I must say tha
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Need textbook Suggestiond
Meadows' book is excellent -- by far the best I've read on intro-level systems thinking. Also, have you looked at G. Tyler Miller's "Essentials of Ecology"? I haven't read it, but Miller's environmental science textbooks are substantive and very engaging. Jane Shevtsov On Tue, Mar 8, 2011 at 6:44 AM, Doug Miller wrote: > Donella Meadows book "Thinking in Systems: A Primer" would appear to fit one > of your needs. I was impressed with this book after a quick hands-on review > at a local bookstore. I recall thinking it would make a nice intro to the > subject... > > Doug > Penn State University > mil...@eesi.psu.edu > > On 3/8/11 12:06 AM, Rebecca Sherry wrote: >> >> I am developing a course in Ecological Literacy. At a minimum, I would >> like to use one book on >> systems thinking, and one general ecology text. I may use two books on >> systems thinking and also >> add a book on ecological resilience, and of course, individual papers and >> book chapters. >> >> I am having trouble finding an appropriate general ecology text. I need >> something with an emphasis >> on ecosystem science and climate interactions (don't need any autecology). >> Many of the students may >> not be science majors, so the typical ecosystem science textbook is not >> appropriate. But the students >> will have had some science and will be very into the subject and fairly >> knowledgeable on environmental >> issues, so a typical environmental science text for non-majors may not be >> right either. I need something >> in between. Finally, I don't want anything too big, heavy or expensive. >> >> Any suggestions? >> >> Thanks! >> >> Becky Sherry >> University of Oklahoma >> rshe...@ou.edu > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular geneticist, a systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both for the individual and for society, than that intended to produce a broadly educated person who has also written a dissertation." --John Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a Biologist"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology
Darwin's comment is indeed famous, but let's not forget that it was
made in a private letter in the context of defending the theory of
evolution by natural selection. For that reason, it may well overstate
the case. I'm no expert on Darwin, but I'm willing to guess
(hypothesize?) that a good fraction of his observations of worms,
barnacles, and South America were not initially made to support or
refute any view, although they may well have been used that way later.
Can anyone speak to this?
Jane Shevtsov
On Tue, Mar 8, 2011 at 6:51 AM, Hal Caswell wrote:
> People seem to be struggling over how to understand the value of
> observational research in the context of hypothesis-oriented discussions. One
> missing fact is that hypothesis-oriented research does not have to involve
> “modern statistics”, because scientific hypothesis-testing is not the same as
> statistical null hypothesis testing. I’m surprised that no one has quoted
> Darwin’s perceptive comment about observational research (an activity in
> which he was an acknowledged master): "How odd it is that anyone should not
> see that all observation must be for or against some view if it is to be of
> any service!”
>
>
> (see http://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/entry-3257 for the entire letter, to H.
> Fawcett, 18 Sept. 1861)
>
> Hal Caswell
>
> On Mar 8, 2011, at 8:49 AM, Martin Meiss wrote:
>
>> I am amazed by Pat Swain's statements implying that unless a program of work
>> includes formal hypothesis testing, it's not even research. ("...I think
>> that pure survey of a property for species (making a list of all the species
>> of some taxonomic group) encountered isn't research...", "...some of the
>> projects that I rejected as not being research might well have been fundable
>> ...")This appears to be defining the word research in a way I have never
>> seen or heard before. Does this mean that none of the scientific work that
>> was done before the rise of modern statistics was not research? Where the
>> people doing that work also not really scientists? And whatever happened to
>> library research?
>> Martin
>>
>> 2011/3/7 Wayne Tyson
>>
>>> Honorable Forum:
>>>
>>> Re: "I think these general surveys are valuable, but they don't overtly
>>> involve hypotheses and testing. However, it can and does include
>>> assumptions/hypotheses; as one of the posters on the topic pointed out there
>>> are always assumptions made. One doesn't walk every square inch of a site,
>>> rather picks areas (from aerials, maps, knowledge, observations when out
>>> there) places that are most likely to be different/interesting (have rare
>>> things)." --Pat Swain (Monday, March 07, 2011 6:03 AM)
>>>
>>> I don't want to appear to jump to conclusions, so I would be interested in
>>> Swain's expansions upon this issue. I wonder if Pat would have funded a
>>> survey which was based upon random sampling/mapping that would provide a
>>> baseline dataset and provide another level of scrutiny of the
>>> different/interesting as well as an opportunity to discover that which one's
>>> present state of knowledge might otherwise overlook.
>>>
>>> Please describe the theoretical foundation for "walking" the site rather
>>> than randomly sampling it, and how one approaches gaining knowledge of a
>>> site without a (statistically) valid inventory.
>>>
>>> WT
>>>
>>> - Original Message - From: "Swain, Pat (FWE)" <
>>> pat.sw...@state.ma.us>
>>>
>>> To:
>>> Sent: Monday, March 07, 2011 6:03 AM
>>>
>>> Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology
>>>
>>>
>>> Ecolog-L,
>>>>
>>>> Way back when the question about hypothesis testing in ecology was first
>>>> posed to the group, one of the questions was whether anyone had rejected
>>>> projects or grant proposals for lack of hypotheses. The discussion has gone
>>>> on while I thought about posting a response to that, but with Jane
>>>> Shevtsov's prodding, I offer the following thoughts on hypothesis testing
>>>> and research.
>>>>
>>>> For some years I was on a committee to review and select graduate student
>>>> research proposals for grant support for a regional botanical organization
>>>> at the same time that I was involved in evaluating proposals for small
>>>> contracts from my office which is focus
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology
One more thing: what predictions can you make if you understand what caused the extinction of the (non-avian) dinosaurs? Jane On Thu, Mar 3, 2011 at 7:19 AM, Jeff Houlahan wrote: > In response to Jane?s comments ? I admit that understanding and prediction > are not the same thing but they are much more closely related than most > people appreciate, in my opinion. I would go so far as to say that > prediction is a necessary if not sufficient condition of understanding. So > while it is possible to predict without understanding (as in Jane?s > Babylonian?s example ? although I knew nothing about the Babylonians and > their ability to predict, I have no doubt that?s true) I think it is > impossible to demonstrate understanding without prediction. In fact, I > realized that I can?t come up with a definition of understanding that > satisfies me without talking about prediction (none of the on-line > definitions that I found worked very well for me). My definition of > understanding would be ?The ability to make specific predictions based on a > general description of how the world works.? Now, I guess it?s possible > that somebody could understand how the world works but not be able to make > any predictions but that means that they can?t demonstrate their > understanding. In my opinion, understanding that can?t be demonstrated has > little(no?) value because I can?t distinguish that person from all the > people who claim they have understanding but have none. > My above definition leaves room for ?thinking? you understand when you > don?t, in situations where you make good predictions for the wrong reasons. > But, even here prediction is critical because we will only detect our > mistake when we try to make a new prediction and our ?understanding? leads > us astray. That is, the only evidence of our mistake will be poor > prediction. > So, my original claim was not that understanding and prediction are the same > thing but that understanding cannot be demonstrated without prediction. And > predictions have to better than we would make by chance. And the only way to > evaluate that is through some measure of probability/likelihood. Best. > > Jeff Houlahan > > PS I would be interested to hear any examples where understanding can be > demonstrated without prediction. > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular geneticist, a systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both for the individual and for society, than that intended to produce a broadly educated person who has also written a dissertation." --John Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a Biologist"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology
Jeff's comments are good ones. I don't know why all the apostrophes came through as question marks, but maybe that's appropriate -- these are difficult issues and I, for one, have more questions than answers. On one hand, there are certainly examples that demonstrate that understanding is neither necessary nor sufficient for prediction. On the other hand, the two are certainly connected. It's been pointed out that causal knowledge, unlike statistical knowledge, enables us to predict how a system will behave under interventions. Maybe that helps -- I don't think you can understand a phenomenon without causal knowledge. Also, let's look at pedagogical questions. How do we ask students to demonstrate understanding of concepts? BTW, I want to clarify a remark I made earlier about chaos. While the long-term behavior of a system exhibiting chaotic behavior cannot be predicted in the sense that the time series can't be predicted, we CAN predict other aspects of its dynamics, such as the parameter values resulting in different modes of behavior. So maybe before we can productively discuss the relationship between prediction and understanding, we ought to clarify what we mean by prediction. How broadly or narrowly do we want to construe the term? Best, Jane On Thu, Mar 3, 2011 at 7:19 AM, Jeff Houlahan wrote: > In response to Jane?s comments ? I admit that understanding and prediction > are not the same thing but they are much more closely related than most > people appreciate, in my opinion. I would go so far as to say that > prediction is a necessary if not sufficient condition of understanding. So > while it is possible to predict without understanding (as in Jane?s > Babylonian?s example ? although I knew nothing about the Babylonians and > their ability to predict, I have no doubt that?s true) I think it is > impossible to demonstrate understanding without prediction. In fact, I > realized that I can?t come up with a definition of understanding that > satisfies me without talking about prediction (none of the on-line > definitions that I found worked very well for me). My definition of > understanding would be ?The ability to make specific predictions based on a > general description of how the world works.? Now, I guess it?s possible > that somebody could understand how the world works but not be able to make > any predictions but that means that they can?t demonstrate their > understanding. In my opinion, understanding that can?t be demonstrated has > little(no?) value because I can?t distinguish that person from all the > people who claim they have understanding but have none. > My above definition leaves room for ?thinking? you understand when you > don?t, in situations where you make good predictions for the wrong reasons. > But, even here prediction is critical because we will only detect our > mistake when we try to make a new prediction and our ?understanding? leads > us astray. That is, the only evidence of our mistake will be poor > prediction. > So, my original claim was not that understanding and prediction are the same > thing but that understanding cannot be demonstrated without prediction. And > predictions have to better than we would make by chance. And the only way to > evaluate that is through some measure of probability/likelihood. Best. > > Jeff Houlahan > > PS I would be interested to hear any examples where understanding can be > demonstrated without prediction. > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular geneticist, a systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both for the individual and for society, than that intended to produce a broadly educated person who has also written a dissertation." --John Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a Biologist"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology
Hi Jeff, Prediction and understanding are actually very different things and being good at one doesn't necessarily imply being good at the other. An example from the book _Foresight and Understanding_ by Stephen Toulmin: the Babylonians had no concept of the heliocentric solar system but they were quite good at predicting the movements of planets in the night sky. In fact, even after Newton, it took quite a while for astronomical tables based on a real understanding of the solar system to catch up to the accuracy of those made by the old method, which took no understanding at all. On the other hand, if a system exhibits chaotic behavior, long-term prediction is impossible -- but we can certainly understand the dynamics. Best, Jane Shevtsov On Tue, Mar 1, 2011 at 6:24 AM, Jeff Houlahan wrote: > Hi Chris and all, I actually think that it's a mistake to diminish the role > of p-values. My opinion on this (stongly influenced by the writings of Rob > Peters) is that there is only one way to demonstrate understanding and that > is through prediction. And predictions only demonstrate understanding if > you make better predictions than you would make strictly by chance. The > only way to tell if you've done better than chance is through p-values. So, > while there is a great deal more to science than p-values, the ultimate > tests of whether science has led to increased understanding are p-values. > Best. > > Jeff Houlahan > Dept of Biology > 100 Tucker Park Road > UNB Saint John > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular geneticist, a systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both for the individual and for society, than that intended to produce a broadly educated person who has also written a dissertation." --John Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a Biologist"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology
On Wed, Mar 2, 2011 at 5:41 AM, Manuel Spínola wrote: > I think there is a confusion about hypothesis testing that Jane was > referring to in the original post. We are moving away from her questions. Well, I was asking about both types of hypothesis testing. They're different things but strongly reinforce each other. Best, Jane > On 01/03/2011 10:50 a.m., Matt Chew wrote: >> >> Ecology without hypotheses has been dismissed (sometimes derided) as >> natural >> history, but even natural history requires one hypothesis. Reporting an >> observation requires>0 confidence that an observation is meaningful, can >> be >> communicated, and can be interpreted. There are also tacit hypotheses >> inherent in scale, including the duration, extent and complexity of >> natural >> history observations. >> >> Hypothesis testing is a particularly relevant topic in US ecology at the >> moment because choices made in establishing the NEON program involve >> numerous hypotheses about ecosystem identity, composition, extent and >> location, the relevance of potential instrumentation and particular >> scales. >> However, the term 'hypothesis' is absent from NEON's website ( >> http://www.neoninc.org ). Explicit hypothesis testing done under NEON >> auspices will be subject to an array of tacit hypotheses, none of which >> have >> been articulated (or, it seems, even considered) by NEON's creators and >> promoters. Any supposedly non-hypothetical work conducted under NEON will >> face the same challenge. >> >> Matthew K Chew >> Assistant Research Professor >> Arizona State University School of Life Sciences >> >> ASU Center for Biology& Society >> PO Box 873301 >> Tempe, AZ 85287-3301 USA >> Tel 480.965.8422 >> Fax 480.965.8330 >> mc...@asu.edu or anek...@gmail.com >> http://cbs.asu.edu/people/profiles/chew.php >> http://asu.academia.edu/MattChew >> >> > > > -- > *Manuel Spínola, Ph.D.* > Instituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre > Universidad Nacional > Apartado 1350-3000 > Heredia > COSTA RICA > mspin...@una.ac.cr > mspinol...@gmail.com > Teléfono: (506) 2277-3598 > Fax: (506) 2237-7036 > Personal website: Lobito de río <https://sites.google.com/site/lobitoderio/> > Institutional website: ICOMVIS <http://www.icomvis.una.ac.cr/> > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular geneticist, a systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both for the individual and for society, than that intended to produce a broadly educated person who has also written a dissertation." --John Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a Biologist"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology
Hi Matt, Since this conversation has gotten off to a solid start (but where's Wirt Atmar? I expected to hear more from our resident ex-physicist), I can now reveal more of my thoughts. Specifically, you've come near a very important point. Even natural history requires what may be called hypotheses or assumptions, but these are even more crucial in hypothesis testing. We have to make all kinds of auxiliary hypotheses (things like "I identified these plants correctly" or "these animals move randomly over the landscape") in the course of testing a focal hypothesis. If the prediction derived from this hypothesis fails to come about, we have to figure out which hypothesis to blame. And that's absolutely deadly for falsificationism. I recommend an excellent essay called "The 'Corroboration' of Theories" by the philosopher Hilary Putnam. (Don't worry about the fact that it's philosophy -- it's actually far more readable than the average ecology paper.) It's not available online, but I'll be happy to send a PDF to anyone who asks. Jane Shevtsov On Tue, Mar 1, 2011 at 8:50 AM, Matt Chew wrote: > Ecology without hypotheses has been dismissed (sometimes derided) as natural > history, but even natural history requires one hypothesis. Reporting an > observation requires >0 confidence that an observation is meaningful, can be > communicated, and can be interpreted. There are also tacit hypotheses > inherent in scale, including the duration, extent and complexity of natural > history observations. > > Hypothesis testing is a particularly relevant topic in US ecology at the > moment because choices made in establishing the NEON program involve > numerous hypotheses about ecosystem identity, composition, extent and > location, the relevance of potential instrumentation and particular scales. > However, the term 'hypothesis' is absent from NEON's website ( > http://www.neoninc.org ). Explicit hypothesis testing done under NEON > auspices will be subject to an array of tacit hypotheses, none of which have > been articulated (or, it seems, even considered) by NEON's creators and > promoters. Any supposedly non-hypothetical work conducted under NEON will > face the same challenge. > > Matthew K Chew > Assistant Research Professor > Arizona State University School of Life Sciences > > ASU Center for Biology & Society > PO Box 873301 > Tempe, AZ 85287-3301 USA > Tel 480.965.8422 > Fax 480.965.8330 > mc...@asu.edu or anek...@gmail.com > http://cbs.asu.edu/people/profiles/chew.php > http://asu.academia.edu/MattChew > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular geneticist, a systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both for the individual and for society, than that intended to produce a broadly educated person who has also written a dissertation." --John Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a Biologist"
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology
Dear Manuel, Thanks for your reply! I'll have to look up the books you recommended. On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 7:49 AM, Manuel Spínola wrote: > Is necessary to distinguish between statistical and scientific hypothesis. > Statistical hypotheses is about patterns, scientific hypotheses are about > process (they are based on "why" or "how"). > > My experience on this topic tells me that most ecologists do not know the > difference between the 2 kind of hypothesis. I agree. The fact that the two are conflated so often is why I decided to ask about them together. > Falsification is the contribution of Karl Popper to the Hypothetic-Deductive > method. It has nothing to do with statistics or statistical hypothesis. > > The hypothetic-deductive method has been considered as "the scientific > method", however not many people know how it works. The hypothetic-deductive > method is inductive and not deductive like the > namesuggest. Now that's an interesting comment. Popper went out of his way to avoid induction. In fact, he actually claimed that it doesn't exist in science! Why do you say that the hypothetico-deductive method is actually inductive? Best, Jane > On 27/02/2011 11:44 p.m., Jane Shevtsov wrote: > > Fellow Ecologgers, > > Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the role of hypothesis testing > (both the statistical and falsificationist varieties) in biology in > general and ecology in particular. Before saying anything, I want to > ask the forum a few questions. > 1. What do you think of the current emphasis on hypothesis-driven > research? Does it help you do better science? Is it crowding out other > approaches? > 2. Have you ever had a grant proposal or publication declined because > of an absent or unclear hypothesis? > 3. Have you ever recommended that someone else's grant proposal or > publication be declined for that reason? Was it the main reason? > > I look forward to hearing what people have to say. > > Jane Shevtsov > > > > -- > Manuel Spínola, Ph.D. > Instituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre > Universidad Nacional > Apartado 1350-3000 > Heredia > COSTA RICA > mspin...@una.ac.cr > mspinol...@gmail.com > Teléfono: (506) 2277-3598 > Fax: (506) 2237-7036 > Personal website: Lobito de río > Institutional website: ICOMVIS -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular geneticist, a systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both for the individual and for society, than that intended to produce a broadly educated person who has also written a dissertation." --John Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a Biologist"
[ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology
Fellow Ecologgers, Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the role of hypothesis testing (both the statistical and falsificationist varieties) in biology in general and ecology in particular. Before saying anything, I want to ask the forum a few questions. 1. What do you think of the current emphasis on hypothesis-driven research? Does it help you do better science? Is it crowding out other approaches? 2. Have you ever had a grant proposal or publication declined because of an absent or unclear hypothesis? 3. Have you ever recommended that someone else's grant proposal or publication be declined for that reason? Was it the main reason? I look forward to hearing what people have to say. Jane Shevtsov -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "In the long run, education intended to produce a molecular geneticist, a systems ecologist, or an immunologist is inferior, both for the individual and for society, than that intended to produce a broadly educated person who has also written a dissertation." --John Janovy, Jr., "On Becoming a Biologist"
[ECOLOG-L] Model Fitting and Data Quality
I have been following the AIC thread with some interest. While I'm a newcomer to the subject and don't know much about the ins and outs of model selection, it seems like data accuracy and precision should drive how much we penalize extra parameters. Kepler rejected circular planetary orbits and went with elliptical ones only because he believed Tycho Brahe's data was of such high quality that even a very small discrepancy between observation and prediction was worth taking seriously. Data that was not known to be as precise as Brahe's would not have convinced him to fit elliptical rather than circular orbits to the observations. I'd very much like to hear people's thoughts on this. Jane Shevtsov -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Transformations for Normalized Data
Thanks, Gavin. I've already been told that normalizing the data is unnecessary and proceeded to not do so. The further analysis is a rather unusual one; the only ecologist I know of to have used it is Bill Shipley. My goal is to see how different species affect each other's abundances. Multiple regression isn't an option as I have more species than plots -- and besides, regression isn't really causal, especially when you can't single out independent variables. Instead, I'm going to use the causal discovery algorithms of Judea Pearl and Peter Spirtes. They don't require anything beyond correlation in terms of statistics but can find causal relationships from observational data if you assume that the underlying causal structure is acyclic. I found an R package, pcalg, that implements these algorithms, so hopefully I won't have to program them myself. I strongly encourage people to check out these methods. Shipley's website is a good place to start. Best, Jane On Mon, Nov 8, 2010 at 1:22 AM, Gavin Simpson wrote: > On Sat, 2010-10-30 at 13:04 -0700, Jane Shevtsov wrote: >> It's an intermediate step. I need to control for elevation before >> going on to further analysis. (My data comes from plots at varying >> elevations in the Smoky Mountains.) The ultimate goal is to find >> species' influences on each other's abundances, for which I'll >> probably use Pearl's Inferred Causation algorithm. (I was originally >> planning to just use multiple regression but have too many species and >> not enough data points for that.) > > Jane, > > Sorry to come to this late. > >> Hope that makes it a little clearer. > > Not really. Surely this depends on what subsequent analysis you want to > do. If it involves regression or ordination, you could just as well > include altitude in your models and work from their, assessing > improvements in fit over a null model that includes altitude. > > Abundance data are unlikely to be Gaussian - why force them to be so? > The canonical transformation for such data is the log. A recent paper by > Bob O'Hara and Johan Kotze [1] shows us that doing this is not a good > idea. Instead use a statistical model that seems plausible; Poisson GLM > or extensions to this if overdispersion and/or zero-augmentation is an > issue, such as negative binomial models, zero-inflated or zero-altered > models etc.. > > If you are fitting individual regressions to each species, why normalize > them at all? Why don't you want "residuals" in the same units as the > original data? If you are interested in the community/assemblage level > then wouldn't an ordination-based approach be more useful? > CCA/RDA/db-RDA are all just regression models after-all, and Thomas > Yee's Canonical Gaussian Ordination (see his papers in Ecology and > Ecological Monographs) is a formal representation of this. But allow you > to work at the community level, include altitude as a "nuisance" > variable etc. > > Perhaps if you explain what your further analyses are, you'd get more > relevant replies > > HTH > > G > > [1] > http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10./j.2041-210X.2010.00021.x/abstract > >> Best, >> Jane >> >> On Sat, Oct 30, 2010 at 5:32 AM, Bill Silvert wrote: >> > I'm not clear on whether this is a thread about ecology or statistics. Jane >> > writes "My goal is simply to do a regression" which seems a strange kind of >> > goal. If she wants to predict abundances or identify causative factors, >> > that >> > I understand, but what kind of goal is doing a regression? >> > >> > How do we even know that the regression she is looking for exists? Even >> > obvious regressions can be misleading. I was once approached by a colleague >> > who asked for my help finding the relationship between parental biomass and >> > surviving offspring, but a quick look at the data showed that no >> > relationship existed. So instead we set about looking for factors that >> > determined the number of offspring and found a good correlation with >> > environmental factors (Koslow, J. Anthony, Keith R. Thompson, and William >> > Silvert. 1987. Recruitment to Northwest Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) and >> > Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) Stocks: Influence of Stock Size and >> > Environment. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 44:26-39). We not only identified a >> > predictive pattern, but we could conclude that even though the fish were >> > extremely fecund, the number of survivors depended on an environmental >> > bottleneck so that the number of eggs was
[ECOLOG-L] Looking for Article
Does anybody have a PDF of McArdle 1988 "The structural relationship: regression in biology", published in the Canadian Journal of Zoology? My school doesn't have web access going back that far and it'll be a few days before I can get to the library. Thanks, Jane -- ----- Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Transformations for Normalized Data
It's an intermediate step. I need to control for elevation before going on to further analysis. (My data comes from plots at varying elevations in the Smoky Mountains.) The ultimate goal is to find species' influences on each other's abundances, for which I'll probably use Pearl's Inferred Causation algorithm. (I was originally planning to just use multiple regression but have too many species and not enough data points for that.) Hope that makes it a little clearer. Best, Jane On Sat, Oct 30, 2010 at 5:32 AM, Bill Silvert wrote: > I'm not clear on whether this is a thread about ecology or statistics. Jane > writes "My goal is simply to do a regression" which seems a strange kind of > goal. If she wants to predict abundances or identify causative factors, that > I understand, but what kind of goal is doing a regression? > > How do we even know that the regression she is looking for exists? Even > obvious regressions can be misleading. I was once approached by a colleague > who asked for my help finding the relationship between parental biomass and > surviving offspring, but a quick look at the data showed that no > relationship existed. So instead we set about looking for factors that > determined the number of offspring and found a good correlation with > environmental factors (Koslow, J. Anthony, Keith R. Thompson, and William > Silvert. 1987. Recruitment to Northwest Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) and > Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) Stocks: Influence of Stock Size and > Environment. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 44:26-39). We not only identified a > predictive pattern, but we could conclude that even though the fish were > extremely fecund, the number of survivors depended on an environmental > bottleneck so that the number of eggs was not very important. > > William Silvert > > -Original Message- From: Jane Shevtsov > Sent: Friday, October 29, 2010 12:31 AM > To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU > Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Transformations for Normalized Data > > Hi Mike, > > Dividing by the mean helps. Still, there are definitely too many zeros > in my data, so what should I do with the distributions you mentioned? > My goal is simply to do a regression. > > Thanks, > Jane > > On Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 8:11 PM, wrote: >> >> 1) divide by the mean instead of the maximum >> >> 2) abundance data is rarely normal even before normalization because A) >> abundance can never be negative and B) it usually has too many zeros >> because one is convolving two processes (probability of presence times >> abundance given presence). If your data shows (B) I recommend using a >> zero-inflated distribution while if it shows (A) I would recommend a >> distribution that is positive (e.g. lognormal or gamma). Because I >> usually work with count data I prefer the zero-inflated Poisson or >> zero-inflated Negative Binomial, but once you've normalized that's no >> longer an option. I'd probably try a zero-inflated lognormal or >> zero-inflated gamma, with the former being conceptually simpler because it >> doesn't require a link function. If neither (B) nor (A) is present in >> your data you're very luck and can stick to the normal (possibly with >> transformation). >> >> -- Mike >> >>> I have abundance data for a number of different species that I need to >>> use in a regression. Since the data encompasses a variety of taxa >>> (from trees to soil mites) whose abundances are measured differently, >>> I normalized it, dividing abundances of each species by the maximum >>> abundance of that species. This, of course, produces numbers ranging >>> from 0 to 1, with a 1 for every species. >>> >>> Now I'm trying to transform the data into something approaching >>> normality. I've tried various combinations of arcsin, square root, >>> fourth root, and log (after adding 1, as there are plenty of zeros in >>> the data), but nothing seems to help much. The problem appears to be >>> the presence of a 1 in every column. Any ideas for what might work? >>> >>> Thanks, >>> Jane Shevtsov >>> >>> -- >>> - >>> Jane Shevtsov >>> Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia >>> co-founder, >>> Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving >>> Wholes >>> >>> "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the >>> Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream >>> of Spaceflight >>> >> >> >> > > >
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Transformations for Normalized Data
Yes, I should have said more about my goals. I'm not actually interested in the equation resulting from the regression. Rather, I need to control for the effects of elevation on the abundance of different taxa before going on to further analyses. Basically, I want residuals. Jane Shevtsov On Fri, Oct 29, 2010 at 9:17 AM, Quan Dong wrote: > The questions/hypotheses should dictate the selection of statistical > approaches. Please note, when you transform the data, you interpretation > also changes, and sometimes the interpretation is very complicated and > weakens the conclusion. > > In your case, you did not provide the questions of interest. You might > consider the models with assumptions of non-normal distributions, e.g., > zero-inflated models, or quantile regression, (particularly if you are > interested in quantification of the relationship between the abundance and > habitat conditions). > > qd > >> -Original Message- >> From: jane@gmail.com >> Sent: Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:31:49 -0700 >> To: ecolog-l@listserv.umd.edu >> Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Transformations for Normalized Data >> >> I have abundance data for a number of different species that I need to >> use in a regression. Since the data encompasses a variety of taxa >> (from trees to soil mites) whose abundances are measured differently, >> I normalized it, dividing abundances of each species by the maximum >> abundance of that species. This, of course, produces numbers ranging >> from 0 to 1, with a 1 for every species. >> >> Now I'm trying to transform the data into something approaching >> normality. I've tried various combinations of arcsin, square root, >> fourth root, and log (after adding 1, as there are plenty of zeros in >> the data), but nothing seems to help much. The problem appears to be >> the presence of a 1 in every column. Any ideas for what might work? >> >> Thanks, >> Jane Shevtsov >> >> -- >> - >> Jane Shevtsov >> Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia >> co-founder, >> Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving >> Wholes >> >> "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the >> Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream >> of Spaceflight > > ____ > Share photos & screenshots in seconds... > TRY FREE IM TOOLPACK at http://www.imtoolpack.com/default.aspx?rc=if1 > Works in all emails, instant messengers, blogs, forums and social networks. > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Transformations for Normalized Data
Hi Mike, Dividing by the mean helps. Still, there are definitely too many zeros in my data, so what should I do with the distributions you mentioned? My goal is simply to do a regression. Thanks, Jane On Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 8:11 PM, wrote: > > 1) divide by the mean instead of the maximum > > 2) abundance data is rarely normal even before normalization because A) > abundance can never be negative and B) it usually has too many zeros > because one is convolving two processes (probability of presence times > abundance given presence). If your data shows (B) I recommend using a > zero-inflated distribution while if it shows (A) I would recommend a > distribution that is positive (e.g. lognormal or gamma). Because I > usually work with count data I prefer the zero-inflated Poisson or > zero-inflated Negative Binomial, but once you've normalized that's no > longer an option. I'd probably try a zero-inflated lognormal or > zero-inflated gamma, with the former being conceptually simpler because it > doesn't require a link function. If neither (B) nor (A) is present in > your data you're very luck and can stick to the normal (possibly with > transformation). > > -- Mike > >> I have abundance data for a number of different species that I need to >> use in a regression. Since the data encompasses a variety of taxa >> (from trees to soil mites) whose abundances are measured differently, >> I normalized it, dividing abundances of each species by the maximum >> abundance of that species. This, of course, produces numbers ranging >> from 0 to 1, with a 1 for every species. >> >> Now I'm trying to transform the data into something approaching >> normality. I've tried various combinations of arcsin, square root, >> fourth root, and log (after adding 1, as there are plenty of zeros in >> the data), but nothing seems to help much. The problem appears to be >> the presence of a 1 in every column. Any ideas for what might work? >> >> Thanks, >> Jane Shevtsov >> >> -- >> - >> Jane Shevtsov >> Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia >> co-founder, >> Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes >> >> "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the >> Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream >> of Spaceflight >> > > > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
[ECOLOG-L] Transformations for Normalized Data
I have abundance data for a number of different species that I need to use in a regression. Since the data encompasses a variety of taxa (from trees to soil mites) whose abundances are measured differently, I normalized it, dividing abundances of each species by the maximum abundance of that species. This, of course, produces numbers ranging from 0 to 1, with a 1 for every species. Now I'm trying to transform the data into something approaching normality. I've tried various combinations of arcsin, square root, fourth root, and log (after adding 1, as there are plenty of zeros in the data), but nothing seems to help much. The problem appears to be the presence of a 1 in every column. Any ideas for what might work? Thanks, Jane Shevtsov -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Naturefaking in media
This all seems related to the question of whether drawings or photographs are best in field guides. Many (not all) modern guides use photos, but I find drawings more useful, as these are usually composites that capture the important characteristics of the species. The individual details in a photograph can be distracting. My two cents, Jane On Mon, Sep 27, 2010 at 6:17 AM, Cara Lin Bridgman wrote: > The most exciting thing Nick Upton, his photographer, and my husband saw > when in the field was a muntjac deer running in terror from two > yellow-throated martens. The deer was in such a panic that it ran within 2 > meters of the film team. Did they catch any of this on film? No. Cameras > have to be set up and in place and waiting. Scenes like martens hunting > deer are once in a life-time. The cameras and the film crew were not ready > for it. > > One reason for the scores of man vs nature type films is because the > producing companies and the television channels are looking for things > that will sell. Abn unfortunate thing about Typhoon Island (preview here: > <http://www.sciencevision.at/en.php/movie_taiwan>) is that US distributors > and TV channels were not interested in the film. As far as I know, it has > never been shown in the USA. It has been shown throughout Europe and > Taiwan. BBC only became interested in supporting the film after an Austrian > company, Science Vision, put most of the funds. > > Film producers like Nick Upton work hard to accurately capture animal > behaviors and habitats. This involves filming in the wild, filming on sets, > some 'faking' with zoo animals, and very careful editing. After filming, > however, the producer often must get into a huge fight with the funding > companies to maintain details of behavior in the face of demands for more > violence and disasters. In the case of Typhoon Island, these were typhoons > and earthquakes. One of Nick's fights with Science Vision, however, boiled > own to film quality vs story completeness. Nick had to insist on inclusion > of biologically accurate sequences filmed using infra-red cameras, which > produce grainy pictures. Science Vision wanted to replace these grainy > scenes with aesthetically pleasing time-lapses of Taiwan's scenery filmed > during the day at better resolution. > > Having training in science is important for helping a producer make a > film scientifically accurate. Nick got his Ph.D. in Zoology at > Cambridge. He asked Taiwan's scientists to review the script to ensure > accuracy. It was this sort of attention for detail and cooperation with > scientists that really impressed me. > > CL > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
[ECOLOG-L] Mushroom Spores in Lake Sediments
Does anyone know whether basidiomycete spores, particularly ones from ectomycorrhizal species, are ever found in lake sediment cores? If so, has any paleoecological work been done on them? Thanks, Jane Shevtsov -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
Re: [ECOLOG-L] MEETINGS Organized or Unorganized? Re: [ECOLOG-L] alcohol consumption and citation counts
Such "unconferences" are pretty well established in the tech world, particularly among programmers working on open-source projects. See http://barcamp.org and the Wikipedia entry for "unconference" <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconference>. Jane Shevtsov On Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 6:06 PM, Wayne Tyson wrote: > Ecolog: > > > > Methinks there might be even more elephants in the saloon--perhaps of many > hues. > > > > It has been my observation in the past that I have learnt more in the > hallways, WC's, and saloons than I have being driven nuts listening to > 20-minute "presentations" (attention ethologists!), in darkened halls > enduring the maddening, warp-speeding of laser traces across extensive, > unreadable tables and under-wowed by power-pointless pontifications and > dull-drumming, self-indulgent preening reading of newly-minted > number-crunchers, ad nauseam. > > > > "Yea, tho there be the occasional exception, I have long dreamt of > unorganized groupings, pre-read pre-publication papers cussed and discussed > with the authors in a more playfully serious atmosphere than the arbitrary, > jammed, expensive "meetings" at resort destinations. I even participated in > one experiment in unorganizing such a gathering; it was soon organized into > a "real" organization, however. The only such unorganization I ever knew to > last was "The Friends of the Pleistocene," which still exists, I believe, in > some form. Not a bad model, though, even though it would never pass PC > muster these days . . . too much wild behavior back in the sixties and > seventies. > > > > The trouble with unorganizations is that they don't pad résumés or bring in > money for institutions, not to mention "status." With or without booze, they > seem to me to work better than organized meetings. > > > > WT > > > > PS: Seriously, folks, whatever it takes to puncture caution, lower guards, > and stir up passions. I may yet collect the beer Silvert promised me a long > time ago, but I'd rather he came to San Diego . . . I love Europe, but have > come to hate airlines so much . . . > > > > > > - Original Message - From: "David Inouye" > To: > Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 5:09 AM > Subject: [ECOLOG-L] alcohol consumption and citation counts > > > http://blogs.nature.com/news/thegreatbeyond/2010/09/make_mine_a_double.html > > Make mine a double - September 15, 2010 > > There have been > <http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100813/full/news.2010.406.html>some > radical suggestions to increase citation counts > of late but heavy drinking would probably rank at > the bottom of most researchers' lists. > > Yet a new study has found that the world's most > highly cited ecologists and environmental > scientists typically consume more than double the > amount imbibed by the general population. > > <http://www.springerlink.com/content/j5205442788316v6/>Published > in the October issue of > <http://www.springerlink.com/content/j5205442788316v6/>Scientometrics, > John Parker, a post-doctoral sociologist at the > National Center for Ecological Analysis and > Synthesis at the University of California, Santa > Barbara, and colleagues report the results of a > survey of the drinking habits of 124 of the most > highly cited researchers in ecology and > environmental science: the vast majority men aged > between 50 and 70 based in either North America or Western Europe. > > The results reveal that consumption for this > group averages around 7 alcoholic beverages per > week, about 2.5 drinks over the weekly > consumption of the average American. Though a > fifth of the group does not drink, more than half > consume 10 or more alcoholic beverages a week, > 20% consume 12 or more and 10% consumer 21 or > more. The largest consumer downed 31 per week. > > The researchers are quick to point out the > obvious - correlation does not equal causation. > "We are definitely not saying 'drink more to do > better'," Parker stresses. But he does believe > that more and better information is needed to > unravel the observed relationship and the > "non-scientific activities that affect scientific productivity". > > The results support the positive association > between national per capita beer consumption and > a country's citations per paper reported > <http://www.springerlink.com/content/lp34234k59473xkt/>in > a 2009 paper by Canadian ecologist Christopher > Lortie, who collaborated with Parker on the current paper. > > But they stand in contrast to a > <htt
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Making Species Co-Occurrence Matrix
sppXsite # here's what it looks like
>>
>> # now make a function to compute the co-occurrence matrix
>> spp.cooc <- function(matrx) {
>> # first we make a list of all the sites where each spp is found
>> site.list <- apply(matrx,2,function(x) which(x > 0))
>> # then we see which spp are found at the same sites
>> sapply(site.list,function(x1)
>> {
>> sapply(site.list,function(x2) 1*any(x2 %in% x1))
>> })
>> # the result is returned in a symmetrical matrix of dimension
>> # equal to the number of spp
>> }
>>
>> # here's how it works
>> co.matrix <- spp.cooc(sppXsite)
>> co.matrix
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Aug 27, 2010 at 12:46 AM, Jane Shevtsov wrote:
>>
>> > Is there a fast way to make a species co-occurrence matrix given a
>> > site-species matrix or lists of species found at each site? I'm
>> > looking for a spreadsheet or database method (preferably OpenOffice)
>> > or R function.
>> >
>> > Thanks,
>> > Jane
>> >
>> > --
>> > -
>> > Jane Shevtsov
>> > Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia
>> > co-founder,
>> > Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes
>> >
>> > "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the
>> > Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream
>> > of Spaceflight
>> >
>
> --
> %~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
> Dr. Gavin Simpson [t] +44 (0)20 7679 0522
> ECRC, UCL Geography, [f] +44 (0)20 7679 0565
> Pearson Building, [e] gavin.simpsonATNOSPAMucl.ac.uk
> Gower Street, London [w] http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucfagls/
> UK. WC1E 6BT. [w] http://www.freshwaters.org.uk
> %~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%
>
>
--
-
Jane Shevtsov
Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia
co-founder,
Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes
"The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the
Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream
of Spaceflight
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Making Species Co-Occurrence Matrix
Thanks, Andy. I made a small modification to the code to make it give
the number of sites at which two species co-occur. (This just involves
changing "any" to "sum".)
spp.cooc.count <- function(matrx) {
# first we make a list of all the sites where each spp is found
site.list <- apply(matrx,2,function(x) which(x > 0))
# then we see which spp are found at the same sites
sapply(site.list,function(x1)
{
sapply(site.list,function(x2) 1*sum(x2 %in% x1))
})
# the result is returned in a symmetrical matrix of dimension
# equal to the number of spp
}
Jane
On Fri, Aug 27, 2010 at 9:41 AM, Andy Rominger wrote:
> Hi Jane,
>
> I think someone may have asked something similar on the r-sig-eco email list
> (which is a good resource in general:
> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-sig-ecology)
>
> I think the answer may have been there there's a function in the vegan
> package for R (http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/vegan/index.html).
>
> But it would be pretty simple to write something up in R. Here's one way of
> doing it (if I'm correct in my interpretation of a co-occurrence matrix!).
> The actual function (called `spp.cooc') is really only 2 lines long--the
> code just looks longer from making up example data and adding in the
> comments.
>
> Hope this might do the trick for you! Note that in it's current form you
> would have to give the function a matrix or data.frame of ONLY NUMBERS in
> which species are columns and sites are rows. This could be changed by
> manipulating the MARGIN argument of the apply command below, i.e., site.list
> <- apply(matrx,1,...)
>
> Hope this helps--
> Andy
>
>
> # make some example data
> sppXsite <- matrix(rpois(15,0.5),nrow=3)
> colnames(sppXsite) <- paste("spp",1:5,sep="")
> rownames(sppXsite) <- paste("site",1:3,sep="")
> sppXsite # here's what it looks like
>
> # now make a function to compute the co-occurrence matrix
> spp.cooc <- function(matrx) {
> # first we make a list of all the sites where each spp is found
> site.list <- apply(matrx,2,function(x) which(x > 0))
> # then we see which spp are found at the same sites
> sapply(site.list,function(x1)
> {
> sapply(site.list,function(x2) 1*any(x2 %in% x1))
> })
> # the result is returned in a symmetrical matrix of dimension
> # equal to the number of spp
> }
>
> # here's how it works
> co.matrix <- spp.cooc(sppXsite)
> co.matrix
>
>
>
>
> On Fri, Aug 27, 2010 at 12:46 AM, Jane Shevtsov wrote:
>>
>> Is there a fast way to make a species co-occurrence matrix given a
>> site-species matrix or lists of species found at each site? I'm
>> looking for a spreadsheet or database method (preferably OpenOffice)
>> or R function.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Jane
>>
>> --
>> -
>> Jane Shevtsov
>> Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia
>> co-founder,
>> Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes
>>
>> "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the
>> Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream
>> of Spaceflight
>
>
--
-
Jane Shevtsov
Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia
co-founder,
Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes
"The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the
Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream
of Spaceflight
[ECOLOG-L] Making Species Co-Occurrence Matrix
Is there a fast way to make a species co-occurrence matrix given a site-species matrix or lists of species found at each site? I'm looking for a spreadsheet or database method (preferably OpenOffice) or R function. Thanks, Jane -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Good news from the Gulf? not so fast...
To expand on this point, if you were to drink methanol (wood alcohol), your body would metabolize it to formaldehyde and then formic acid. It's the formic acid that would blind or kill you. (This happened a lot during Prohibition.) Jane Shevtsov On Wed, Aug 11, 2010 at 12:22 PM, David M. Lawrence wrote: > "Metabolize" is not the same as saying their bodies break down the chemicals > with no negative effects. All is says is their bodies process the chemicals > -- but the act of processing the chemicals or their breakdown products may > very well have harmful effects either right away or at some point in the > future. > > I would ask Peterson to explain precisely what he means here. > > Dave > > On 8/11/2010 1:02 PM, Wendee Holtcamp wrote: >> >> When I went on my Great Gulf Coast Road Trip recently, I visited with >> several biologists at the Gulf Coast Research Lab in Ocean Springs MS and >> one of them, Mark Peterson, told me that most fish actually metabolize oil >> (PAH). This abstract says " These experiments confirm that the use of oil >> dispersants will increase the >> exposure of ovoviviparous fish to hydrocarbons in oil." Now I'm not a >> physiologist and so now that I've seen the abstract below, and started to >> think about it, I'm not quite sure whether that means that they break it >> down into less toxic substances and it does NOT really impact them >> negatively, or that their gut is now exposed to this PAH/oil and that could >> potentially be harmful? Maybe I need to read the paper... >> >> Does anyone know? I'll be writing about this soon so I'd love to talk to >> someone who knows a bit more about it (and yes I can follow up with Mark as >> well). >> >> I also met with Harriet Perry the lady who discovered that virtually ALL >> the blue crab larvae (zoea) she was collecting daily had a little droplet of >> oil under their carapace. They get it in there when they molt. So this >> raises the possibility of it getting into the food chain. So that makes me >> curious - if fish can metabolize PAH/oil in a way that does not harm them >> directly (as Mark suggested to me), what about invertebrates like shrimp, >> squid, crabs etc? Is there any evidence that they can metabolize PAH, and/or >> that there are any sublethal impacts people should be looking for? >> >> Best >> Wendee >> >> >> Blogs for Nature from the Bering Sea ~ http://tinyurl.com/2ctghbl >> ~~ >> Wendee Holtcamp, M.S. Wildlife Ecology ~ @bohemianone >> Freelance Writer * Photographer * Bohemian >> http://www.wendeeholtcamp.com >> http://bohemianadventures.blogspot.com >> ~~ 6-wk Online Writing Course Starts Sep 4 (signup by Aug 28) ~~ >> ~~~ >> I’m Animal Planet’s news blogger - >> http://blogs.discovery.com/animal_news >> >> >> -Original Message- >> From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news >> [mailto:ecolo...@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of Geoffrey Patton >> Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 11:12 AM >> To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU >> Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Good news from the Gulf? >> >> >> In response to Bill's discussion points, I would like to suggest the >> following paper: >> >> Jee Hyun Jung, Un Hyuk Yim, Gi Myeong Han, Won Joon Shim >> Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part C 150 (2009) 218–223 >> Biochemical changes in rockfish, Sebastes schlegeli, exposed to dispersed >> crude oil >> Abstract: >> This paper describes the response of the ovoviviparous rockfish, Sebastes >> schlegeli, to hydrocarbons in the water-accommodated fraction (WAF) of crude >> oil, in the presence or absence of oil dispersants. Concentrations >> of cytochrome P-450 1A (CYP1A) and levels of its catalytic activity >> ethoxyresorufin O-de-ethylase (EROD) in rockfish exposed to WAF at >> concentrations of 0.1% and 1% were significantly increased by the addition >> of a dispersant, Corexit 9500 after 48 h exposure. After 72 h exposure, the >> levels of CYP1A and EROD activity were significantly increased in 0.1% and >> 0.01% chemically enhanced WAF (CEWAF) (Corexit 9500 and Hiclean II >> dispersant). Bile samples from fish exposed toWAF alone had low >> concentrations of hydrocarbon metabolites, exemplified by 1-hydroxypyrene. >> After 72 h exposure, hydrocarbon metabolites in bile from fish exposed to >> WAF in the presence of either Corexit 9500 or Hiclean II were >> significantly higher compared with fish
Re: [ECOLOG-L] An article to make you think why did I pick (insert your speciality) to spend my life studying.
ined the scientific literature for > roughly 2,000 animal > species in southern Africa, and uncovered evidence that scientists, like the > rest of us, may be > biased toward the beefcakes and beauty queens. > > Assessing the publication database for the years 1994 through 2008, the > researchers found 1,855 > papers about chimpanzees, 1,241 on leopards and 562 about lions — but only 14 > for that > mammalian equivalent of the blobfish, the African manatee. > > “The manatee was the least studied large mammal,” Ms. Trimble said. > Speculating on a possible > reason for the disparity, she said, “Most scientists are in it for the love > of what they do, and a lot of > them are interested in big, furry cute things.” > > Or little cute things. Humans and other mammals seem to have an innate baby > schema, an > attraction to infant cues like large, wide-set eyes, a button nose and a > mouth set low in the face, > and the universality of these cues explains why mother dogs have been known > to nurse kittens, > lionesses to take care of antelope kids. > > On a first pass, then, “ugliness would be the deviation from these > qualities,” said David Perrett, an > evolutionary psychologist at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Tiny, > close-set eyes, > prominent snout, no forehead to speak of: it sure sounds like a pig. > > A helpless baby grows into a healthy, fertile youth, which in humans is > visually characterized by > clarity of shape, sleekness of form and visibility of musculature, said Wendy > Steiner of the > University of Pennsylvania, who is author of “Venus in Exile” and “The Real, > Real Thing,” to be > published this fall. “An animal with saggy skin, whiskers and no neck will > look like some old guy > who’s lost it,” she joked. > > The more readily we can analogize between a particular animal body part and > our own, the more > likely we are to cry ugly. “We may not find an elephant’s trunk ugly because > it’s so remote,” Dr. > Dutton said. “But the proboscis on a proboscis monkey is close enough to our > own that we apply > human standards to it.” You can keep your rhinoplasty, though: the male > monkey’s bulbous > proboscis lends his mating vocalizations resonant oomph. > > People are also keenly, even obsessively vigilant for signs of ill health in > others. “That means > anything that looks seriously asymmetrical when it should be symmetrical, > that looks rough and > irregular when it should be smooth, that looks like there might be parasites > on the skin or worms > under the skin, jaundice or pallor,” Dr. Miller said. “Anything mottled is > considered unattractive. > Patchy hair is considered unattractive.” We distinguish between the signs of > an acquired illness and > those of an innate abnormality. Splotches, bumps and greasy verdigris skin > mean “possibly > infectious illness,” while asymmetry and exaggerated, stunted or incomplete > features hint of a > congenital problem. > > If we can’t help staring, well, life is nasty and brutish, but maybe a good > gander at the troubles of > others will keep it from being too short. “Deformities provide a lot of > information about what can > go wrong, and by contrast what good function is,” Dr. Miller said. “This is > not just about physical > deformities. People who seem crazy are also highly attention-grabbing.” > > And as long as we’ve been gawking and rubbernecking, we’ve felt guilty about > the urge. In his > book “The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution,” Dr. Dutton > recounts a passage > from Plato in which a man passing by a pile of corpses at the feet of an > executioner wants > desperately to look, tries to resist and then finally relents, scolding his > “evil” eyes to “Take your fill > of the beautiful sight!” > > The appeal of ugly animals is that neither they nor their mothers will care > if you stare, and if you > own a pet that others find shocking or ugly, you probably won’t mind if > others stare, too. > > Joan Miller, vice president of the Cat Fanciers’ Association Inc., said she > found the hairless Sphynx > cat, with its “huge ears” and only “a minor amount of wrinkling,” to be > “absolutely marvelous > looking” and “strong as an ox,” although she conceded it sometimes needed to > wear a sweater. > > Classical beauty is easy, but a taste for the difficult, the unconventional, > the ugly, has often been > seen as a mark of sophistication, a passport into the rarefied world of the > artistic vanguard. > “Beauty can be present by its violation,” Dr. Steiner said, and the pinwheel > appendages of the star- > nosed mole are the rosy fingers of dawn. > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
Re: [ECOLOG-L] fixing peer review - elegant new proposal and petition - ideas
I am strongly in favor of #2 rather than #1. Full disclosure will tend to make reviewers nicer, but this is not always a good thing. I believe that complete anonymity is the way to go. Jane Shevtsov On Thu, Jul 22, 2010 at 10:05 AM, Aaron T. Dossey wrote: > These are some good ideas - we DEFINITELY need more INDEPENDENT research > jobs in science - this is a HUGE problem. I would start there before > deciding to reduce the number of PhD's earned. The problems science solves > will not go away, in general, so we will always need more independent > thinkers employed to solve them. > > A couple of ideas for peer review: > > 1) make the reviewers names available: ie: not anonymous. > 2) make the author(s) names anonymous. Too many papers get published and > grants get funded because of WHO is on the author/PI line rather than the > content of those documents. > > Aaron T. Dossey, Ph.D. > Biochemistry and Molecular Biology > > > > > > (Candan Soykan) wrote: >> >> I believe that the problem is much broader than individuals "cheating" the >> peer review system. Rather, why has the number of manuscripts increased >> so >> dramatically? Many bemoan the increasing quantity and decreasing quality >> of >> papers these days, and yet few are willing to discuss the root cause - >> competition for jobs/grants. So long as there are too many individuals >> vying for too few jobs/research dollars, the incentive will be to publish >> often, even if the quality of the work is low (i.e., satisfy the search >> committees and reviewers who value quantity over quality). >> >> There are several ways to address this issue (and I doubt that my list is >> exhaustive): >> >> 1) Increase the number of jobs/grants for ecologists; >> 2) Decrease the number of ecologist we train so as not to exceed the >> number >> of jobs/grants that are available; >> or >> 3) Change the way we evaluate candidates to better reflect the quality of >> the work they have done, rather then just reward output per se. >> >> In my opinion, option #1 is largely out of the hands of researchers; >> moreover, if the amount of funding did increase, there is always the risk >> that the number of ecologist we train would as well, leading to no net >> gain. >> I have seen certain individuals refrain from taking students, fulfilling >> the second option above, but getting a whole community of ecologists to do >> it seems problematic (who would decide how many students each researcher >> can >> train?). The third option seems the most realistic, but will require a >> shift in the way we evaluate research productivity. Moreover, it brings >> with it risks as well - counting pubs is, at the very least, objective, >> whereas who is to evaluate the quality of the work done by an applicant? >> >> I'd be interested to hear others' thoughts on this issue ... >> >> Candan Soykan >> csoy...@mail.sdsu.edu >> > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
[ECOLOG-L] Analyzing a Large Correlation Matrix
Dear list members, Stats books (and common sense) typically insist that you need to examine scatter plots of your data before computing a correlation coefficient. However, I have a species-plot matrix with 150 species, for which I plan to generate a correlation matrix as a start for further analysis. (I'm using the Spearman rank-order correlation to be on the safe side.) That works out to 11,175 pairwise scatter plots! What do you recommend I do in order to get a feel for the data and diagnose potential problems without looking at all of them? Thanks in advance, and I'll post a summary of responses. Jane Shevtsov -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Science and Religion Dogmatic conflict?
I think it's a mistake to reduce religion to anthropomorphism/explanations and morality/politics. There is a crucial third element -- the human capacity for spiritual (meditative, oceanic, transcendent, pick your favorite adjective) experiences. These experiences are now being studied by psychologists and neuroscientists (look up "neurotheology") and are often connected to experiences in nature. My hypothesis about the origins of such experiences is partially inspired by a passage from E.O. Wilson's book _Biophilia_. "In a twist my mind came free and I was aware of the hard workings of the natural world beyond the periphery of ordinary attention, where passions lose their meaning and history is in another dimension, without people, and great events pass without record or judgment. I was a transient of no consequence in this familiar yet deeply alien world that I had come to love. The uncounted products of evolution were gathered there for purposes having nothing to do with me; their long Cenozoic history was enciphered into a genetic code I could not understand. The effect was strangely calming. Breathing and heartbeat diminished, concentration intensified. It seemed to me that something extraordinary in the forest was very close to where I stood, moving to the surface and discovery. ... I willed animals to materialize and they came erratically into view." What does this passage, which describes an experience I suspect most members of this list have had, most resemble? It sounds a lot like how practitioners of some types of meditation describe their experience. But what is this "naturalist's trance" good for, other than science? Hunting, gathering and looking out for predators! Maybe, just maybe, this was our ancestors' normal state of consciousness and maybe various religious and spiritual practices arose as a way of recapturing this state as, for biological and social reasons, our minds changed. This is, of course, a guess, but what do you folks think? Jane Shevtsov On Mon, May 17, 2010 at 10:14 AM, William Silvert wrote: > Another consideration, given that James has brought William of Occam into > this, is that a comprehensive scientific overview of the issue would involve > paying some attention to the question of where religion comes from. If there > were no reasonable alternative explanation, then the idea of gods making > themselves known to people might be the only option. > > There are however plausible explanations for the development of religion > that make sense to an atheist. Since we tend to see the world in > anthropomorphic terms (even contemporary scientists speak of furious storms > and treacherous riptides), no doubt early man associated natural phenomena > with human-like gods or spirits. There were no doubt individuals who claimed > that they understood these spirits and became shamans and priests. > Eventually the priesthood hooked up with the politicians in the powerful > symbiosis that has existed throughout recorded history - priests maintain > the state religion and kings rule by divine right. Priests and ministers > accompanied colonialists to ensure that the minds of those conquered were > enslaved as well as their bodies. > > So there is an alternative explanation that covers most religions, and I > think that should be an important part of scientific thinking about the > relation between science and religion. > > Bill Silvert -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
Re: [ECOLOG-L] evolution for non-scientists textbook
For many students, particularly nonmajors, the history of life is far more exciting than the details of how evolution works. Stanley's textbook _Earth Systems History_ is quite good, as is Dawkins _The Ancestor's Tale_ and Richard Fortey's book _Life_. (The latter is a bit dated, as it was published in 1992.) Actually, my favorite book on the subject is a children's book from the 1980s: _The Evolution Book_ by Sara Stein. You might want to keep a copy on hand for teaching ideas. Jane Shevtsov On Wed, May 12, 2010 at 9:08 AM, Madhusudan Katti wrote: > Just following up on my earlier suggestion, there is a positive review of > "The Tangled Bank" in the recent American Biology Teacher: > > http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1525/abt.2010.72.3.13 > > “For students of evolution or scholars who want to know the specifics about > particular evolutionary processes, this is an excellent read. The fact that > it is understandable to beginners and fascinating to scientists makes this > book truly unique and valuable.” > > I would also recommend Carl Zimmer's excellent blog The Loom > (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom) as a companion to any course on > evolution. > > I like some of the other suggestions in this thread as well, especially Sean > Carroll's book. Coyne is very good too, and Dawkins new book is probably > dependable in getting the students' attention (I haven't read it). The > Selfish Gene is too old to be used as a general text for a course on > evolution. Moreover, with Coyne and Dawkins, I'd worry about alienating some > of the religious-minded students. I would hesitate to use those in a > non-majors class here in the central valley of California, for example. In > fact, I suspect that Coyne's book may have played a role in pushing one of > my own students (a grad student no less!) away from Biology because the > evidence/arguments in that book were too strong for this religious student > to handle. Of course that end result was good in some ways, but it depends > on what your goals are with the class. Besides, your audience in Princeton > (presuming it hasn't changed in the decade since I was there) will be rather > different from what I face here in Fresno - so your mileage may vary! > > __ > Madhusudan Katti > Assistant Professor of Vertebrate Biology > Department of Biology, M/S SB 73 > California State University, Fresno > Fresno, CA 93740-8034 > > +1.559.278.2460 > mka...@csufresno.edu > http://www.reconciliationecology.org/ > __ > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
Re: [ECOLOG-L] decline in education, comment on active learning
As a student, I also prefer traditional lectures. Powerpoint seems to interfere with the social aspect of lecturing, perhaps by forcing the lecturer to follow a pre-determined outline or by drawing the students' eyes toward the screen and away from the teacher. Dimming the lights doesn't help! Jane On Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 1:51 PM, David L. McNeely wrote: > Your post is interesting. It is the first time I have ever heard a student > state a preference for more traditional lecturing over PowerPoint lectures. > I happen to think you make a very important point. However, I have heard > the complaint from students, regarding a colleague whom they chose to blame > for their lack of success, that, "He doesn't even use PowerPoint for > lectures. He just uses overheads and the chalk board. Sometimes it looks > like he is making things up as he goes, and he makes us tell him what we > want to know. He needs to just tell us what we need to know." I was > required to attend that colleague's lectures as part of a university peer > evaluation program. He was doing a superb job of leading students to make > points for themselves, and at one point even asked students to put diagrams > on the board themselves, while he coached them through the exercise. This > was in a freshman level "honors section." But most of his time was spent in > a "chalk talk" type lecture, fairly traditional with good content. Many of > the students seemed very pleased with the process, and despite the > complaints I heard (from multiple students), my colleague received decent > student evaluation scores. > > That was several years ago, when PowerPoint was fast becoming a dominant > approach to lecturing. > > Thanks for your post. David Mc > > > On Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 11:56 AM, Kevin Mueller wrote: > >> Perhaps this is well tread ground, but I think there is an important >> element missing in the recent discussion regarding effective teaching >> styles, particular with respect to lectures. What is the impact of detailed >> PowerPoint presentations on student attendance, participation, and learning? >> My experience (mostly as a student, some as a teaching assistant) is that >> lectures can be very effective means to reach a majority of students in a >> classroom, regardless of size. However, when the lecture consists of detail >> laden PowerPoint slides, active thought by students is discouraged because >> more of the information is at hand at any given moment of the lecture and >> there is less incentive to anticipate where the lecturer is going or follow >> his/her thought process. Moreover, when the PowerPoint presentations are >> made available before, during, or after class, there is little incentive to >> go to class or to pay attention because the student perceives that they can >> get most of the information without attending class. This style of >> lecturing is inherently 'less active' than more traditional lecture styles >> with chalkboards or overheads and has become increasingly common. >> >> Thus, following the posts by Bill, Luke, Arathi and Jane, I think lectures >> can accommodate something that approaches active learning and teaching, but >> the means of transferring information is critical. Lectures such as those >> described by Bill and Luke may represent the best available compromise >> between two distinctly different learning and teaching styles (pure lecture >> vs. pure active learning). In the absence of having institutions that are >> dedicated to one or the other teaching style, which would give students the >> ability to choose which style suits them best, it seems most prudent to aim >> for middle of the road approaches such as that outlined by Luke. >> >> Kevin Mueller >> Penn State University >> Intercollege Graduate Program in Ecology >> kem...@psu.edu > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
Re: [ECOLOG-L] decline in education, comment on active learning
One problem with many active learning methods is that they constrain when and how the student is to learn the material. In a traditional situation, I can attend lecture/lab, read the textbook, study with friends, study alone, decide our book sucks and use another one, look up material online, try problems, etc. It doesn't matter what methods I use or don't use. The only thing that matters is the result. In particular, I've had several math professors who graded homework to give students an incentive to do it, while also providing a way to get an A without turning in homework -- and gave fair warning that this was very unlikely to happen! On the other hand, active learning tends to be method-dependent. You're graded on the intermediate steps of learning, not just the outcome. If the methods a particular professor decides to use don't work well for me or if I already have a good grasp of the material, I still have to put in the time. Furthermore, if the professor decides that everybody needs to read the book before coming to class and gives a daily quiz to enforce the policy, the student has just lost some of the freedom to decide when to study. Maybe I find it helpful to have a lecture overview of the material before reading the more detailed book. Maybe I just have a big biochemistry exam and need to focus on that for a few days. Thus, many active learning methods have a paradoxical effect. By drawing attention to the process of learning as opposed to the outcome, they make the student more dependent on the professor for structuring their learning experience. Despite all of the above, I am not opposed to all active learning methods. In particular, I had a physiology professor in undergrad who would interrupt himself during lecture and start evaluating an idea he'd thought of or asking a question and trying to reason out the answer, thus modeling the process for us. This, plus the fact that he told the class on day one that he expected us to make mistakes and that these were just part of learning, really got people to ask questions and speak up in class -- and imposed no extra constraints. I myself, as a TA, have inflicted a journal assignment on ecosystem ecology students in which they were asked to wrestle with class material, ask questions and draw connections with their daily experiences or other classes. (This journal was only a small part of their grade and I gave substantive feedback, in the form of letters to each student.) And some things can only be learned through first-hand experience. I just wish the enthusiasm for active learning methods was tempered by an awareness of the constraints and dependence they can impose on students. Jane Shevtsov On Sat, Jan 23, 2010 at 1:28 AM, Sarah Berke wrote: > Hi, > > I want to briefly respond to David Lawrence's comment from several days ago, > about evaluation scores declining when he switched to active learning. This > comment probably hit home for anyone who has tried active learning: > >> >>> I watched my evaluation scores decline when I switched to "active >> >>> learning." ...It was also unreasonable for me to expect them to ask > questions >> >>> relevant to the material we discussed in class. I had students >> >>> complain they didn't learn anything from me > > For anyone who has ever been in this boat, you are not alone--this is a > common phenomenon when introducing active learning methods to a student body > that is accustomed to traditional lecture-based methods. Based on my own > experiences, and those of various colleagues, I would guess that most > instructors got similar comments when they first switched over from > lecturing. I am fairly new to active learning myself, but I've talked with > colleagues who have been doing it for years, and everyone says that it > really does get better (particularly if many faculty in the department all > start using it). I think comments like "I didn't learn anything" stem from > problems with metacognition. How do you know when you've learned > something? Memorizing 30 vocabulary words is a concrete achievement, you > can point and say "There, I learned these words". But interpreting data, or > designing an experiment, or predicting the outcome of a perturbation to a > system are all rather amorphous--there's no one thing to point to and say > "I've learned this". That can throw students for a loop. Furthermore, the > level of energy and preparation required to participate in a > learner-centered classroom can push students out of their comfort zones, > particularly if they are accustomed to the ease of showing up and taking > notes through a lecture. I am not trying to dismiss your student's > comments, I'm just pointing out that so
Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all: IQ
On Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 6:02 PM, Fann, Sarah Lynn wrote: > Jane and rest of the ECOLOG listserve, > > Let's think critcally about the assumption that it is easy for bright > students who are poor to get funding for college. If that were true, wouldn't > we expect a significant portion of American children to be born poor, get > educated, and thus rise up through the socio-economic ranks? However, isn't > it a known trend that children born poor tend to stay poor and not get an > education? Doesn't this trend directly contradict the assumption that it is > easy for bright, poor students to get full funding for college? No, it doesn't, and I didn't say it was easy, just that even a free ride was possible. (I graduated from UCLA without paying a dime.) When I said "bright", I wasn't referring to "inborn" intelligence but to the result of education. And that's the kicker. If a poor student has a solid high school program and good SAT scores, financial considerations are unlikely to prevent them from attending college. But few get the kind of K-12 education that will enable this. > In regards to the middle-class, I find it interesting that you dropped the > "bright" adjective to describe these students. Because Luanne's hypothesis was that cost was preventing TOP poor students from attending college, thus lowering overall performance. >Does that mean that we expect all students from the middle-class to attend >college? If that's true, than I expect it would be >harder, on average, for >middle-class students to get scholarships compared to poor students because >1) they represent a >broader range of capabilities, and only those considered >"best" are normally eligible for scholarships, and 2) there is a larger >>number of middle class students competing, thus the probability of any one >middle-class student getting a scholarship is less. Exactly. Plus, middle class students get less need-based aid. > Finally, if only a few bright poor students are getting into college, yet a > larger range of IQ's from other socio-economic classes >are getting into > school, than that would lend support to Luanne's hypothesis. The trends of > America's poor certainly seems to >lead to the conclusion that few poor > students are given the oppurtunity to attend college. On the other hand, it > is almost expected >that every middle or upper class child should attend > college. There's no question that cost is a barrier to higher education, but that's not the question that was being discussed. The question was, roughly, "Assuming there has been a decline in the average performance of college students in recent decades, can this decline be explained by rising college costs that prevent poor students with high IQs from attending college?". Therefore, only the situation faced by top-performing low-income students is relevant. Best, Jane _ > From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news > [ecolo...@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of Jane Shevtsov [jane@gmail.com] > Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 10:47 AM > To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU > Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all: IQ > > I don't think this would be a very strong influence. Bright students > with little money get financial aid, sometimes to the point of a free > ride. It may be harder for middle-class students than for those who > are poor, but still, schools compete to get the really good students. > > Jane > > On Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 1:47 AM, Luanne Roth wrote: >> I have been wondering if the increase in the unequal distribution of wealth >> and the increased costs of higher education might be causing a large shift >> towards college students who fall into the middle of the bell curve. I >> recall reading at least one study which showed no relationship between >> wealth and IQ. If we are eliminating many high IQ students by income >> constraints and the bell curve has very little area under it at the high IQ >> end >> Luanne >> >> >> >> >>> At 12:18 PM 1/18/2010, you wrote: >>>> >>>> I watched my evaluation scores decline when I switched to "active >>>> learning." I got tired of lecturing from powerpoints that the students >>>> could memorize, regurgitate on tests, and quickly forget. >>>> >>>> Somehow, it was unreasonable for me to expect the students to show up for >>>> the lectures prepared and willing to participate in class discussions. It >>>> was even more unreasonable for me to refuse to "just tell us what we need &g
Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all: IQ
Worse, since the entire class is, on average, >>>> not as prepared as it should be to learn the material you're trying to >>>> teach, disgruntled students can look to low average performance for the >>>> whole class to assure themselves that it's your fault if they don't get >>>> high >>>> marks. With students and parents both blaming you for low grades, and a >>>> low >>>> class average apparently supporting their arguments, it's easiest to >>>> lower >>>> your expectations and standards. (And you'll probably get higher >>>> teaching >>>> evaluation scores if you do.) When you do, you end up passing on >>>> students >>>> who aren't prepared for the next level of education. >>>> >>>> I understand the importance of questioning authority, and Wendee >>>> Holtcamp's >>>> example of childbirth in American hospitals attests to that >>>> importance (though I believe the doctors rush the delivery because >>>> they're >>>> trained to believe it's best for the patient, not because they put their >>>> spare time ahead of patient care). However, there's an important >>>> distinction between questioning authority and assuming authority is >>>> wrong. >>>> >>>> With respect to the original conversation thread, while I certainly >>>> agree >>>> that it's a problem that people with the appearance of authority are >>>> making >>>> BS claims on television, I don't think that's the only major threat to >>>> scientific authority. Another threat is the widely-held perception that >>>> any scientist who thinks they know more than you do about their area of >>>> expertise is arrogant (and wrong). Because scientific knowledge is >>>> contingent on future results, scientists sometimes find themselves >>>> admitting >>>> that they were wrong about something. Unlike pundits or politicians, >>>> scientists can't blame some other party, and people will hold onto those >>>> errors as evidence that we're not as clever as we think we are, so they >>>> can >>>> ignore us if they don't like our message. Also, some people just don't >>>> like >>>> smart people much, so mistakes made by smart people are cherished as >>>> proof >>>> that they aren't so smart after all. >>>> >>>> Mind you, I have little evidence for most of the generalities I'm making >>>> here, but this is just my model of why students seem to be less prepared >>>> than they used to and why scientific authority doesn't get the respect I >>>> think it should. >>>> >>>> Jim Crants >>> >>> -- >>> -- >>> David M. Lawrence | Home: (804) 559-9786 >>> 7471 Brook Way Court | Fax: (804) 559-9787 >>> Mechanicsville, VA 23111 | Email: d...@fuzzo.com >>> USA | http: http://fuzzo.com >>> -- >>> >>> "All drains lead to the ocean." -- Gill, Finding Nemo >>> >>> "We have met the enemy and he is us." -- Pogo >>> >>> "No trespassing >>> 4/17 of a haiku" -- Richard Brautigan >>> >>> >>> >>> No virus found in this incoming message. >>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >>> Version: 9.0.725 / Virus Database: 270.14.137/2617 - Release Date: >>> 01/12/10 11:35:00 > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Not now I've seen it all - says Orwell
I wonder why the writers of the CBE Style Manual are opposed to using the passive voice. Is it the usual Strunk & White stuff? It's interesting that they say " 'I' may embarrass the writer", but not, " 'I' may startle the reader". There's an excellent article on "The Passive in Technical and Scientific Writing" at <http://www.jacweb.org/Archived_volumes/Text_articles/V2_Rodman.htm>. You might also want to check out the Language Log piece, "How long have we been avoiding the passive and why?" <http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003380.html> The essay in which Orwell recommends avoiding passives itself has 20% passives! Language Log, a blog run by linguists, is generally excellent on the topic of passives. See <http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?cat=54> (material posted since April 8, 2008) and <http://tinyurl.com/yldaltf> (prior to that). Jane On Mon, Jan 18, 2010 at 2:28 PM, wrote: > Again quoting from the third edition (but the admonishment has persisted) of > the CBE Style Manual (page 6): > > "Avoid the 'passive of modesty,' a favorite device of writers who shun the > first person singular." The authors devote a whole paragraph to explaining > why. Further down in the paragraph they state: "" 'I' may embarrass the > writer, but it is less likely to be ambiguous." > > Look up the instructions to authors for the journals published by ESA or any > other scholarly organization in our field, or simply consult publications in > those journals to satisfy yourself on this matter. > > David > > > On Mon, Jan 18, 2010 at 1:12 PM, Jane Shevtsov wrote: > >> I've always thought the main reason for avoiding "I" in scientific >> papers was to prevent self-aggrandizement. It's not about you -- it's >> about the research. "We" may be ok, but the passive voice serves a >> moral/social purpose in single-authored works. >> >> Jane >> >> On Mon, Jan 18, 2010 at 11:10 AM, David L. McNeely wrote: >>> >>> Bill, thank you. Not to hammer a dead horse, but I wrote my dissertation >>> in >>> the seventies. I was encouraged to use active voice and first person. >>> The >>> most recent edition of the CBE Style Manual that I actually own is the >>> third >>> edition (copyright 1972), though I have generally had access to more >>> recent >>> (and massive) versions over the years since. >>> >>> From my third edition (page 5): "Write in the active voice unless you >>> have >>> a good reason for writing in the passive. The active is the natural >>> voice, >>> the one in which people commonly speak and write, and it is less likely >>> than >>> the passive to lead to ambiguity." >>> >>> There follows a series of explanations and examples detailing why first >>> person is generally preferable to other persons, especially in describing >>> methods where it provides clear explanation of who did what, rather than >>> the >>> ambiguity of the third person passive, where one might wonder who at all >>> did >>> the experiments described. >>> >>> Thanks, David >>> >>> >>> On Sun, Jan 17, 2010 at 3:29 PM, William Silvert wrote: >>> >>>> Several subscribers have disagreed with my statement about >>>> passive/active >>>> voice, and I stand corrected. Perhaps the case was best stated by >>>> someone >>>> who wrote me off-list to say "I have noticed a change in the last 4 >>>> years...I was instructed by many to use the passive voice and to shy >>>> away >>>> from the active voice which very often required the use of first person >>>> pronouns. But in the last year, a growing trend has led away from the >>>> use >>>> of passives. Just today, when haphazardly choosing 3 abstracts from the >>>> most recent issue of Science, I found all to be written in the active >>>> voice >>>> and found the first person 'we' in two of them...I think 'modern >>>> scientific >>>> writing' may indeed be evolving again." >>>> >>>> I am pleased to be shown wrong and commend the scientific community for >>>> this stylistic improvement. >>>> >>>> Bill Silvert >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> - >> Jane Shevtsov >> Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia >> co-founder, Check out my blog, Perceiving Wholes >> >> "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the >> Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream >> of Spaceflight > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Not now I've seen it all - says Orwell
I've always thought the main reason for avoiding "I" in scientific papers was to prevent self-aggrandizement. It's not about you -- it's about the research. "We" may be ok, but the passive voice serves a moral/social purpose in single-authored works. Jane On Mon, Jan 18, 2010 at 11:10 AM, David L. McNeely wrote: > Bill, thank you. Not to hammer a dead horse, but I wrote my dissertation in > the seventies. I was encouraged to use active voice and first person. The > most recent edition of the CBE Style Manual that I actually own is the third > edition (copyright 1972), though I have generally had access to more recent > (and massive) versions over the years since. > > From my third edition (page 5): "Write in the active voice unless you have > a good reason for writing in the passive. The active is the natural voice, > the one in which people commonly speak and write, and it is less likely than > the passive to lead to ambiguity." > > There follows a series of explanations and examples detailing why first > person is generally preferable to other persons, especially in describing > methods where it provides clear explanation of who did what, rather than the > ambiguity of the third person passive, where one might wonder who at all did > the experiments described. > > Thanks, David > > > On Sun, Jan 17, 2010 at 3:29 PM, William Silvert wrote: > >> Several subscribers have disagreed with my statement about passive/active >> voice, and I stand corrected. Perhaps the case was best stated by someone >> who wrote me off-list to say "I have noticed a change in the last 4 >> years...I was instructed by many to use the passive voice and to shy away >> from the active voice which very often required the use of first person >> pronouns. But in the last year, a growing trend has led away from the use >> of passives. Just today, when haphazardly choosing 3 abstracts from the >> most recent issue of Science, I found all to be written in the active voice >> and found the first person 'we' in two of them...I think 'modern scientific >> writing' may indeed be evolving again." >> >> I am pleased to be shown wrong and commend the scientific community for >> this stylistic improvement. >> >> Bill Silvert > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all
On Sun, Jan 17, 2010 at 10:43 AM, Alyson Mack wrote: > the sad truth is, our children ARE becoming more stupid every year. The fact Do you have any evidence for this claim? IQ scores have been rising pretty steadily for a century. (Look up the Flynn effect <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect>.) SAT scores are the highest they've been since the 1960s, although a somewhat larger percentage of high school students are taking the test. There are always fluctuations, but are there any measures of intelligence that have been showing a consistent decline? On a different note, who here has read _The Demon-Haunted World_ or _Why People Believe Weird Things_? They're both relevant to the larger discussion of critical thinking. Jane > On Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 5:11 PM, malcolm McCallum < > malcolm.mccal...@herpconbio.org> wrote: > >> At what point does the scientific community realize that the current >> surge in patent medicines and nonsense medical devices are seriously >> eroding the nation's confidence in science? >> This is not directly related to ecology, but ecology is science and if >> people misuse science to sell products that are medically irrelevant >> it certainly must affect all science. >> >> For example, if the average person sees a supposed physician on TV >> parading products that "absorb fat out of your body" or send "magnetic >> impulses into your joints" or provide the "healing effects of light", >> he/she does not necessarily recognize the difference between >> commercial claims and scientific ones. Further, if that person is >> suckered in to buy this sucker bait, he/she is certain to find, once >> any placebo affect passes, that it is shear snake oil. Consequently, >> these folks see these advertisements with supposed nutritionists, >> phds, MDs, etc. and learn not to believe what they say. Along comes a >> scientist claiming extraordinary changes such as climate change, ozone >> layer issues, problems with pollution, and endangered species...on TV, >> even in commercials. Why should they believe them? It looks and >> smells just like that snake oil aunt Martha bought off TV that did >> nothing but moisten her skin. >> >> Does anyone else see that a deeper problem exists here? These >> products are much more harmful that simply misleading people, they are >> more than simply false advertising, they really should not be allowed >> to make the extraordinary claims that they do. Some of the products >> are harmless, some are dangerous simply in the fact that folks choose >> to depend on these prior to seeking real medical advice, but all have >> a serious potential to erode the general public's view of the >> scientific community. >> >> -- >> Malcolm L. McCallum >> Associate Professor of Biology >> Managing Editor, >> Herpetological Conservation and Biology >> Texas A&M University-Texarkana >> Fall Teaching Schedule: >> Vertebrate Biology - TR 10-11:40; General Ecology - MW 1-2:40pm; >> Forensic Science - W 6-9:40pm >> Office Hourse- TBA >> >> 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! >> >> 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. >> > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all
us a long word where a short one will do. (iii) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. (iv) Never use the passive where you can use the active. (v) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. (vi) Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous." Rules 2-5 lead to precisely the kind of oversimplification of language that you worry about. I do not know what should be done about it or even if it really is a problem. (The case can be made that your reading comprehension skills should match the material you are actually likely to encounter, not more challenging material that few people write any more.) Still, it would be interesting to find out what our colleagues in English departments think of the situation. Jane On Sat, Jan 16, 2010 at 9:12 PM, malcolm McCallum wrote: > Your point is well taken, except that they did not contain the same > information. > The modern book is a joke next to the old one. If you are not challenged to > improve your reading comprehension, your reading comprehension will not > improve. > If you are not challenged to improve your vocabulary, your vocabulary will not > improve. And, if you are reading watered down elementary-level material, > you will have an elementary-level education. Unfortunately, the 8th graders > in 1908 (or close to that) could easily read and absorb that book, and > most of the undergraduates > who come out of our current highschool systems likely could not. > > He has moved away, but if I can get some jpgs of the darn thing, I'll > post them. > > > On Sat, Jan 16, 2010 at 4:19 PM, Jane Shevtsov wrote: >> Let me play devil's advocate on this one. Is a more difficult-to-read >> textbook better than an easier one that conveys the same information? >> My impression is that writers like George Orwell and E.B. White were >> largely responsible for the increased streamlining of modern prose >> compared to that of 100 years ago. (I am not saying that streamlined >> prose is necessarily better -- IMHO, Strunk and White are responsible >> for a great deal of mediocre writing.) >> >> BTW, what fraction of children in Texas completed the eight grade in >> 1908? The state did not have a compulsory education law until 1915. >> >> Jane >> >> On Sat, Jan 16, 2010 at 12:46 PM, malcolm McCallum >> wrote: >>> Its actually much worse than that. A retired friend of mine brought >>> me a book on Human Health. >>> It was dated around 1908. The student who read this book would >>> require a much higher reading >>> comprehension, larger vocabulary, and greater dedication than a >>> student using the health book >>> widely used for principles of health in modern college classes. The >>> book had depth, provided specifics >>> and generalities, and it very aptly provided positive guidance on the >>> overview of how to live a healthy life >>> based on the dogma of the time. Now here is the punchline, that book >>> was mandated by the >>> stated board of education in Texas for 8th grade. I almost fell over. >>> I have seen some graduate level >>> textbooks that are not as good as that 8th grade text. I suspect that >>> this is more widepread than we might want to believe. >>> >>> Malcolm >>> >>> On Sat, Jan 16, 2010 at 10:47 AM, Abraham de Alba A. >>> wrote: >>>> Yes Mal, it is depresing to see that "critical thinking" is very seldom >>>> applyed even in "educated" persons, I myself think that it is a primary >>>> fault of our educational system. It is not until you are in your masters or >>>> even PhD that your mentor appreciates your thinking capabilities and not >>>> your "knowledge". >>>> >>>> What can we expect after 20 years of indoctrination in school ? and that´s >>>> for the ones that manage to go to school. >>>> >>>> Abraham de Alba Avila >>>> Terrestrial Plant Ecology >>>> INIFAP-Ags >>>> Ap. postal 20, >>>> Pabellón Arteaga, 20660 >>>> Aguascalientes, MEXICO >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> SKYPE: adealba55 >>>> >>>> Tel: (465) 95-801-67, & 801-86 ext. 126, FAX ext 102 >>>> alternate: dealba.abra...@inifap.gob.mx >>>> cel: 449-157-7070 >>>> >>>> >>>> From: malcolm McCallum >>>> To: ecolo...@listserv.umd..edu >>>> Sent: Fri
Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all
anaging Editor, >> Herpetological Conservation and Biology >> Texas A&M University-Texarkana >> Fall Teaching Schedule: >> Vertebrate Biology - TR 10-11:40; General Ecology - MW 1-2:40pm; >> Forensic Science - W 6-9:40pm >> Office Hourse- TBA >> >> 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! >> >> 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. >> >> > > > > -- > Malcolm L. McCallum > Associate Professor of Biology > Managing Editor, > Herpetological Conservation and Biology > Texas A&M University-Texarkana > Fall Teaching Schedule: > Vertebrate Biology - TR 10-11:40; General Ecology - MW 1-2:40pm; > Forensic Science - W 6-9:40pm > Office Hourse- TBA > > 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! > > 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. > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Ecology as Science Status and Future
Disturbance and succession would occur. If climate changed, the species composition of communities would change. In fact, in a world without evolution, such changes would be MORE pronounced, as species would be unable to adapt to environmental change. BTW, Bill, most creationists don't deny that selection (natural or artificial) occurs. What they deny is speciation and macroevolution. Jane On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 10:13 PM, malcolm McCallum wrote: > Sure it would. > Everything would be static and no change would occur. > After all, those Dinosaurs were planted by Satan to trick us all. > > On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 7:35 PM, Jane Shevtsov wrote: >> Can you elaborate? While there are certainly some examples of cases >> where evolution is important in ecology, it seems to me that if the >> creationists turned out to be right, most of ecology would remain the >> same. >> >> If I had to pick a short "basis of ecology", it would consist of two facts. >> 1. Organisms are open systems. >> 2. If resources (per Item 1) were unlimited, populations would grow >> exponentially. >> >> Much of ecology follows from there. Add the existence of heritable >> traits, and so does natural selection. >> >> Jane Shevtsov >> >> On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 11:11 AM, malcolm McCallum >> wrote: >>> Evolution by Natural Selection. >>> Its the basis of ecology. >>> It always shocks me though when people try to separate it from ecology. >>> >>> >>> On Sat, Dec 26, 2009 at 5:16 PM, Wayne Tyson wrote: >>>> Honorable Ecolog Forum: >>>> >>>> There's something about the imminent end of still another year that gets >>>> me to thinking about where "things" are, where they have been, and where >>>> they are going. It's a time for reflection that's as good as any, but a >>>> life well-lived is in a continuous state of reflection. Ecology seems to >>>> me to be a comprehensive way of looking at biology, an attempt to include >>>> everything and to see all the connections and relationships in time and >>>> space. That's a tall order, more than any one individual can hope to fully >>>> comprehend, or even see, hear, smell, or touch, much less interpret >>>> correctly such that we can reach conclusions that more closely match >>>> reality than fantasy. The more I know about where "things" are the minds >>>> of others, the better I am able to extend my own vision, and challenge it. >>>> >>>> While I don't want bias your answers, I will say that I am, for the >>>> moment, more interested in learning more about your INDIVIDUAL views (not >>>> those of other authorities, textbooks or websites) in the realm of >>>> scientific/disciplined study and thinking about the present state of >>>> ecology as an intellectual activity, and not so much interested, for the >>>> moment, in applied aspects of ecology. >>>> >>>> So I would be interested in as many thoughts as anyone cares to share >>>> about his or her OWN thoughts about the important questions in the >>>> scientific study of the ecological phenomenon, and, by reflection, >>>> critical views of the current status of ecology as a form of intellectual >>>> enquiry in its present state. I am particularly interested in any views >>>> about the fundamental principles of ecology that have stood the test of >>>> time and testing and retesting, that is theories that have been >>>> demonstrated to be valid in the real world. So the answers can be >>>> anything, such as theories that have not been fully tested. >>>> >>>> For now, I am not so much interested in political and policy issues, even >>>> though these are important. >>>> >>>> Thanks for sharing your thoughts. >>>> >>>> >>>> Peace, >>>> >>>> WT >>>> >>>> PS: I will be away from the computer for two or three weeks beginning >>>> sometime next week. Happy New Year! (And thank you all for your past >>>> generosity in sharing your insights; that has greatly helped me to sort >>>> out the wheat from the chaff.) >>>> >>>> >>>> http://www.euractiv.com/en/environment/analysis-top-100-ecological-questions-identified/article-156507 >>>> >>>> http://britishecologicalsociety.org/blog/blog/2009/04/28/100-questions-to-co
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Ecology as Science Status and Future
Can you elaborate? While there are certainly some examples of cases where evolution is important in ecology, it seems to me that if the creationists turned out to be right, most of ecology would remain the same. If I had to pick a short "basis of ecology", it would consist of two facts. 1. Organisms are open systems. 2. If resources (per Item 1) were unlimited, populations would grow exponentially. Much of ecology follows from there. Add the existence of heritable traits, and so does natural selection. Jane Shevtsov On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 11:11 AM, malcolm McCallum wrote: > Evolution by Natural Selection. > Its the basis of ecology. > It always shocks me though when people try to separate it from ecology. > > > On Sat, Dec 26, 2009 at 5:16 PM, Wayne Tyson wrote: >> Honorable Ecolog Forum: >> >> There's something about the imminent end of still another year that gets me >> to thinking about where "things" are, where they have been, and where they >> are going. It's a time for reflection that's as good as any, but a life >> well-lived is in a continuous state of reflection. Ecology seems to me to be >> a comprehensive way of looking at biology, an attempt to include everything >> and to see all the connections and relationships in time and space. That's a >> tall order, more than any one individual can hope to fully comprehend, or >> even see, hear, smell, or touch, much less interpret correctly such that we >> can reach conclusions that more closely match reality than fantasy. The more >> I know about where "things" are the minds of others, the better I am able to >> extend my own vision, and challenge it. >> >> While I don't want bias your answers, I will say that I am, for the moment, >> more interested in learning more about your INDIVIDUAL views (not those of >> other authorities, textbooks or websites) in the realm of >> scientific/disciplined study and thinking about the present state of ecology >> as an intellectual activity, and not so much interested, for the moment, in >> applied aspects of ecology. >> >> So I would be interested in as many thoughts as anyone cares to share about >> his or her OWN thoughts about the important questions in the scientific >> study of the ecological phenomenon, and, by reflection, critical views of >> the current status of ecology as a form of intellectual enquiry in its >> present state. I am particularly interested in any views about the >> fundamental principles of ecology that have stood the test of time and >> testing and retesting, that is theories that have been demonstrated to be >> valid in the real world. So the answers can be anything, such as theories >> that have not been fully tested. >> >> For now, I am not so much interested in political and policy issues, even >> though these are important. >> >> Thanks for sharing your thoughts. >> >> >> Peace, >> >> WT >> >> PS: I will be away from the computer for two or three weeks beginning >> sometime next week. Happy New Year! (And thank you all for your past >> generosity in sharing your insights; that has greatly helped me to sort out >> the wheat from the chaff.) >> >> >> http://www.euractiv.com/en/environment/analysis-top-100-ecological-questions-identified/article-156507 >> >> http://britishecologicalsociety.org/blog/blog/2009/04/28/100-questions-to-conserve-global-biodiversity/ >> > > > > -- > Malcolm L. McCallum > Associate Professor of Biology > Managing Editor, > Herpetological Conservation and Biology > Texas A&M University-Texarkana > Fall Teaching Schedule: > Vertebrate Biology - TR 10-11:40; General Ecology - MW 1-2:40pm; > Forensic Science - W 6-9:40pm > Office Hourse- TBA > > 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! > > 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. > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
[ECOLOG-L] Carbon Footprint of Flying
For most of us, flying is mass transit. However, as far as I know, the amount of carbon you are responsible for when you fly is almost always calculated as C/passenger rather than as marginal effect. Does anybody know what this marginal effect actually is? Also, considering the in-person global connectivity that long flights make possible, I think we should focus our decarbonization efforts on electricity production and local transportation -- applications where C emissions aren't necessary. Oh, and we should reconsider short flights, as these are the least efficient. (A large amount of the fuel burned by an airplane is used at takeoff.) Jane Shevtsov -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
Re: [ECOLOG-L] applying for PhD programs
Hi Andy, I second the recommendation of the Odum School. It's a great place to study and has a very active and friendly bunch of graduate students. In particular, look up Cathy Pringle, Alan Covich and Amy Rosemond. As an undergrad, I once heard one of my professors complain about students applying to him without having read any of his papers, so when I was applying to grad school, I looked up articles by the people I was emailing and worked that fact into the initial email. Asking a question or briefly connecting your interests to their work is good. Hope that helps! Jane Shevtsov Odum School of Ecology Ph.D. Candidate On Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 12:09 PM, Christopher Blair wrote: > Hi Andy, > If your interests are in community/stream ecology I would definitely > check-out the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia. It is an > excellent, but quite competitive program, but I think you would find what > you're looking for. > > As far as an initial email goes, it is always a good idea to briefly discuss > your research interests along with any relevant experience you may have. > Remember that the more experience you can get the better. It is also > important to be professional in any email you send to potential supervisors. > Also try not to get discouraged if finding a program takes a year or two. > Hope this helps a little? > > Chris > > On Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 2:32 PM, Andrew Oguma wrote: > >> I recently earned a BA biology concentration in ecology, minor in chemistry >> from Western CT State University, graduating magna cum laude with some >> academic awards. I have also been invited to speak at the North American >> Lake Management Society International Symposium in Hartford, CT on October >> 30th about my undergraduate research project. Although my research project >> focussed on using herbivorous weevils to control Eurasian watermilfoil in >> Candlewood Lake, my interest in pursuing a PhD is in stream >> community/ecosystem ecology especially invertebrate communities. I am >> looking for suggestions on professors and schools that may be suited to my >> interests within the United States and preferably east of the Mississippi >> River. I am also looking for any suggestions on what to include in an >> initial e-mail and in general on how to "put my best foot forward," so to >> speak. Finally, any suggestions from those who have been in my shoes are >> welcome. I >> intend to be accepted into a program for fall of 2010. Thankyou for your >> time. Please feel free to contact me personally. My name is Andy Oguma and >> my e-mail is as follows: >> >> ayog...@sbcglobal.net >> > > > > -- > Christopher Blair, Ph.D. Candidate > Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology > University of Toronto and > Department of Natural History > Royal Ontario Museum > 100 Queen's Park > Toronto, ON M5S 2C6 > Canada > (416) 333-2236 (cell) > (416) 586-8094 (office) > http://individual.utoronto.ca/chrisblair/index.html > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Listserv posting and email subject line additions Ecolog
For what it's worth, I'm also in favor of not changing subject lines until the thread has diverged significantly from the topic described in the subject line. It makes life a lot easier for the Gmail users among us! Jane On Fri, Jul 31, 2009 at 4:32 PM, Wayne Tyson wrote: > Ecolog: > > I received the following message from a listserv subscriber who wishes to > remain anonymous: > > "I know people have asked before and you have dismissed it, but I find >> your changing of seemingly every subject line annoying and >> presumptuous. In this case, what was gained by changing the subject >> line? It made referencing back the original email more difficult." > > . . . and in later message: "PS This is a personal message and I would > appreciate it not being > forwarded to the whole list. > > Thanks," > [Name withheld at sender's request]] > > > > I understand the poster's annoyance; ironically, being able to consistently > track archived subjects is exactly why I often add a subject lead-line to the > original or preceding message. Please note that I do not delete the original > subject line; it is always retained behind the added one. > > The change in question: "CLIMATE Global warming and ESA meetings Re: > [ECOLOG-L] 2010 ESA Annual Meeting: Call for Symposium and OOS Proposals" > > This kind of addition both preserves the original or preceding subject line > and adds a subject label or sequential descriptive string that is more > related to the content, thus enabling, merely by clicking on "Subject" in the > email program, all of the material related to "CLIMATE," "Global warming and > ESA meetings." Otherwise, one would have to remember that the subject under > discussion started with "2010." If the content had to do primarily with ESA > meetings, I would have added (not changed) "ESA" to the subject line in front > of 2010. > > I very much appreciate David's light hand on listserv administration, > leaving, as he does, the decision about subject line discipline up to the > subscriber making the post. I do not object to anyone adding a lead subject > line to any of my posts that more accurately reflects the primary content of > the current message, nor to I object to the central focus of the discussion > changing and a subsequent posting adding a more appropriate lead, while > retaining the subject line of the original post(s). > > I hope that this answers the query, and welcome any on-list discussion of > this issue before the Forum as a matter of common interest. It is my policy > not to respond directly to "personal" emails regarding matters of interest to > all or a number of listserv subscribers. I do welcome and generally respond > to off-list enquires that are not of interest to the list. (When I am away on > trips I often miss emails or take some time to respond; I apologize in > advance for any inconvenience, and ask that if I do not respond that the > email be re-sent periodically if the matter is of great importance. For > urgent matters or true emergencies, there are people on this list who have my > phone number who might call to inform me accordingly. I do sometimes > correspond with individuals as a result of their emails when the subject > matter seems to be of limited interest or too controversial for on-list > discussion to be productive.) > > WT > > PS: Please feel free to add to the subject line of this post to improve its > descriptive value in terms of content. > -- - Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
