Re: [ECOLOG-L] Religion Scientific Dogma Great Accomplishments
To develop Wayne's response further, I would speculate that many great human accomplishments are birthed from steady development followed by sudden insight. Some examples that come to mind are... Beethoven was said to stay up for days when composing, and supposedly generated some of his most famous and successful work in a trance-like exhaustive state. Many professional athletes claim that after an intense amount of training, that when the actual competition takes place, they sometimes enter the zone, or a point of intense concentration and physical control. Greek philosophers of antiquity were allegedly to have shouted Eureka! when experiencing an epiphany or other great insight of thought. As Wayne said, the work and accomplishment of many scientists have followed similar patterns. Speaking from my personal experience as a writer, moments of inspiration oft come when you least expect it, and are something best captured when they do occur. In essence, I agree with you, Jane, that all of this phenomenon could very well be rooted to the same basic mental state, where the human brain focuses itself, with its billions of signals firing every minute, long enough to produce a desirable outcome (kill the hunted beast, write a work of art, score the touch down, make a scientific discovery, etc, etc). It will be interesting to see what all is discovered as neurological research continues. Derek
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Science and Religion Dogmatic conflict?
I, too, appreciate Jane's contribution to this conversation. We can only speculate on the origins of religion, since religion originated long before written language, or even cave art (if neanderthal and modern human religion have a common origin; though I will agree with William Silvert that religion probably didn't come about because any gods revealed their existence to our ancestors). However, science can say something about what goes on in the brain when people have religious experiences, and perhaps it can say something about why some people seem to need religion while others couldn't be religious if they wanted to. It can tell us how similar the experience of meditation is to the experience of prayer, or getting mentally absorbed in an anthill, or drawing, or playing an instrument, or driving a car, and so on. Based on a biological understanding of religious experience, plus the archeological evidence, we can form models of how religion originated and evolved in modern humans, and how it is relevant to modern life. I do think the naturalist's trance is basically the same as a religious experience. I don't know of any hard evidence bearing on that, but the experience is similar to those I've had from meditation, intense prayer, playing music, painting pictures, and running much further than a mile or so. Such experiences say nothing at all about whether there is such a thing as divinity, but I think they have a lot to do with the origins of humanity's belief in divinity. Jim Crants On Tue, May 18, 2010 at 8:55 PM, Wayne Tyson landr...@cox.net wrote: Ah-HA! I think she's GOT IT! By Jove, I think she's got it! The rain in Spain . . . Eureka! Peak experiences! As in all art, the concentration of the intellect somehow gets processed by our inner resources, and breaks through back into the conscious after a period of gestation and there is a birth of insight. Burning bushes and other hallucinations aside, just about all scientific discovery is thus produced. WT - Original Message - From: Jane Shevtsov jane@gmail.com To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sent: Monday, May 17, 2010 7:48 PM Subject: 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
[ECOLOG-L] Student feedback for ESA's Centennial Anniversary (1914-2014)
ESA is approaching its Centennial Anniversary (1914-2014)!! The Historical Records Committee (HRC) welcomes ideas from students on how to commemorate the past 100 years! If you have any memories of ESA annual meetings, posters/presentation awards, or stories (heart wrenching, funny, ordinary, any and all) related to ESA, we'd like to hear from you! Pictures with stories are ALWAYS welcome. Students are a main driving force for ESA (EVERYONE was once a student). ESA will soon have its own ESA-Wikipedia and archiving of all things ESA. If you'd like to help ESA remember all the great stories, shoot an email to: Daniel Song (song...@sas.upenn.edu) Please check out the history webpage http://www.esa.org/history/ Rob Salguero-Gomez ESA-Student Section, chair -- Illic est haud via ut prosperitas tamen exsupero in panton .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. Rob Salguero-Gómez PhD candidate EEB Department of Biology, Leidy Labs 321/330, 3740 Hamilton Walk University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA Lab phone: 215-898-8419; 215-898-8608; Fax: 215 898.8780; salgu...@sas.upenn.edu http://sites.google.com/site/RobResearchSite/
[ECOLOG-L] Conference: Invasive Plant Control for Habitat Restoration
Announcing: Save the Date - Good Green, Bad Green Invasive Plant Control for Habitat Restoration A MID-ATLANTIC FOCUSED CONFERENCE Sept. 16 17, 2010 Northern Virginia 4-H Center and Smithsonian Conservation Ecology Center Front Royal, Virginia Auditorium and Field-sessions include: *Species identification techniques *Integrated Pest Management *Treatment demonstrations *Strategies for conducting site triage *Herbicide safety *Restoration successes and challenges Who should attend: *Natural Resource Professionals *Master Naturalists *Consulting Foresters *Landowners *Arborists Horticulturalists *Master Gardeners *You! _ Printable Save-The-Date Flier: http://www.forestryforthebay.org/files/Save%20the%20date.pdfhttp://www.forestryforthebay.org/files/Save%20the%20date.pdf Continuing Education Credits Pending Conference Website in Development To make sure you receive final notice of this conference, please complete this 1 minute survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/goodgreenbadgreenhttps://www.surveymonkey.com/s/goodgreenbadgreen For Sponsorship Opportunities contact: Adam Downing 540-948-6881 or mailto:adown...@vt.eduadown...@vt.edu Respectfully, Adam K. Downing, Extension Agent Forestry Natural Resources - Northern Piedmont Area* Virginia Cooperative Extension, Madison County War Memorial Building, 2nd floor, Main St. P.O. Box 10; Madison, VA 22727 Phone: 540.948.6881 Fax: 540.948.6883 http://offices.ext.vt.edu/madison *Serving the following areas of Virginia: Albemarle, Alexandria, Arlington, Caroline, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Greene, King George, Loudoun, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, Orange, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford
[ECOLOG-L] Research Assistantship position available: beavers on DOD land in AL
Research Assistantship Project Title: Dispersal and source-sink population dynamics of beavers on DOD land in northern Alabama Project Description: One M.S. Research Assistantship is available within the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture at Mississippi State University. The graduate research assistant will develop and conduct a research project to better understand the source-sink population dynamics of beavers using radio telemetry and landscape genetics techniques. The student will collect radio telemetry data and beaver tissue samples and assist in DNA lab analysis. The student will closely work with USDA APHIS Wildlife Biologists and Department of Defense Wildlife Biologists. Qualifications: B.S. degree in wildlife sciences or a related field. Desirable qualifications include excellent written and oral communication skills and good organization skill. A minimum 3.0 GPA and GRE score of 1100 is desired. Coursework in population and spatial ecology would be beneficial. Location: Starkville, Mississippi Starting Date: August 16, 2010 Stipend: $15,000 per year plus tuition and health benefits Closing Date: 30 July 2010 or until position is filled Application: Apply via electronic application within the Office of Graduate Studies, Mississippi State University. Also create a single document (e.g., a PDF) containing the following: 1) cover letter describing credentials and professional goals; 2) a resume; 3) three references; and 4) a copy of university transcripts and GRE/TOEFL scores. The name of the file should contain the first and last name of the applicant (e.g., Jane Doe.pdf). E-mail this file to Dr. Guiming Wang (gw...@cfr.msstate.edu) and Dr. Jimmy Taylor (jimmy.d.tay...@aphis.usda.gov) with Landscape Beaver Assistantship in the subject line. Inquiries: Dr. Guiming Wang; email: gw...@cfr.msstate.edu; phone: 662-325-0414 or Dr. Jimmy Taylor; email: jimmy.d.tay...@aphis.usda.gov; phone: (541) 737-1353 MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER
[ECOLOG-L] NEON- 6 Summer Field Technicians needed-Ordway Swisher Biological Station
Overview The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON, Inc.) is a nonprofit science corporation dedicated to understanding how changes in climate, land use and invasive species impact ecology. Currently under design is the NEON project - an observatory comprising more than 60 environmental and biological monitoring locations distributed throughout twenty domains across the United States, Hawaii, Alaska Puerto Rico. The observatory network will be the first of its kind designed to detect and enable forecasting of ecological change at continental scales over multiple decades. Position Summary Six temporary Field Technicians are needed to assist with field work at the Ordway-Swisher Biological Station (OSBS), part of the University of Florida located in Gainesville, FL. Field-based vegetation measurements will enable calibration of airborne spectrophotometric and LIDAR data that NEON will simultaneously acquire over Ordway-Swisher in late August. Together, the ground-based and airborne vegetation data will form the foundation of NEON’s ability to scale up site based measurements of plant biomass and carbon stocks to regional and continental scales. Timeline This temporary assignment is expected to run between the 9th – 20th of August, 2010. Work will be full days Monday through Friday both weeks during this period with 8-10h days anticipated, with periodic longer hours required. At times work will be starting at dawn through dusk. Project Duties Field technicians will be responsible for the following tasks over the two week period: 1) making measurements of leaf area index (LAI) with a hand- held analyzer in multiple forest types; 2) measuring diameter at breast height, canopy height and canopy width on trees and large shrubs; and 3) identifying trees and large shrubs to species. Training will be provided for all required instruments, and NEON will also instruct the field crew with regard to proper methodology for collecting measurements on vegetation physical structure. Required Qualifications • A valid, current driver's license • Proof of auto insurance • Must be at least 18 years of age • Must be US Citizen • Experience as a field technician Preferred Qualifications • Currently working toward BS, MS, Ph.D. degree in Forestry or Ecology or another related field • Previous experience leading field work, or acting in a lead capacity on a team • Experience with identifying local trees and shrubs • Prior experience with LAI analyzers • Experience with backcountry hiking and navigation (maps, compass, and GPS) • Experience leading hikes, or assisting nature societies with seasonal nature observations • Wildlife safety training course or another safety training course Skills and Abilities: • Ability to follow instructions, a strong work ethic, and enthusiasm • Able to supply personal gear (adequate clothing and boots, etc.) • Ability to work independently and as part of a team • Proficient in MS Office including Excel and Word • Attention to detail and accuracy Physical Abilities • Ability to hike with packs up to 25 lbs (carrying field equipment) to field sites off-trail for distances of up to 3 miles • Ability to work in adverse weather conditions and in all types of terrain Compensation • $12-20 per hr, DOE, plus mileage reimbursement Apply online at www.neoninc.org Be sure to include your resume, cover letter and names of 3 references. NEON Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, Minorities, Veterans and Disabled Persons are encouraged to apply.
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Science and Religion Dogmatic conflict?
Honorable Forum: It is interesting that such a seemingly simple beginning of a professor's dilemma--a student who abandoned biology because heshe could not square evolution with hisher religion--would lead down so many diverse pathways. But then, I suppose one should not be surprised that such a fundamental and widespread phenomenon and issue would be so wide and so deep. The subject and its examination does not defy logic, but the imposition of formal logic might complicate the process of gaining ground on understanding and clarity simply because so few people actually care to become entwined in its abstract riddles, and so few have actually taken courses in it. Other routes to truth may be more circuitous, but may be necessary to actually reach a point of clarity and reconciliation, perhaps for the very reasons Moore points out. Crossing the bridges that language, semantics, and custom, not to mention the convolutions of both specialties and generalizations, may require more patience and less pedantry. But that does not mean that intellectual discipline need be abandoned altogether. The initial sorting out process might be begun by stating a premise, then moving consistently through a process in which the premise and its supporting statements are first subjected to initial judgments as to whether or not they are more likely to be true or untrue, reserving final judgment for further cycles of such winnowing. Any statement will do as a point of beginning, as did the professor's dilemma, and the journey may well stumble upon other issues on the route to its solution. I, for one, am not at all concerned that the original question has not yet been answered. If the professor has followed this discussion and has done hisher own winnowing, heshe may have found another way to engage students on the issue. In the meantime, the discussion has, with notable vigor and maturity, explored many roads less traveled by and maybe even set in motion many adventures that will feed back and nourish the study of ecology in ways that challenge other assumptions and move minds in wondrous ways. WT - Original Message - From: Micah Moore mmoore1...@yahoo.com To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2010 12:12 PM Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Science and Religion Dogmatic conflict? Thank you for making that point. I agree that logic is not the only suitable tool for discovering the truth. I should have been clear about the target audience for the terminology used in that post. Also, I agree that the language I used, currently, would not be efficient when communicating with the majority of human beings. With that in mind, I agree that communication/discussion/explanation/persuasion/information should incorporate morality, emotion, logic etc... in the order and proportions that make the energy expense receivable/usable for the majority of the audience. Maybe the order is emotion, morality then logic. When I examine myself I see that hearing some sort of news elicits emotion first for varying duration based on many variables. That usually leads to my thinking that's not right or what a horrible thing to do. The morality then leads to why does this anger or excite me and why is that right or wrong. I think people who have had the privilege of continuing education(more stimuli) will be more likely to perform introspection, but I believe that you are right in saying that humans encounter many different combinations of emotion, morality and logic. Globally, there is a great diversity of human beings who are unique, and each has encountered unique sets of stimuli across their life(time) that compounds their uniqueness. Because the audience is diverse those, who possess and utilize a diversity of communication skills, will be more capable when attempting to relate with a majority of that diverse audience. When people live in a country where a diversity of languages are spoken, those who are bi, tri or multilingual will likely benefit accordingly. If the majority of a given persons' interactions are with a single language, he or she can afford to invest more in what is needed for primary interactions. This trade-off will be relative to the extent that resources are acquired through social interactions. A person living in the country side that interacts/acquires through a small, less diverse group that speaks one language(including with an accent), can afford not to invest as much energy in learning the languages that are more necessary for the high diversity scenario. The diversity(and complexity) of interactions in our solar system, in turn, favors that diversity of genetics. If energy is to stay in the system termed genes, genes will benefit from genetic diversity to ensure its relative stability(survival). A environment with a diversity of pathogens/diseases etc..., will favor a diversity of genetic code for the immune system. A diversity of soil
[ECOLOG-L] 2-day Workshop | Model Selection and Multimodel Inference, Dr. David R. Anderson
Dear list members, The Alaska SeaLife Center (Seward, AK) will be hosting a 2-day workshop on AIC model selection and model averaging methods presented by Dr. David R. Anderson. We would like to invite others to participate as space remains available. Please read the description below and come join us for this wonderful and informative course! MODEL SELECTION AND MULTIMODEL INFERENCE IN THE LIFE SCIENCES Presented by Dr. David R. Anderson Alaska SeaLife Center | Seward, AK | 26-27 August 2010 | 8am - 5pm This workshop is intended for graduate students, post-docs, faculty, government scientists, resource managers and any other individuals interested in understanding and applying AIC model selection and multimodel inference methods in their work. Please visit the workshop homepage below for more information and to register for this course. Workshop Homepage: http://sites.google.com/site/aslcworkshops/ Contact John Skinner (email: jo...@alaskasealife.org) if interested or you have any questions. Best regards, John ___ John Skinner Research Associate Alaska SeaLife Center 301 Railway Ave Seward, AK 99664 907 224 6888
