I will play contrary here. maybe you should ask if these people need or desire to take this class. If not, why and how can you make the class attractive to them? Maybe, like has been done with math in many schools, you need to design a course on ecology that focuses on pre-med students and the interface between the environment and human health.
I sent you a bit more info in a private email. Malcolm On Mon, Feb 1, 2016 at 7:03 PM, Emily Moran <[email protected]> wrote: > If the question is “how do we get more students to see ecology as an > interesting career path” rather than “how to we get premeds to take ecology > classes”, the key seems to be to expose them to interesting uses of ecology > and interesting ecological careers as early as possible. > In most schools, the kids who come in wanting to major in biology tend to say > they are pre-med, in part because that is the only biology-related career > they are aware of. > > One thing we’re trying at UCM is to have ladder-rank faculty give guest > lectures in the intro bio class - along with delivering the basic material, > we get the chance to tell students a little about our research and have the > option of talking about how they can get involved in research, other classes > they might consider if they like the ecology/evolution section of bio 1, or > career paths. It is too early yet to see if it is having much effect in > recruiting students to the EEB track or environmental sciences major, but I > know I got some good questions from students about options for including > plant-related stuff in their educational and career trajectory. > > Involving students in research and hands on projects in their freshman or > sophomore year can also be a great way to stoke their interest in biology > outside of a clinical setting. > > Emily Moran > UC Merced > >> >> >> On 2/1/16, 11:23 AM, "Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news on >> behalf of Kay Shenoy" <[email protected] on behalf of >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Does anybody have ideas on how to promote Ecology among Biology >>> undergraduates? We are finding that Biology majors are increasingly >>> focused on health-care fields; many students consider Ecology >>> ³unimportant² for their future careers, and it is not addressed in the >>> MCAT exams, so they give it a low priority. How does one increase >>> enrollment in Ecology courses, and particularly in schools that do not >>> have dedicated Ecology departments? Any thoughts would be welcome! -- Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP Link to online CV and portfolio : https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO “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.
