I've been thinking for a long time now that we need an "Ecology for Citizens" type class in high school and for non-science majors in college. It could replace the current biology topics that people forget after the test is done and never use again unless it comes up in a trivia game. It would cover the basics, such as the Three Laws of Ecology, overview of various cycles, the difference between weather and climate, different pollution types, sustainability. etc. The intent is offer students what they need to know in order to realize how human actions impact the environment, regardless of career. I think something akin to this could be tailored to the biology students in question. It they have an understanding of topics like pollution vectors, bio-magnification, how biodiversity loss leads to disease outbreaks, etc. they might be a in a better position to advise on policy and recognize oppurtunites to prevent problems in there communities. <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail> This email has been sent from a virus-free computer protected by Avast. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail> <#DDB4FAA8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>
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! > -- Tamathy Stage Master's Candidate Antioch University New England
