Re: [ECOLOG-L] Those rare success stories...

[Malcolm McCallum]

What do you mean by SUCCESS?

Getting a job with a B.S.?
Getting a job with an M.S.?
Getting a job with a Ph.D.?
Getting into graduate school?
Getting a postdoc, temp. asst. prof, or tenure stream position?
getting a non-tenure track teaching or research position?
Getting a technical job?
Getting into professional school (i.e., Law, Medical, Dental, veterinary,
etc.)
Getting financially compensated to the level you feel is adequate?
Having flexibility of time and effort?

Success is a nebulous term.

Education is a gateway that can open doors that are otherwise closed.
however, it will not overcome a bad attitudes, ignorance, or
hard-headheadedness.
IF you are perceived by your peers as a generally toxic individual, or in
someway difficult to get along with, you will find a job difficult.

If your grades are low, you need to do something about it.
What do you?
Raise them by retaking classes or taking advanced courses in same subject.

IF your attitude is crap, what do you do?
Get coaching on how to be a better co-worker. Then, put it on your CV
(there are plenty of these training courses)
(it is pretty easy to get negative when you are stuck in a job-seeking rut)

You lack teaching experience as a PHD?
Get teaching experience, or go get a teaching certificate so you can
demonstrate classroom management skills.
I did this by accepting adjunct positions at community colleges.
I also substitute taught in K-12.  It wasn't long and I was doing extended
substitute teaching, and I was the preferred substitute on most teacher's
lists.  You might find you like it, I did and would today be a highschool
teacher had I not been admitted into a few PHD programs at the same time.

Your generalized test scores are too low?
Take a class, examine the test and find out your weak areas, then
strengthen them.
I did this by getting a word list.
I also realized after taking the Biology GRE that I didn't know squat about
molecular biology, so I enrolled in recombinant DNA and then molecular
genetics.

The jobs are advertising skills you don't have?
Get them.
After my MS I enrolled in grantsmanship (public admin), rastor and
vector-based GIS, and some entomology courses.
The first year I was in my PHD I took animal ecology,  environmental
chemistry, environmental instrumentation, immunology.
(Because these were almost universally asked for on federal job
applications back then!).
I also started dual enrollment in an MPA (abandoned upon entry to PHD) and
M.ED.

You have advanced degrees but no or few publications?
Publish your data. Take the time to write it up and do it.
Keep publishing.
IF you have no lab and no resources, do things you can do with no lab and
no resources.
A person who publishes typically keeps publishing.
A person who doesn't publish, typically does not suddenly start
publishing.
(This is a perception you shoudl be aware of).

You have all the above but are not getting interviews?
are your reference letters getting old?
Are your references dependable? (This is seldome the problem, very
seldom!!).
Are your references appropriate?  (your highschool swimming coach is not a
valid reference for a professor of ecophysiology!!!).
IS your CV accurate, complete?
Do you have multiple versons of your CV:  1) teaching version for teaching
schools (most regionals, lower profile liberal arts colleges, and lecturer
vacancies). 2) CV for research vacancies, 3) CV for doctoral programs, 4)
CV for BS programs, 5) CV for Comm. College vacancies, 6) CV for consulting
or industrial positions, 7) CV for federal jobs, 8) CV for state jobs.
Different cover letters are needed too!

Where are you applying?
If all you apply to are top tier vacancies, your adds are not good. Most
vacancies are at regional state universities, not research schools, if you
are talking about PHD level teaching.  If you are talking about MS level,
most vacancies are at highschools, not community colleges!  There is
basically no difference between teaching high school, community college,
and freshman-sophomore BS students.  Seriously!  The problems are the same,
the answers are the same.  My personal experience is that workload is least
at community colleges, Then, workload grows in this order:  highschool,
BS-only programs, MS granting programs, doctoral programs, MD/DDS
programs.  (yes, teaching one course a year in an professional doctoral
program is way more difficult than the others.  WHy?  Clicks are worse, the
dishonest students are brilliant in their dishonesty, your classroom is
filled with type-A personalities!
DO NOT PIGEON HOLE YOURSELF!  DO NOT FALL TO PRECONCEPTIONS, PREJUDICE, AND
OTHER ANGLES THAT ARE IRRELEVANT.  DO NOT APPLY TO PLACES YOU KNOW YOU WILL
HATE.

IF you have a few pubs, no citations, no funded grants, you are very
unlikely to get a job at Harvard as a curator!
IF you have piles of papers in Science and a track record of grants, you
will find it hard to get hired at a small community college.
If you are from New York City, 

[ECOLOG-L] bioarxiv (questions about)

[Malcolm McCallum]

Hi,
Do many of you use bioarxiv?
I recently became familiar with it, and in searching literature, I noticed
many papers deposited in it have citations in excess of 100.  It brought me
to wondering about the role of a preprint server, and read about 30-40
different commentaries and research articles about preprint servers last
night.  the parallel preprint server in physics and math, arxiv, has been
around since 1991.  There are a growing number of people who put their
paper in the database, then update it, but don't ever publish it.  There
are a number of op-eds and such that suggest these servers will never or
absolutely will replace journals in the near future.

I have to wonder how long it will be before this overtakes journals for
scholarly communication.

1. some funders are requiring papers to be deposited in a preprint server..
2. there is no delay.
3. there is opportunity for feedback, sort of a post-peer review, and for
you to revise the article, with all versiions freely available.
4. it is fully accessible by Google Scholar, probably the most used
scholarly search engine at this time.
5. it is fully citable in a manuscript, I saw some that had over 150, and
one with 180 citations.  A lot were in the 30's.
6.  outside of tenure and review committees, the purpose of pubs is
communication, so if 1-5 are true, I have to wonder why I should fork out
$1500 to some journal to put my findings behind a paywall.  Yes, I plan to
publish what I have already posted, but it has crossed my mind as to
whether there is even a point.  One could even question whether a typical
tenure and review committee would even notice or care if these are
preprints and not publications if one has been cited dozens or hundreds of
times.  This is further reinforced by a trend to evaluating scientists
based on their citations and their paper's citations rather than on the
citations to the journals in which they have published (investigator impact
instead of journal impact).

Anyone else starting to wonder about this?

-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

Ratemyprofessor: http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=706874

*Confidentiality Notice:* This e-mail message, including any attachments,
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intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy
all copies of the original message.

“*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*

"...Every time they kick your teeth down your throat in this business, and
believe me, they will, you get right back up and say that to yourself. Hey,
it worked for me and the boys!” John Lennon

*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!" Charleton Heston as Detective Thorn
2022: "People were always awful, but their was a world once, and it was
beautiful.' Edward G. Robinson as Sol Roth.

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

[ECOLOG-L] aquaculture/aquaponics/water quality research scientist

[Malcolm McCallum]

We just advertised a vacancy for a research scientist in cooperative
research and extension at Langston University (Oklahoma) who works in some
area of aquaculture, aquaponics and water quality.  This has a short
deadline...Jan 18.

https://okstate.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?site=10=4324

Have a nice day!

-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist and Program Leader
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

Ratemyprofessor: http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=706874

*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.

“*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!" Charleton Heston as Detective Thorn
2022: "People were always awful, but their was a world once, and it was
beautiful.' Edward G. Robinson as Sol Roth.

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

[ECOLOG-L] bill to eliminare pub service forgiveness for grad students.

[Malcolm McCallum]

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/363175-gop-bill-would-eliminate-student-loan-forgiveness-for-those-who-enter

Re: [ECOLOG-L] A question re: Holling's disk equation

[Malcolm McCallum]

You are dealing with objects that have essentially the same handling time
in reality.

I used the disc equation in my MS thesis.

As it turned out there were a number of prey antipredator behaviors that
led to differences in swallowing time.

Your differences are undoubtedly due to differences among these three prey
items, and their handling times in the mouth.
Skittles are substantially harder to chew than eitehr of the otehr two
items. Therefore, your handling time for them is longer because they
require longer to chew.  Cheezeits require longer to chew than cherios.

Further, the "enjoyment factor" may lead to slowing down to enjoy the more
attacked food!

Preference leads to skittles being attacked more frequently, and they take
longer to chew.
Cherios are less tasty than either cheezits or skittles, and require way
less time to chew.

Handling time includes chewing in the mouth

On Fri, Nov 3, 2017 at 4:38 PM, Brown, Christopher 
wrote:

> To all,
>
>
>
> On a lazy Friday afternoon, I have a semi-trivial question that the list
> just doesn’t seem to see much of anymore! Every year in my ecology lab I
> have the students test Holling’s equation relative to a predator’s
> functional response:
>
>
>
> Pe = aNT / (1 + aNh),
>
>
>
> where Pe is # of prey eaten, N is # of prey available, a is
> attack/encounter rate between predator and prey, T is available search
> time, and h is handling time. A number of years ago, an article in Bulletin
> of the ESA showed that you can invert this equation and use it to have the
> students estimate attack rate and handling time as a simple linear equation:
>
>
>
> 1/Pe = (1/aT)*(1/N) + h/T
>
>
>
> If you plot 1/Pe vs. 1/N, then the slope = 1/aT and the Y-intercept = h/T.
> The students have a bunch of N and Pe numbers, and T is constant, so they
> can plot this and estimate attack rates and handling times. So far, so
> good. However, every year I do this it comes out that prey that are eaten
> more easily (i.e., that have higher Pe counts) end up with lower attack
> rates than prey that have lower Pe counts. For example, this year my values
> of “a” estimated this way were 0.0212 for Skittles, 0.0158 for Cheez-Its,
> 0.0133 for M, and 0.0121 for Cheerios… which is the exact opposite of
> what I and the students expect! Cheerios have the highest consumption rate,
> yet the lowest attack rate; Skittles have the lowest consumption rate, yet
> the highest attack rate. Essentially, when plotting the data this way, prey
> that have higher #s consumed have steeper slopes, which leads to lower
> estimates of attack rate.
>
>
>
> I’ve always thought that there’s some obvious reason, either mathematical
> or biological, for this that simply continually escapes me. For example,
> maybe this equation just doesn’t “work” for this particular situation, but
> the reason why it wouldn’t isn’t clear to me. Does anyone have an
> explanation for this apparent conundrum?!
>
>
>
> CAB
>
> **
>
> Chris Brown
>
> Associate Professor
>
> Dept. of Biology, Box 5063
>
> Tennessee Tech University
>
> Cookeville, TN 38505
>
> Email: cabr...@tntech.edu
>
>
>



-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

Ratemyprofessor: http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=706874

*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.

“*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 

[ECOLOG-L] fisheries/aquaculture classroom software

[Malcolm McCallum]

Hi,
can anyone recommend any educational software that targets fisheries
management and or aquaculture production.  I am teaching fisheries and
would like to do some simulation stuff.  I do have some research software
from NOAA that I will incorporate.  Any ideas welcome.

Thanks in advance and sorry for duplicate posts among the two listserves.

-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

Ratemyprofessor: http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=706874

*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.

“*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!" Charleton Heston as Detective Thorn
2022: "People were always awful, but their was a world once, and it was
beautiful.' Edward G. Robinson as Sol Roth.

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

Re: [ECOLOG-L] basic statistics textbooks

[Malcolm McCallum]

Electronic Statistics Textbook (free online since 1995):
http://www.statsoft.com/Textbook

Online resource: http://stattrek.com/


On Mon, Sep 18, 2017 at 10:32 AM, Gregory Zimmerman 
wrote:

> I use Gotelli and Ellison because it has the broadest coverage (classical,
> maximum likelihood, re-randomization and bayesian) but it is a bit of a
> stretch for my intro biostats students. . The class has a lab so I'm not
> that concerned with examples -- we cover that in lab (we use R in lab after
> getting the students started with excel ). Thanks for the lead on the
> Glover and Mitchell text.
> Gregory Zimmerman, Professor of Biology, Lake Superior State U, Sault
> Sainte Marie MI
>
>


-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

Ratemyprofessor: http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=706874

*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.

“*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!" Charleton Heston as Detective Thorn
2022: "People were always awful, but their was a world once, and it was
beautiful.' Edward G. Robinson as Sol Roth.

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

[ECOLOG-L] Fwd: [SANET-MG] Iowa Lawmakers Push to Dismantle Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture - DTN Progressive Farmer

[Malcolm McCallum]

I felt this is probably of interest to some on Ecolog.

-- Forwarded message --
From: Lawrence London 
Date: Fri, Apr 21, 2017 at 8:26 PM
Subject: [SANET-MG] Iowa Lawmakers Push to Dismantle Leopold Center for
Sustainable Agriculture - DTN Progressive Farmer
To: permaculture , sanet...@googlegroups.com



Iowa Lawmakers Push to Dismantle Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
- DTN Progressive Farmer
https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/world-
policy/article/2017/04/19/iowa-lawmakers-push-dismantle-
center?referrer=facebook#.WPllMtQIum4.facebook
Cost-Cutting Sustainability
Iowa Lawmakers Push to Dismantle Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
, DTN Ag Policy Editor
4/19/2017 | 8:44 AM CDT
AddThis Sharing Buttons
865
Field days on crop rotations and organic farming have been among the
mainstays for the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State
University. Iowa lawmakers, however, have voted to eliminate the center
after 30 years. (Courtesy photo)

OMAHA (DTN) -- Just three weeks ago, the Leopold Center for Sustainable
Agriculture at Iowa State University was celebrating its 30th anniversary
with guest lecturers, including some of the former state legislators who
helped create the center.

But in a surprise move last week at the Iowa statehouse, lawmakers voted to
eliminate the sustainable agriculture research center by zeroing out the
Leopold Center's entire funding stream.

Iowa officials started the center, which is named after Iowa native and
famed ecologist Aldo Leopold, during the 1980s farm crisis as a way to help
educate farmers on alternative crops, livestock practices and conservation.
Its programs focus heavily on organics, cover crops and water quality
issues within the state. In recent years, the center has also worked on
long-term climate research, local foods, soil health and biodiversity. The
center also funds small grants to farmers and local projects.

Supporters note that Leopold Center's cutting-edge work may not have an
immediate effect, but it eventually has a greater influence on farmers down
the line. The Leopold Center, for instance, was championing the benefits of
cover crops long before cover crops became cool.

Despite a strong showing of support at a hearing Monday morning, the Iowa
Senate voted later that day on an appropriations bill that would eliminate
roughly $1.5 million that goes to the Leopold Center and shift its funding
to the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, which was created by the state
Legislature in 2013. The Iowa House of Representatives followed suit on
Tuesday.

In a debate, some lawmakers argued the center had fulfilled its mission, or
that there is so much other research taking place that the consequences of
losing the Leopold Center wouldn't be that dire. Others argued that not
every farmer in Iowa has thousands of acres of land. The center has helped
those who farm with fewer acres and organic farmers. Furthermore, the
conservation research coming out of the Leopold Center has helped farmers
statewide.

The votes to terminate the sustainability center came just days before the
69th anniversary of Leopold's death. The legislation now goes to Iowa Gov.
Terry Branstad, who actually signed the original law in 1987, creating the
Leopold Center.

"We were blindsided by this," Mark Rasmussen, director of the Leopold
Center, told DTN. "We don't know where this came from."

The center survives on a tax set on fertilizer, which generates roughly
$1.5 million that goes to the center, as well as a $397,000 line item from
the Iowa Board of Regents. Under the legislation, both of those funding
streams would be eliminated.

Aaron Lehman, president of the Iowa Farmers Union, also serves on the
advisory board of the Leopold Center and testified Monday before the
Legislature to save the funding. The center had a lot of support at the
hearing, he said. Lehman said eliminating the center "would be a
devastating blow to the work of family farmers in Iowa."

Lehman noted that family farmers are facing more financial stress and
looking for some innovative solutions to stay in business. At the same
time, farmers are being asked to do more to address issues such as water
quality in the state.

"So as both of those things are happening, we're taking tools out of their
tool box," Lehman said. "All of the great research that comes out of the
Leopold Center focuses on on-the-farm practices. And the board that
oversees the research and helps guide the research is made up of a broad
spectrum of farmers. It's very farm and field focused, and this is
absolutely the wrong time to take that innovation away from us."

Lehman noted that farmers union leaders in other states often talk about
the work of the Leopold Center as well. An Iowa State University archive
website shows that studies and reports from the center have been downloaded
more than 25,000 times.

Lehman and others indicated the 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Limbaugh belittles extinction crisis

[Malcolm McCallum]

Conservative and Liberal political commentary are largely brainwashing
America.  When a good solution to anything is developed it is essential to
consider the concerns and desires of all involved.  When people believe
that republicans wear golden halos and democrats are scum, or that
republicans are scum and democrats are holy, one misses the boat.  It is
difficult to imagine any individual whose entire ideology matches more than
3/4 of what eitehr of these groups stand for.  Each has its ideas that are
good or bad, effective or not effective, and even bought by the highest
bidding superpac.  The idea that any far right or left individual is
willing to objectively consider the ideas of the other side is not very
likely.  However, I believe that a large chunk of the voter-base simply
have been fenced off from the ideas of the other side, although willing to
objectively consider evidence posed in a manner that they can understand
and consider.

Even among academics, who should be the most objective and the least
part-bound citizens, there is an obvious filtering of  political
information or ideas often composed of notions that are simply not
correct.  One thing Trump is right about, you cannot trust the information
posed in the media.  Why?  much of it is biased, at least some of it is
completely wrong, and much of it is slanted to support one side or the
other.

IF all you hear is one side of the story (in politics), you are probably
grossly misinformed.  Everyone needs to review what was really said and in
what context when they hear an accusation or contention in regard to
politicians,...on both sides of the aisle.  As scientists, we should be
politically agnostic.  Equally willing to help either side, consider each
side's ideas, and assist in developing solutions that resolve disagreements
instead of amplifying them.  These are imperfect parties composed of
imperfect people, just as we scientists are imperfect.  The extreme
isolation of ideas that is promoted by both liberal and conservative news
media is in many ways fueling this problem.

I suspect that if you took the conservative half of democrats and the
liberal half of republicans, that we would find there is more in common
among those two groups than with the far right or left of their own
parties.  Hence, engaging misinformed environmental/ecological ideas that
are not in line with current dogma should be effective for eliciting
progress. This assumes my suspicion about information isolation and
ideological affinities is even close to accurate.

We cannot continue on the current path we are on.  Each new term cannot
involve rash overturn of policies replaced by other extreme policies.  Such
instability can only lead to an upheaval of governmental stability and
effectiveness.  Stable policies are more effective, even if they do not
satisfy the full needs of all involved, and they assist in economic
stability as well.

You can't always get what you want, but sometimes, you get what you need.
(sounds like a song lyric? RS!).  THis philosophy needs to be incorporated
into our political system rather than my way or the highway.  Getting half
of what you want is better than nothing, and sometimes it ends up better
than all of what you wanted... because some of what you wanted was simply
wrong.

Admitting some of your own ideas can and are probably wrong is the first
step to negotiation in politics and life.
More of us need to use this as a position of power to elicit progress
instead of assuming we have all the answers about everything.

On Wed, Jul 19, 2017 at 9:24 PM, Peter Morrison 
wrote:

> The Big Question:  Is it possible to change the minds of people that listen
> to and believe Rush Limbaugh?  This would be a great scientific study.
> Perhaps some scientist could determine the success rate of various methods
> for changing minds of his listeners? The results would be very interesting!
>
>
> Kind regards, Peter Morrison
>
> -Original Message-
> From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news
> [mailto:ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] On Behalf Of John Perrine
> Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2017 3:47 PM
> To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
> Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Limbaugh belittles extinction crisis
>
> Apparently, some people think Rush Limbaugh "is a big fat idiot."
>
> https://www.amazon.com/Rush-Limbaugh-Big-Fat-Idiot/dp/0440508649
>
> While Malcolm's points are undoubtedly valid, I wonder who of the folks
> that
> listen to Rush Limbaugh will find them compelling.  We can preach to our
> choir, but I wonder if we'll change any minds, especially among those who
> think we academics are pointy-headed whiners who worship trees and are
> ultimately trying to destroy the American economy.
>
> If anything, you could send this thread and its supporting evidence to Al
> Franken to use in his next book, read into the Congressional Record, etc.
>
> - John P.
>
>
> John D. Perrine, PhD
>   Associate Professor / Curator of 

[ECOLOG-L] Limbaugh belittles extinction crisis

[Malcolm McCallum]

Please draw your attention to this morning's declaration by Rush Limbaugh
that we are not in a biodiversity crisis.  The transcript is posted at:
https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2017/07/13/rush-247-morning-update-mass-
extinction/

Limbaugh uses this opportunity to claim only a handful of scientists claim
a problem exists.  Specifically, this problem is the impending Sixth Mass
extinction at whose doorstep we sit or stand. He points fingers at
prominent research Paul Ehrlich, claiming he is full of it, and belittles
his accomplishments in other ways.

The first point for us on Ecolog is that this work is not simply the work
of a single researcher (Paul Ehrlich), and is certainly more than a handful
of scientists.  Multiple researchers have addressed this topic, and much of
the current production spans groups and individuals connected or completely
unconnected with Paul Ehrlich.  Further, despite the variation in
assumptions, mathematical approaches, and backgrounds of this widely
divergent group of investigators, many of whom have never met have come to
virtually the same conclusion.

That is, 1) extinctions taking place since 1500, and definitely since 1980
are absurdly high and in line with those observed in mass extinctions, 2)
if we continue with losses at this rate, we will look back in just a few
decades to centuries and recognize that we have watched a rapid mass
extiction take place, and 3) the cause of this extinction, without any
doubt or question is our own doing, and we are so close to the tipping
point where there is no turning back, it really is a catastrophe in
waiting.

This projection is not new, and hints that it might be taking place go back
decades.  In the 1981 Dr. Ehrlich warned in his book "Extinction," that we
were on track to enormous losses.  In 1995, Pimm compared avian extinctions
to that of the fossil record.  Also, around that time Sepkoski (I believe)
calculated that current rates were sufficient to drive a mass extinction in
very short time.  Numerous other researchers have followed this up over the
decades since.  In 2007, I published a paper on amphibian extinctions using
fuzzy intervals that simply stated they were going extinct faster than seen
previously in the fossil record.  A year later, David Wake and Vrendenberg
published a paper in PNAS questioning if we were facing a sixth mass
extinction.  This was followed in 2010 or 11 by Barnosky et al., who also
questioned if massive losses were reminiscent of a mass extinction.  Pimm
then followed this in 2012 in Science stating more of the same.
Biodiversity and Conservation published my paper in 2015, a study
restricted to vertebrates and using fuzzy math that demonstrated current
losses are not typical, and that the timeframes for complete extinction of
all vertebrate species would decimate the planet in decades to centuries
depending on how liberal or conservative you were with data and
assumptions.  This was within weeks followed by Ceballos et al.'s paper in
Science Advances for which Limbaugh is now attacking.  Alroy, followed here
with extinction comparisons in PNAS for reptiles.  Just recently, there was
a special issue in one of the top journals on this crisis .

When you have this many groups looking at similar data sets in the same
way, deducing similar outcomes, it is hard to poo-poo it.  Granted, there
are disagreements among all of us.  I suggest we should be using fuzzy
math, Barnosky's team suggests we should be using a special estimator to
gauge for variation, etc.  However, the key thing here, like with climate
change, is that we are arguing semantics.  The theoretical points are
trivial from an applied view.  It just doesn't matter whether we have 30
years or 100 years or 1000 years, expecially when you consider some of
these mass extictions may have lasted millions of years!  Few were
definitely overnight events, adn the shortest ones were far longer than
what we are most likely going to face if we continue status quo.

I believe it is vital that everyone on here be aware of the message of the
Sixth Mass Extinction.  It is a warnign that we we are at a signpost.  We
are currently on a trajectory to massive losses.  One can argue if we are
in or not in a mass extinction, but its trivial.  I personally argue we
will be if we move forward as we have, but can cut it off as a blip on the
screen if we do something NOW.

It is important, frankly it is essential that each of us take the time to
challenge the misinformation sourced to pundits incorporated when they are
clearly intended to reduce the confidence in science and raise opinion
broadcasters' influence.  They get a nice payraise from their funders every
time they can poo poo a scientist.  The rest of us, at least the main
components of society, lose when these ill-intended pundits have the upper
hand.  We lose our potential, our ability to better the world, our ability
to support society, our ability to promote the greater good, and in this
case, 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Scientists urged not to publish locations of endangered species

[Malcolm McCallum]

The journal Herpetological Conservation and Biology has, since its
inception, provided for authors to upload location data in a locked file.
This file can only be accessed by people with a legit reason for
downloading it, and permission must be obtained from the authors or if
deceases, the editor of HCB.  We did this for the very reason outlined in
this article.  it was a way to ensure location data was available for legit
uses while protecting the locations from poachers and the like.
I believe this is a more scientifically sound approach because it ensures
studies can be replicated and that the study is actually real.  Lets face
it, some dishonest person could claim facts without evidence if the data is
not available.
Although their heart may be in the right place, if the data is not attached
to the publication in some fashion, it is largely undependable.  In fact,
the NPS requires datapoints be collected with 99% CI on locations because
of the questions involved with replicability.  At least they did when I
last did field studies with them. Scientists are not immune to bias or
dishonesty.  Many are, but it only takes one Conservation Scientist who
falsifies locations to soil our entire pot.  Location data is very
important for QA/QC and validation.  Simply dropping data in a museum or
agency is potentially LESS protected from ill-doers and potentially less
accessible for legit users than a locked file with permissions.  Files can
be held inside the deep web portion of the journal, protecting it from
access by outsiders.  However, data placed in museum collections or
libraries are seriously at risk.  University Museums across the country
have suffered serious cuts and often closure.  Then, consolidation or
adoption by other entities.  Often, they go untended for years as posts are
left vacant.  I personally recommend that every paper should have locked
files AND the data be deposited in a secure collection environment.  The
locations of these data should be indicated ini the actual paper so that a
paper trail to find them if required for legit purposes arises.
Results without the full story are seriously susceptible to corruption
within the discipline, but they are also subject to ridicule or discounting
in a courtroom where such data can be deemed mandatory to pursue actions.
Simply keeping it in a scientist's lab is not sufficient to protect future
needs, demands, or crises.  These data MUST be in multiple secure
locations, and all manuscripts should without exception include locked
documents that can be accessed following appropriate protective channels.

Malcolm L. McCallum

On Mon, Jun 12, 2017 at 11:59 AM, Erik Hoffner 
wrote:

> Interesting, in case you missed it in Science a couple weeks ago:
>
> http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/endangered-
> species-scientists-urged-not-publish-location-poachers-
> find-hunt-kill-animals-chinese-a7763156.html
>
> “Our research permits demand that location records be uploaded to
> open-access government wildlife atlases. Soon after uploading records,
> people seeking the rare worm-lizard were caught trespassing, upsetting
> farmers, damaging important rocky outcrop habitats, and jeopardising
> scientist-farmer relationships that have taken years to establish. The
> scientists have called on others to follow the lead of publications such as
> Zootaxa, which will publish taxonomic descriptions of new species but
> without any location information."
>
> Mongabay published a nice interview about this issue a few years ago:
> https://news.mongabay.com/2011/12/the-dark-side-of-new-species-discovery/
> ...good to see some scientists making more noise about this.
>
> Erik
>
> --
>
> See my latest writing and photojournalism projects here
> 
>
> *tw: @erikhoffner *
>



-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

Ratemyprofessor: http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=706874

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“*Nothing is more priceless and worthy of 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Nature view on weakness of current publishing trends and the impact on reviewing

[Malcolm McCallum]

the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of many areas of biology are
causing this.  interdisciplinary studies were always supposed to be done by
multidisciplinary groups of individuals each doing their part in the
grander project.  with the increasing numbers of people who are trained in
multidiscplinary fields (e.g. environental science, bioinformatics, etc.),
many studies that once were done my multiple people can be done by one or
two.  The idea that huge datasets are a hinderance or mansions of straw is
certainly at the fringe of statistical and scientific thought.  I do,
however, feel the attempt to make a paper the "whole story" slows science.
IT is this desire that creates the scenario you had to wade through.  When
everyone is trying to publish the coplete story, some of those people die,
change jobs, get furlowed, and piles of publishable work goes unpublished
as a result.  It would be better in my opinion, if people published each
experiment as it was completed.  then, followed up the series of
experiments with a capstone review article that pulled together all those
miscellany.  This way, findings would not be lost due to the whims of life
and time that frequently become hazards for scientists in all fields.
 science moves faster when publishing is regular.  Imagine if Darwin had
published each of those observations one after another, then released his
book bringing it all together.  He might not have had to share the
limelight with the father of biogeography!

progress is difficult for everyone, and the extreme changes in data
quantity and analysis undoubtedly mirror what happened with the
introduction of genetics in the 1960s and the proliferation of molecular
methods.  I suspect that those early biologists reviewing papers with new
complicated molecular methods and ideas found themselves in much the say
quagmire you relate with the data.  In the end, molecular biology proved to
be a revolution that answered a multitude of questions and revealed things
we could never have imagined prior.  The big data problems are doing this
same kind of thing, often with genetic data, but also with piles of
environmental data that previously could not have been analyzed due to its
formidable size.

I really do think these new developments are good things, even though many
of us find the quantity of data and analyses formidable.

However, I am pretty biased in my views here because I have been working
with internet query data that is pretty voluminous, biodiversity and
paleontological calculations, and am just starting a five-year research
collaboration in environmental genomics. not quite the data volumes others
work with, but it sure is a lot of data!
:)

Malcolm

On Wed, May 24, 2017 at 1:38 PM, David Duffy  wrote:

> "Overly broad claims push the peer-review system past its limit. Although
> I am a seasoned reviewer, I find it difficult to wade through the
> increasing amount of data in papers, and often encounter material where I
> am not an expert. If this trend continues, it will be necessary to take
> mini-sabbaticals to review papers. Editors might successfully gather
> reviewers with complementary backgrounds to examine such broad papers, but
> they do so at the expense of having multiple experts scrutinize the same
> experiments. And I worry that the supplemental section, which reviewers
> tend to inspect less thoroughly, can be used to bury weak data."
>
>
> http://www.nature.com/news/publish-houses-of-brick-not-
> mansions-of-straw-1.22029?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20170525&
> spMailingID=54132792=MzUwNzYwMDk5OTgS1=
> 1164061838=MTE2NDA2MTgzOAS2
>
> --
> David Duffy
> 戴大偉 (Dài Dàwěi)
> Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit/Makamakaʻāinana
> Botany
> University of Hawaii/*Ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi*
> 3190 Maile Way
> Honolulu Hawaii 96822 USA
> 1-808-956-8218
>



-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

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all copies of the original message.

“*Nothing is more priceless and worthy of preservation than the rich 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Editor bias in peer review

[Malcolm McCallum]

The editor of most journals is the gatekeeper.
Therefore, inquiry with the editor or a member of the editorial staff as to
if your paper is appropriate is very important, especially when submitting
to journals like Ecology, PNAS, etc.  With PNAS, discussion with an academy
member is probably sufficient (and largely important!).  As you traverse
from generalized international journals like Science and Nature to
specialized journals like a specific taxon journal, or regionalized like
Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, there is a tendency for editors
to increasingly treat reviewer decisions as law, and follow their
recommendations closely.  However, PNAS for example, will reject your paper
outright if you get a single non-accept decision, so I am making a gross
generalization here.  This general trend causes people to have difficulty
when they submit to generalized vs. specialized/regionalized journals.  The
writing style and content are much differently approached.  In a
specialized journal, you are writing for an audience that has a specific,
detailed understanding of your field.  For a generalized audience, you are
addressing a homogenous group of readers who range from novice to expert
and from poorly to extremely educated.

For a paper to get published in a very generalized journal, it is essential
that the author defend to the editor that their paper will be of interest
to a generalized audience.  Then, the paper must be written in a manner
that targets that audience.  This is largely in conflict with the way we
write for a specialized journal.

Explaining why a paper on fungus beetle evolution is of interest to the
general community may be very difficult.  THus, we seen tons of specialists
with specialized manuscripts unable to get in major generalized journals.
However, it does happen.  The clear key issue here when your paper is said
not to be of generalized interest is to figure out why your paper is of
generalized interest, defend it to the editor in an effective manner, and
get through that hurdle.  Sometimes, upon critical, objective
consideration, we discover our paper is in fact NOT of generalized interest
due to content, writing style, or current trends.

The first step to bridging the gap between writing for specialists and
writing for generalized audiences is to ensure your writing is in line with
the audiences involved.  This is not a simple task.  I suspect the recent
program at ESA (?) will address some of this?  At the end of the day, done
is better than perfect sometimes.  PUblished in a speciality journal
instead of a generalized journal is way better than aging in a drawer or
computer file.

Too many of us get overly-focused on where we publish rather than IF we
publish.  Publishing is not hard, writing in a manner that transcends our
specializations to inform a general audience is very hard for people who
are trained to write to their specialist peers.

Perhaps having a few people who regularly publish in said generalized
outlets read and comment on your paper would help you reach that goal.

My dept. chair (an endowed position) a few years ago came out of Johns
Hopkins and had published in the extreme generalized journals a lot.  We
were talking about publishing because I had a paper in peer review with one
of the top tier generalized journals (not sure if I should say name or not,
so left off!).  However, he stopped doing it.  Why?  Because his
discipline's journal was plenty good enough for him (as he put it).  In
fact, he said he published almost every paper in the same journal during
the past 5-10 years (I forgot how long he had been there).  His point to me
was that it was more important to be published than where to be published.
Clearly, getting hits in bigtime outlets is important, but it is not the
end-game.  I think he was partly preparing me for the likely possiblity my
paper would be rejected (heck, only 10% of submissions made the peer-review
stage!).  It did, I got a great peer review, submitted it elsewhere and it
was published, and has been cited A LOT.

I guess the bottom line is that if your work is good, where it gets
published is not as important as one thinks.  Likewise, if your work is
bad, it only matters to the journal that published it!

Never be ashamed of not getting in , what is
shaming, is waffling on submitting and not publishing the work you did (or
not doing any work in the first place within the constraints of your
conflicting responsibilities!)

:)


On Fri, May 19, 2017 at 11:11 AM, Edwin Cruz-Rivera <
edwin.cruzriv...@uvi.edu> wrote:

> Dear all,
>
>I apologize for the cross listing. We are trying to cover as broad a
> canvas as possible:
>
> In the past years, journals have increased the responsibilities of
> editors-in-chief to the point that they have become gatekeepers of their
> publications. The bottom line is that papers get sent out to peer reviewers
> only when editors say so, if they deem the article to be "of broad enough

[ECOLOG-L] Fwd: #perchgate - Would you have spotted the fraud?

[Malcolm McCallum]

Check this out..
-- Forwarded message --
From: Irene Zweimüller 
Date: Fri, Apr 28, 2017 at 2:56 PM
Subject: #perchgate - Would you have spotted the fraud?
To: fish-...@segate.sunet.se


<>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>
>
  REPLIES WILL BE SENT TO THE FISH-SCI LIST
<><  <><  <><  <><  <><  <><  <><  <><  <><  <><  <><  <><  <><

Several scientists twittered, that a study published in Science

Lönnstedt & Eklöv (2016): Environmentally relevant concentrations of
microplastic particles influence larval fish ecology

Science 352: 1213-1216

was more or less "thin air", e.g. not all of the experiments described were
carried out. The University started an investigation and concluded
misconduct.

Now my question: as a reviewer, would you have detected the fraud?

I found some mistakes in the statistics of the materials and methods
sections (Supplement), but I´m not sure I would have raised hell about the
data.

Is it the responsibility of the reviewer to check, whether there was in
fact an experiment performed? Or the responsibility of the University /
field station etc to make sure, people do in fact work?

How suspicious do we have to be?

I always thought, that fish are too unpredictable to fake fish studies

kind regards
Irene

-- 

Dr. Irene Zweimüller
Fakultät für Lebenswissenschaften
Dept. für Integrative Zoologie
Althanstr. 14
A-1090 Wien
Österreich

Faculty of Lifesciences
Dept. for Integrative Zoology
Althanstr. 14
A-1090 Vienna
Austria
--

<>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>
>
For information, send INFO FISH-SCI to lists...@segate.sunet.se

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-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
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“*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
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2000:  Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction *MAY*
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beautiful.' Edward G. Robinson as Sol Roth.

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Wealth w/o work
Pleasure w/o conscience
Knowledge w/o character
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Re: [ECOLOG-L] Managing Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and Other Significant Decisions: DOI > $100 K

[Malcolm McCallum]

This is simple to deal with.
award no grant of over $100,000.
IF a program requires $300,000, then write the grant into three $100,000
grants in which each pays for 1/3 of the project.  IF some item is involved
that is over $100K, then break it up into components.  $100,000 building?
Ok, $90,000 for the building, second grant of $10,000 for installation of a
bathroom after the fact.

IN fact, this kind of thing has been done oodles of times to avoid
difficult or cumbersome policies.



On Fri, Apr 21, 2017 at 4:29 PM, David Duffy  wrote:

>
> This new policy from the Secretary of the Interior may cause massive
> disruption for projects across the country. I apologize for the terrible
> cute and paste. --David Duffy
>
>
> APR 12 *2017*
>
>
> *To: Assistant Secretaries*
>
> *Heads of Bureaus and Office Directors*
>
> *From: Secretary*
>
> *Subject: *Managing Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and Other Significant
> Decisions
>
>
>
> A hallmark of my management of the Department of the Interior (Department)
> will be empowering local managers to make responsible decisions. Local
> managers are closest to the public we serve and to the precious resources we
> manage on their behalf. I also have a duty to learn about the
> Department's operations as I take the helm of the ship. Only by
> understanding the varied operations will I be able to lead this great 
> Department
> in fulfilling its important mission on behalf of the American people.
>
>
>
> The Department annually distributes $5.5 billion in grants and
> cooperative agreements to a variety of grantees and cooperators to
> advance mission objectives. In order to help me to understand the immense
> impact grants and cooperative agreements have on the mission delivery of
> the Department, I am directing implementation of the following temporary
> procedures for processing grants and cooperative agreements:
>
>
>
> Effective immediately, bureau heads and office directors will use the attached
> template to report all planned Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 grants and
> cooperative agreements of $100,000 or more *before* final award. The
> reports should be submitted through the Assistant Secretaries to Mr.
> James Cason, who has been delegated the authority of the Deputy Secretary.
> The Office of Acquisition and Property Management will assist Mr. Cason in
> reviewing these reports. No grants should be awarded until the review has
> been completed. You will be notified about your clearance to proceed with
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>
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>
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> The above procedures are temporary and are being implemented to assist me
> in understanding how we make important decisions to advance the mission
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> agreements to Department priorities, and to assure coordination with the
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> processing of grants, cooperative agreements, and RODs will return to their
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> --
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>



-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
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Re: [ECOLOG-L] Are page charges related to Impact Factor?

[Malcolm McCallum]

This won't really work because there are hundreds of non-predatory journals
that have no impact factor.
Further, impact factor is confounded by a multitude of issues central to
why so many have been rejecting it.

It is already a fact that impact factor is a better predictor of whether a
paper will need to be retracted than it is an indicator of whether or not a
paper will be cited.

What does that tell you?

When you rate nonparametric data with parametric stats you are going to
have some serious illusions.
Impact factor is a mean, thus a statistic intended for use with a
parametric distribution.
Citation rates of journals are not parametrically distributed, in fact,
they are not even close to parametric.  The last study demonstrated they
are a power curve.
Good job JCR.

On Thu, Apr 13, 2017 at 5:51 AM, Mudelsee M <
mudel...@climate-risk-analysis.com> wrote:

> Dear Jorge,
>
> good question!
>
> One could study it by taking paired data, let us say: average article
> processing fee (APF) and Impact Factor (IF). (Admittedly a lot of data
> gathering work!)
>
> The first thing would be to make a scatter plot and look wether the data
> are compatible with a linear or at least monotonic relation between APF and
> IF. One can use Pearson's correlation coefficient (linear relation) or
> Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (monotonic relation). (Caution
> needs to be exercised when assessing the significance and accuracy of these
> correlation numbers since the standard packages usually assume Gaussian
> distributions, w´hich very likely seems not to be the case for either APF
> or IF. (One may study the distributions using histograms or, more advanced,
> kernel estimation.)
>
> If the data appear incompatible with a monotonic function, then this is a
> challenge to go beyond the scatterplot analysis; nonlinear measures (mutual
> information) could help, but it may be difficult to assess the associated
> uncertainties.
>
> My gut feeling is that at first order the model may be monotonic: high-IF
> journals should not rely in first instance on making money from APF, while
> low-IF (especially "predatory") "journals" should rely on APF more strongly.
>
> I have not check the research literature whether such analyses have
> already been done.
>
> I am sorry if this answer is too long, but I thought to take this
> opportunity to illustrate the usefulness of statistical science.
>
> Best wishes
>
> Manfred
>
>
> Am 11.04.2017 um 18:29 schrieb Jorge A. Santiago-Blay:
>
>> Are page charges related to Impact Factor?
>>
>> Dear Colleagues:
>>
>> I just finished listening to a great talk of recent scholarly
>> publication trends and, as I reflect on the talk, I wonder if any of you
>> know whether there is a relationship between the Thomson Reuters IF and
>> page charges for scholarly journals.
>>
>> If any of you know, please send me an email to blayjo...@gmail.com
>> 
>>
>> Apologies for potentially duplicate emails.
>>
>> Gratefully,
>>
>> Jorge
>>
>> Jorge A. Santiago-Blay, PhD
>> blaypublishers.com 
>>
>> 1. Positive experiences for authors of papers published
>> in */LEB/* http://blaypublishers.com/testimonials/
>>
>> 2. Free examples of papers published
>> in */LEB/*: http://blaypublishers.com/category/previous-issues/.
>>
>> 3. /Guidelines for Authors/ and page charges
>> of */LEB/*: http://blaypublishers.com/archives/ /./
>>
>> 4. Want to subscribe to */LEB/*? http://blaypublishers.com/subscriptions/
>>
>>
>> http://blayjorge.wordpress.com/
>> http://paleobiology.si.edu/staff/individuals/santiagoblay.cfm
>>
>
> --
> Dr. Manfred Mudelsee
>
> Chief Executive Officer
> Climate Risk Analysis
> Kreuzstrasse 27
> Heckenbeck
> 37581 Bad Gandersheim
> Germany
>
> Telephone: +49 5563 9998140
> Email: mudel...@climate-risk-analysis.com
> URL: http://www.climate-risk-analysis.com
> Skype: mudelsee1
> LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/in/mudelsee
> Twitter: @MMudelsee
>
> Climate Time Series and Risk Analyses
> Book: http://www.manfredmudelsee.com/book/
> Courses: http://www.climate-risk-analysis.com/courses/
>



-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
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Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
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Researchgate:
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Re: [ECOLOG-L] Are page charges related to Impact Factor?

[Malcolm McCallum]

In general, journals that charge to access articles TEND to have lower
impact factors than those that are open access when comparing apples to
apples.  Since many journals that are not open access do not charge for
publication, there could be some kind of correlation here.  But it is
probably spurious.

However, this relationship is certainly confounded by corporate journal
behaviors.

If you have Corporation A and they have three journals Env 1, env2, and
env3.  They can quickly increase the impact factor simply by recommending
citation in ENV1 of papers from ENV2 and ENV3.  Then, do the same from the
other two.  This is done in several ways, some that are more honest than
others.  However, there is no doubt that this is done.  it is sa phenomenon
related to discipline size.  Large disciplines will always have higher
citation ratings than small disciplines.  Ornithology has more researchers
and journals than herpetology, so the #1 Ornithology journal should always
have a higher impact rating than the #1 herpetology journal.   Similarly,
the #1 immunology journal is higher ranked than the #1 anatomy journal.

Now, if you expand this to the h-index it becomes even more complex.
 h-index scores NORMALLY grow with a journal's or investigator's age,
regardless of quality or productivity.

The Journal impact factor and the h-index both suffer in that they are
parametric statistics being used to examine non-parametrically distributed
data.  Journal citation rating, regardless of how you rate it, is more
accurately described as a power curve than it is a bell curve!!!

Ideally, raw h-index scores should not be used except to compare journals
or people of similar ages and from very similar disciplines.
If you are comparing journals or people who have different lengths of
research careers, then you should use the m-quotient, which is simply the
h-index score divided by the time since their first publication.

There really isn't a good way to compare between disciplines, especially in
a world where multidisciplinary and fuzzy margins of fields make things
difficult to evaluate.  ONe could divide the h-index by the number of
journals or the number of investigators in that field and get a more
accurate assessment, but that is really suspect.

The same can be said for papers.  Old papers will almost always have more
citations than new papers of equal interest.

Simply looking at these ratings is not sufficient to evaluate them.  IN
fact, the citation industry specifically states that citation analysis
should involve multiple citation indices in consort.  So, if one was
evaluating investigators or journals, you might compare their publication
count, h-index (or m-quotient), g-index, and a few others, even including
some social media indices.  Each tells you something different about that
individual's portfolio.  IS it getting cited?  Is it being read? How
frequently?  was it cited/read early on and then ignored or visa versa, or
has it sustained its interest over the years.

A really good resource on this kind o finformation is harzing's website for
publish or perish.  THere is a very good book in there that might be useful
to clear up some of the haze!

On Tue, Apr 11, 2017 at 11:29 AM, Jorge A. Santiago-Blay <
blayjo...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Are page charges related to Impact Factor?
>
> Dear Colleagues:
>
> I just finished listening to a great talk of recent scholarly publication
> trends and, as I reflect on the talk, I wonder if any of you know whether
> there is a relationship between the Thomson Reuters IF and page charges for
> scholarly journals.
>
> If any of you know, please send me an email to blayjo...@gmail.com
>
> Apologies for potentially duplicate emails.
>
> Gratefully,
>
> Jorge
>
> Jorge A. Santiago-Blay, PhD
> blaypublishers.com
>
> 1. Positive experiences for authors of papers published in *LEB*
> http://blaypublishers.com/testimonials/
>
> 2. Free examples of papers published in *LEB*: http://blaypublishers.
> com/category/previous-issues/.
>
> 3. *Guidelines for Authors* and page charges of *LEB*:
> http://blaypublishers.com/archives/ *.*
>
> 4. Want to subscribe to *LEB*? http://blaypublishers.com/subscriptions/
>
>
> http://blayjorge.wordpress.com/
> http://paleobiology.si.edu/staff/individuals/santiagoblay.cfm
>



-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

Ratemyprofessor: 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Must Read Article on so called "Open Access Journals" Also known as Predatory journals

[Malcolm McCallum]

This is a serious problem in academic publishing.
In fact, some universities trying to pose themselves as productive actually
encourage faculty to publish in these outlets.
Well, I should say I know of at least one Dean who promoted it for faculty.

However, it is also important to know that these journals have no standards
and will publish anything you send.
They are actually below the status of a non-peer reviewed scholarly
journal, because the non-peer reviewed outlets
do have editorial oversight.
A buddy of mine sent a paper to one of these shady journals and got
acceptance in something like 2 hours!
However these are not new problems.  For decades there have been scam
conferences and conference proceedings that
some academics use for various reasons.

We call them predatory, but that really is not the right descriptor.
Although some people may submit to one accidentally, I can't imagine anyone
submitting an article to one being naive enough to believe peer review came
back in 2 hrs with no comments and full acceptance as is.

Finally, these journals DO have  legitimate purpose of sorts, although
other avenues might be more wise.

A friend of mine in a different discipline (outside of science) was irate
because the leading organization in his field (I'll call it the Assoc of
Widget Makers) was promoting a lack of
PHDs in their discipline and the need to expand PHD programs, etc.

The problem was that there was no lack of PHDs!
So, he did his homework, got the numbers of grads, the numbers of jobs,
etc.
I read the article before he sent it in.  Frankly, there was no way he was
wrong, he was 100% right.
The production was off the charts higher than the declining number of
openings that existed!

However, politics was in play. The organization had decided they wanted to
promote this nonsensical idea.

The paper was sent to organization's journal, and they rejected it without
review.
HE then sent it to the newsletter/bulletin and they refused to publish it.

All said and done, he could not make his findings public.
I suggested that he consider writing a book or setting up a website.
His Dean had been telling people to submit garbage to scam journals to give
the appearance of productivity when they market the program.
Yes, this is an accredited state-run institution. (yes, this dean is gone
He talked to me about it, and we looked up the citations to papers in these
"scam journals."
Amazingly, there were occasional solid papers published in them, mostly by
people who did not have english as a first (or second) language.

After much deliberation, and discussion with several of his associates, he
paid the fee and published his article in one of those journals.

The paper has only been cited 9 times, but ALWAYS in good journals in that
field, and it did result in at least acknowledgement that the promoted
idea that there was a shortage was false.  Also, most articles never get 9
citations, so that is pretty decent for a paper on a topic that had a
limited focus, target, and time-frame involved.  Essentially, all the
papers on the topic cited it and were forced to address the alternative
view.

None of this is intended to support these scam journals, they are what they
are, I have yet to find any reason to send anything to one, and doubt I
EVER will.
But, occasionally they might have a legitimate purpose, although they are
increasingly being excluded from indexes.  I noticed his paper was no
longer picked up
by ProQuest (does anyone use that?).


I would be inclined ot simply publish something like this as a white paper
and send it to PeerJ Preprints or something like ArXiv.

IF you think something is really important to say, and you are being
quieted by dishonest parties, you will need to take some non-traditional
and less preferred roads to get the word out.


On Tue, Mar 28, 2017 at 7:03 AM, HerpDigest 
wrote:

> A Scholarly Sting Operation Shines a Light on ‘Predatory’ Journals
> By GINA KOLATAMARCH 22, 2017, New York Times
>
> The applicant’s nom de plume was not exactly subtle, if you know Polish.
> The middle initial and
> surname of the author, Anna O. Szust, mean “fraudster.” Her publications
> were fake and her degrees
> were fake. The book chapters she listed among her publications could not
> be found, but perhaps that
> should not have been a surprise because the book publishers were fake, too.
>
> Yet, when Dr. Fraud applied to 360 randomly selected open-access academic
> journals asking to be
> an editor, 48 accepted her and four made her editor in chief. She got two
> offers to start a new journal
> and be its editor. One journal sent her an email saying, “It’s our
> pleasure to add your name as our
> editor in chief for the journal with no responsibilities.”
>
> Little did they know that they had fallen for a sting, plotted and carried
> out by a group of researchers
> who wanted to draw attention to and systematically document the seamy side
> of open-access
> 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Question about authorship

[Malcolm McCallum]

Remember,..

these are "more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules."

Guidelines are composed of decisions trees intended to help a person make
an appropriate decision or action.  They may encourage a person to move in
one direction or another, but do not mandate such movement.

Rules mandate a course of action.

As guidelines, they should be followed with the understanding that each
case is unique and electing to include a person as an author or not
ultimately lies with the primary author, research leader, or the group.
Some groups mandate these or similar guidelines as rules of action.  But
you the author decides based on your own values and experience.  A good
example of guidelines are dietary guidelines.  They are provided to give
you a general idea of what to eat to remain healthy.  However, since each
person has somewhat different physiology due to previous lifestyle, genetic
predispositions, exposure to stressors, etc.; there has to be some general
flexibility.  Nevermind that there would be an uprising if you got fined
for not eating X portions of beets each day.

Rules, again, are mandated.  Speed limits are rules of the road they
are mandated and there are clear repercussions to not following them.

The use of these two terms are commonly and inappropriately misapplied and
misinterpreted.  The reason there are guidelines for authorship and not
rules, is because there is so much error in establishing the importance and
deservedness of co-authorship.

follow rules to a t.
follow guidelines as far as they are helpful.

Enjoy.


On Fri, Feb 24, 2017 at 1:43 AM, David Schneider  wrote:

> Hello Gabriel,
>
> There are clear guidelines from the
> International Council of Medical Journal Editors, ICMJE,
> to answer you questions.
>
> http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/
>
> More on the topic can be found with a google search:  Vancouver protocol
>
> I wonder if the prof with whom you worked knows about these guidelines.
> Does the student who contacted you know there are guidelines?
>
> Best of luck,
> David Schneider
>
>
> On 2017-02-23 17:04, Gabriel Chavez wrote:
>
>> Hello ECOLOGers,
>>
>> My name is Gabriel and I had a question to pose concerning use of
>> authorship
>> on a scientific paper. I worked on a long-term study regarding carbon
>> sequestration and nutrient cycling in Pacific Northwest forests on a
>> permanent plot network with other faculty and undergraduates at my
>> college.
>> We had the data and were interpreting it but hadn't published any papers
>> or
>> sent anyone to any conferences with the results.
>>
>> I have since graduated from said college, and I recently learned that a
>> student took over that previous work we had conducted and is planning on
>> submitting an abstract the ESA, and wanted to know if I wanted to be
>> included an an co-author on the formal paper that is being published (of
>> course I want to be included). My question to all of you  is: in what
>> capacities am I "allowed" to use this paper or results that come out of
>> the
>> study? For example, showcasing this abstract or paper on my LinkedIn page,
>> including it in graduate school applications, that sort or thing. What, in
>> your opinion, are the limits in which I can use this work? Thank you.
>>
>


-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

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“*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 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Another question about scientific writing in ecology

[Malcolm McCallum]

Sure, there is nothing wrong with this.
some journals encourage it to reduce text in the discussion.

malcolm

On Wed, Feb 22, 2017 at 12:22 PM, Manuel Spínola 
wrote:

> Dear list members,
>
> Is appropriate for an original research paper to include a table with
> other research findings in the Results section (this means that the Results
> section will have in text citations)?
>
> Best,
>
> Manuel
>
>
> --
> *Manuel Spínola, Ph.D.*
> Instituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre
> Universidad Nacional
> Apartado 1350-3000
> Heredia
> COSTA RICA
> mspin...@una.cr 
> mspinol...@gmail.com
> Teléfono: (506) 8706 - 4662
> Personal website: Lobito de río
> 
> Institutional website: ICOMVIS 
>



-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

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*Confidentiality Notice:* This e-mail message, including any attachments,
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confidential and privileged information.  Any unauthorized
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intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy
all copies of the original message.

“*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!" Charleton Heston as Detective Thorn
2022: "People were always awful, but their was a world once, and it was
beautiful.' Edward G. Robinson as Sol Roth.

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

[ECOLOG-L] download the entire website with httrack (open source)

[Malcolm McCallum]

Concerned about data loss.
Just download this free program, then save teh entire website onto a hard
drive or cloud database.

Then, share the darn thing yourself!

http://www.httrack.com/

-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
(removed affiliation just in case!)



Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

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*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.

“*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!" Charleton Heston as Detective Thorn
2022: "People were always awful, but their was a world once, and it was
beautiful.' Edward G. Robinson as Sol Roth.

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

[ECOLOG-L] Fwd: [AESS_LIST] EPA Climate Webpage

[Malcolm McCallum]

-- Forwarded message --
From: "Papadakis, Maria C - papadamc" 
Date: Jan 25, 2017 1:38 PM
Subject: [AESS_LIST] EPA Climate Webpage
To: 
Cc:

All, I do not believe I have seen this news posted to the list. But Reuters
is reporting that EPA has been directed to remove its climate change
website. See here: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-epa-
climatechange-idUSKBN15906G

There are important datasets linked to this site, so if you want/need them,
now is the time to download them and any other content pages that you might
regularly use.

Also, please see this online Washington Post article "11 Stories from
President Trump's First 100 Hours that Deserve More Attention." Items
include the directive to remove the climate change website, the order to
the Agricultural Research Service and NIH to quit "public facing"
communication, the EPA contracts and grants freeze, the abrupt cancellation
of a CDC conference related to public health and climate change, and the
suggestion that President Trump may try to roll back fuel economy standards.

Perhaps AESS can throw its weight in with the people trying to organize a
scientists march on Washington. Please see https://www.washingtonpost.
com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/01/24/are-scientists-
going-to-march-on-washington/?utm_term=.b680d44f32eb.

Maria

***
Maria Papadakis
Professor of Integrated Science and Technology and Geographic Science
801 Carrier Drive
MSC 4310
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Email: papad...@jmu.edu
Office: 540-568-8142
Fax: 540-568-8741
--


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[ECOLOG-L] a method to deal with misinformation

[Malcolm McCallum]

Members of the listserv of the ecological society of America (ECOLO-L),

1)  misinformation jockeys regularly fill the media with politically
charged perspectives specifically targeting environmental agendas.

2) most of us depend on organizations like ESA to voice the collective
opinion of ecologists to the public.

3) Normally this single united message would be stronger for the public
than having 10,000 different messages coming out.

4)  however, currently we have so many misinformation organizations and
outlets flooding the web and media, that the qualified opinions are flooded
by the bizarre, inaccurate, inept and even dishonest.

5) Donald Trump has clearly demonstrated the value of twitter to directly
message piles of people.  Unbeknownst to him and many is that twitter and
facebook are actually becoming how the "old folks (us)" do it.  Snapchat
and other platforms are much more popular with younger people.

6)  I suggest that each of us, independently as members of the scientific
community from student to manager to scientist) post regularly about the
environmental problems we are facing.  I am not talking about name-calling
or other similar attacks.  When a public figure states something that is
just plain wrong, everyone responds so the public sees those responses.

7) on Twitter, this is called twitter bombing.  When a person posts
something and thousands reply it can even shut down that organizations
twitter or facebook page.  Similar things can happen on snapchat, etc.

8)  Times have changed and I believe that if we want a message to be heard
and believed by the masses, it is critical that they hear masses of
messages.  Just like likes on facebook and follows on twitter, and cites on
papers, our current society focuses on quantity (often over quality).
Flooding the web with comments from individual scientists and other
concerned parties enmass may be incredibly more effective to steering
public opinion.

9) The key is that the participants must be organized, directed and focused
on consistently piling on.  Everyone has to be on the same page.  We know
this kind of thing works.  In the 1960s protests of all sort lead to
massive change.  Today, protests via social media that encompass massive
numbers of people twitter bombing and spreading the correct information
should have a similar effect on public opinion.

10) if the mass of experts and students do not start speaking up, there are
many very important aspects of life and the environment that could be lost.


Thank you for reading my post, I truly hope it influences people to do the
right thing and take action on important issues regarding the environment.

-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

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*Confidentiality Notice:* This e-mail message, including any attachments,
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intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy
all copies of the original message.

“*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!" Charleton Heston as Detective Thorn
2022: "People were always awful, but their was a world once, and it was
beautiful.' Edward G. Robinson as Sol Roth.

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

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Food Web App

[Malcolm McCallum]

VERY NICE!


On Wed, Nov 30, 2016 at 8:40 AM, Orlando, Paul A 
wrote:

> I want to pass along a food web app that I developed.  It should work in
> any up to date web browser (but not yet developed for mobile). Here is the
> link:
>
> http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~porlando/foodWebApp.html
>
> The app allows you to create graphical food webs, set functions and
> parameters, and run simulations based on systems of differential equations.
>
>
> I think the app could be especially useful for teaching ecological
> concepts - food chains and webs, population cycles/stability, competitive
> exclusion/species coexistence, alternative stable states, etc…
>
> The app is also useful for any ecologist wanting to quickly explore
> different food webs without having to code a system of ODEs.
>
> I am open to suggestions for improvement and further development.  Email
> me at porla...@purdue.edu.
>
>
> Paul Orlando
>
>
>


-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Director of the Aquatic Resources Center
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

Ratemyprofessor: http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=706874

*Confidentiality Notice:* This e-mail message, including any attachments,
is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain
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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.

“*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!" Charleton Heston as Detective Thorn
2022: "People were always awful, but their was a world once, and it was
beautiful.' Edward G. Robinson as Sol Roth.

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

[ECOLOG-L] Changes in American's interest in sustainability 2004-2014 (reprint available)

[Malcolm McCallum]

IF you are interested in sustainability, you might be interested in our
recent article on Public interest in sustainability.  This was a huge
undertaking to complete!


Changes in United States’ Citizens’ Interest in Sustainability (2004 –
2014)1

 Lori Andrew2 , Daniel Arndt3, 21, Nick Beristain4, 21, Tiffany Cass5, 21 ,
Tiffany Clow6, 21, Bianca Colmenares7, 21, Kaitlyn Damm8, 21 , Rachel
Hatcher9, 21, Nick Jackson10, 21, Whitney Pasquesi11, 21 , Nikki
Chamberlain-Pham12, 21, Julie A. Pryde13, 21, Thad Rund14, 21 , Gail
Russell15, 21, Caleb Ryle16, 21, Terry Schmidt17, 21, Stevie Sigan18, 21 ,
Kallie Sinkus8, 21, Keith Sneyd8, 21, Jared Strode19, 21, Chip Wallen20,
21, and Malcolm L. McCallum21, 22

Abstract: In the most intensive study to date (338 terms and phrases) using
carefully selected internet queries to study public interest, we
investigated searches for sustainability. Previous studies demonstrated
falling interest in environmental issues, but interest in sustainability
was stable from 2004 – 2010. Terms crossed sustainable living, public
policy, media sources, green technology, sustainable agriculture, and
sustainable communities. Overall, interest in sustainability had meager
growth since 2004. Interest in sustainable agriculture and sustainable
living grew modestly, but most other areas showed mildly reduced public
interest. We recommend that term usage in environmental initiatives
emphasize connections to sustainability to possibly improve success.
Finally, we raise concern that flat-lined public interest in sustainability
is not good news. Our use of an extensive list of sustainability-related
terms did not counter previous findings. However, it provided a better
understanding of how subareas changed; so we recommend that future studies
using internet queries use large lists of terms and phrases.

Download full text pdf here:
https://blaypublishers.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/andrew-et-al-2016-leb-43138-164.pdf

-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Director of the Aquatic Resources Center
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

Ratemyprofessor: http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=706874

*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.

“*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!" Charleton Heston as Detective Thorn
2022: "People were always awful, but their was a world once, and it was
beautiful.' Edward G. Robinson as Sol Roth.

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

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Should Calculus Be Required of All Ecology/Biology Majors?

[Malcolm McCallum]

Before anyone responds with the Einstein misinformation..
Read this..
He had stellar grades.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2004/06/23/1115185.htm

On Sun, Oct 23, 2016 at 10:41 AM, Malcolm McCallum <
malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com> wrote:

> The biggest problem for students in the life sciences is grades, PERIOD!!!
>
> If you have a 3.8 in the sciences and never took calculus, you can get in
> grad school, and at worse they will ask you to take it then.  If you have a
> 2.6 gpa and took calculus, and earned an A, you are still going to face a
> formidable challenge entering grad school, becoming employed, etc.
>
> The biggest challenge for students in science is undoubtedly science GPA.
> It is not grades in a specific course, which courses they take, or even if
> they major in a specific area of the life sciences.  Its grades grades
> grades.  Should they matter?  Yes to a degree.  But, whether they should or
> not, THEY DO MATTER...PERIOD.
>
> Want to send a message to students?  Put a minimum GPA on the major, but
> don't restrict courses to students in the major.
> If people are worried about the exceptional student who has extraordinary
> challenges leading to absurdly unique circumstances, provide an avenue for
> a waiver.
>
> IF students know they better get a 3.0 gpa or their career in biology is
> over, the ones who can will, and the ones who can't won't matter.
>
> That would be the single biggest improvement, so long as faculty did not
> drop standards in order to ensure students "stay in the major."
>
> Adding more classes to a major in which most States are mandating a 120 hr
> BS is simply not helpful.  Especially when a histotechnologist DOES NOT
> need calculus, a wildlife biologist MIGHT need calc (and certification
> requires it last I saw!), even if a pure ecologist WILL need it.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sun, Oct 23, 2016 at 2:08 AM, Jane Shevtsov <jane@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> 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 <jgra...@gmail.com> 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 num

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Should Calculus Be Required of All Ecology/Biology Majors?

[Malcolm McCallum]

If someone is not taking higher math, they most definitely better be taking
some philosophy courses, especially in logic.

On Wed, Oct 19, 2016 at 6:20 PM, Andrew Wright  wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I find this an interesting response given that the fundamental basis for
> creating and understanding statistical models. Linear regression is
> calculus of a form. Furthermore, creating the equations in spreadsheets
> (etc.) needed to handle big data, access and utilise hidden data and map
> data onto different geographical projections will all involve calculus.
>
> I see this as a lack of understanding in just what calculus actually is.
> However, perhaps the point here is that a 'maths for biologists' course
> shouldn't focus on one branch of maths, but address the varied needs of
> model ecologists and biodiversity researchers.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Andrew
>
>
> --
> Andrew Wright, Ph.D.
>
> VaquitaAreBrowncoats: Where Sci-Fi meets Science, the Cosmos meets
> Conservation and Firefly meets Flipper. Shiny
> https://www.facebook.com/vaquitaarebrowncoats.
>
> "We don't have to save the world. The world is big enough to look after
> itself. What we have to be concerned about is whether or not the world we
> live in will be capable of sustaining us in it." Douglas Adams
>
> GNU Terry Pratchett
>
> On 20 October 2016 at 12:03, David Inouye  wrote:
>
>> Posting this for Erik Piikkila esp...@yahoo.com
>>
>> I would like to suggest that taking a calculus course may not be the best
>> use of a student's time.  I think math and statistics are far more
>> important.
>>
>> Being able to count, measure and determine densities, abundance, cover
>> percentages, heights, and diameters are perhaps more important skills.
>>
>> Field orientation and navigation skills using maps, aerial photos,
>> satellite images, GPS, topography, geography and geology, are also perhaps
>> more important than calculus.
>>
>>
>> Perhaps more importantly, there are other courses or topics that should
>> occupy this time slot in one semester:
>>
>>
>>- Ecosystems of the World.  How do local ecosystems fit in with other
>>ecosystems in the same region, continent, other continents.  What are the
>>similarities, differences, types, species, disturbance regimes, changes 
>> and
>>threats
>>
>>
>>
>>- Systems Theory and Application
>>
>>
>>
>>- Interdisciplinary Research
>>
>>
>>
>>- Finding Data (Hidden & Forgotten) in Archives, Libraries, Research
>>& Experimental Sites, Theses & Online and look for Reports, Theses,
>>Newsletters, Photo collections, Maps, Aerial Photos, & Databases:
>>
>>
>>
>>- Tour Libraries & Archives at home institutions and view collections
>>of historic, recent and current research
>>
>>
>>
>>- Locate & Tour Local Community Archives & Museums
>>
>>
>>
>>- Locate & Tour State & Federal Libraries & Archives
>>
>>
>>
>>- Locate & Tour State & Federal Agency Archives:  Dept of Interior
>>General Land Office Surveys 1812 - 1946
>>
>>
>>
>>- Locate & Tour Corporate Libraries & Archives
>>
>>
>>
>>- Link the above data sources and locations of data with on the
>>ground research at research and experimental sites
>>
>>
>>
>>- Long Term Ecological Research Networks (https://lternet.edu/) &
>>National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) (
>>http://www.neonscience.org/)
>>
>>
>>
>>- Big Data (http://harvardmagazine.com/20
>>14/03/why-big-data-is-a-big-deal
>>)
>>
>>
>>
>>- Efficient Searches on Google and Google Scholar
>>
>>
>>
>>- Finding online sources of historic research and data
>>
>>
>>
>>- Satellite Imagery
>>
>>
>>
>>- Turn industrial scale data into ecological data
>>
>>
>>
>>- Using Farming and Agriculture data to study and describe changes to
>>   prairie ecosystems and native grasslands
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>- Using forest harvesting and logging data to describe forested
>>   landscape change that would compliment satellite imagery and extend the
>>   data horizon beyond 1972 and into the early part of the 20th Century
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>- Forest harvesting and logging data can also be used to describe
>>   biological legacies especially at the forest stand level
>>
>>
>> My comments are NOT meant to denigrate or devalue calculus in any way.
>> Some have suggested that calculus has only cropped up once in 20 years.  As
>> a prime example of interdisciplinary research, a calculus expert could be
>> brought into the project if and when needed.
>>
>>
>> Erik Piikkila
>>
>>
>>
>


-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Director of the Aquatic Resources Center
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Should Calculus Be Required of All Ecology/Biology Majors?

[Malcolm McCallum]

Back in the 1960s, when my Dad started junior college, freshman math...
that everyone was required to take, was calculus I.



On Wed, Oct 19, 2016 at 3:55 AM, Richard Shefferson 
wrote:

> I normally do not contribute to ECOLOG (my apologies...), but thought I
> should put my own 2 cents in on this one. I work in Japan at a major
> university (although I am American and educated for the most part in the
> US), and part of my job involves admissions into our international BS
> program. We take applications from all over the world, and interview
> students. As a part of this process, we generally quiz students in their
> understanding of mathematics. What has shocked me in this regard is that
> American students applying to our program, who include amazingly smart
> students with top SAT scores, understand mathematics at a far lower level
> than students from the entire rest of the planet (this is not an
> exaggeration). European and Asian students applying, as high school
> students, into out undergrad degree already understand calculus and
> probability theory at levels I've only seen in American 3rd or 4th year
> college math majors. I knew before moving to Japan that American students
> were a little behind when it comes to STEM education, and in terms of the
> basic sciences I think they are just a little behind. But in terms of
> mathematics, they are at the bottom of cliff, and the rest of the world is
> at the top of that cliff. As a personal aside, as an immigrant to the US, I
> have also been strongly dismayed at the fact that the simplest math
> questions always result in someone asking me for the answer. Simple
> conversions from IMperial to metric, and so forth.
>
> So, to end my little rant, I would say that a discussion of whether to end
> the teaching of calculus to ecology majors only reinforces my own belief
> that American students are moving even further below the rest of the world
> when it comes to STEM education.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Rich Shefferson
>
>
> New book on the Evolution of Senescence in the Tree of Life
> http://tinyurl.com/SenescenceBook
>
> Sent from my NSA tracking device
>
> On Tue, Oct 18, 2016 at 9:09 AM, Neufeld, Howard S. <
> neufel...@appstate.edu> wrote:
>
>> Dear All -
>>
>>
>>
>> I am participating in a study here at Appalachian State University about
>> whether we should restructure the mathematics and statistics requirements
>> for our biology/ecology majors. For example, should we require all majors
>> to take an entire semester of calculus?
>>
>>
>>
>> I have written an explanation of why we are looking into this, and you
>> can read the essay by going to this link on Google Drive:
>>
>> https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BxpSVO5IUz-EMGdwU1lD
>> NjhSRFE?usp=sharing
>>
>>
>>
>> I would welcome comments from those interested in this subject, which
>> would help us out here at Appalachian State in our discussions of this
>> important subject.
>>
>>
>>
>> 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
>>
>>
>


-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Director of the Aquatic Resources Center
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

Ratemyprofessor: http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=706874

*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.

“*Nothing is more priceless and worthy of preservation than the rich array
of animal life with which 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Should Calculus Be Required of All Ecology/Biology Majors?

[Malcolm McCallum]

It depends.

First of all, what do you mean by ecology.
If the person is working in theoretical domains, it is essential.
If the person is working in applied domains, it may be useful.
IF the person considers himself-herself an ecologist, although the person
is actually an organismal biology such as a zoologist or botanist, it might
be largely useless.

My view of math is that you keep taking it until you stop getting C's.
If you end up taking some extremely high math course and get a C, people
will respond "wow, you took that!"
No one will ask "why did you only get a C."
Well, maybe  some would, but most won't!

On Tue, Oct 18, 2016 at 12:20 PM, John Anderson  wrote:

> I am fascinated by this discussion and would love to hear more points of
> view.  As far as carrie's excellent post, I guess I am not sure why one
> would expect a Calculus course to do her 6 points any more than many other
> classes?  I was required to take two terms of calculus as an undergrad
> Zoology major back when there were such majors, plus a year of physics.  We
> had to take a year of physical Chemistry before we could take Biology, and
> then could only enroll in Biology if we simultaneously took Organic Chem.
> It always seemed to me that a LOT of these classes were more about getting
> rid of people than educating them.  Weirdly, stats was NOT required.  In
> all the years since I have used calculus (briefly) in a course on
> theoretical population biology, I use Chemistry primarily when i teach
> physiology, but professionally I use Stats all the time.  Talking with
> colleagues, this pattern seems by no means unique.  Thoughts?
>
> On Tue, Oct 18, 2016 at 11:04 AM, Joseph Russell <
> josephdrussel...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I agree with Carrie here! When I was a Marine Biology undergrad at
>> Stockton University in NJ, we were required to take two semesters of
>> physics. However, the physics I and II courses that we took were not the
>> same as would have been taken by a physics major. Our Physics courses were
>> titled "physics for life sciences" which narrowed down the concepts to
>> those that applied to people in the life sciences field. I believe the
>> calculus courses that we were required to take were standard calculus, but
>> I could see something like this working as well, where the calculus courses
>> would not be like a calculus course taken by a math major, but rather, the
>> curriculum would be designed so that the concepts and learning objectives
>> would suit the field of study. Carrie has provided an excellent list below
>> with the 6 points of valuable competencies for prospective biologists.
>>
>> *Joseph Russell, MNR*
>>
>> *Wildlife Management and Recreational Planning Research Fellow*
>>
>> Stockton University
>>
>> Galloway, NJ 08205
>>
>> (609) 287-0596
>>
>> joseph.russ...@stockton.edu
>>
>> *www.stockton.edu *
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Oct 18, 2016, at 10:18 AM, Carrie Eaton  wrote:
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I responded with a few details already to Howard.  But I’ll just
>> generally say that if you are thinking about curricular redesign, I’d like
>> to suggest backward design based on concepts and competencies that
>> employers need and which have been well identified by many national level
>> reports. For example, Vision and Change.  Vision and Change identifies 6
>> vital competencies for all biology students:
>>
>> 1.  ABILITY TO APPLY THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE
>>
>> 2.  ABILITY TO USE QUANTITATIVE REASONING
>>
>> 3.  ABILITY TO USE MODELING AND SIMULATION
>>
>> 4.  ABILITY TO TAP INTO THE INTERDISCIPLINARY NATURE OF SCIENCE
>>
>> 5.  ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE AND COLLABORATE WITH OTHER DISCIPLINES
>>
>> 6.  ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCIENCE AND
>> SOCIETY
>>
>>
>>
>> Well-designed Calculus courses can help you reach many of these goals.
>> More traditional courses in calculus may not meet these goals. I encourage
>> you to consider if you advocate (as you do below) for its exclusion, that
>> you consider alternatives to help students meet these same competencies or
>> consider reaching out to your colleagues in mathematics (which I know well)
>> to brainstorm how to better meet the needs of your department.
>>
>>
>>
>> Carrie
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [
>> mailto:ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU ] *On Behalf
>> Of *Neufeld, Howard S.
>> *Sent:* Monday, October 17, 2016 8:09 PM
>> *To:* ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
>> *Subject:* [ECOLOG-L] Should Calculus Be Required of All Ecology/Biology
>> Majors?
>>
>>
>>
>> Dear All -
>>
>>
>>
>> I am participating in a study here at Appalachian State University about
>> whether we should restructure the mathematics and statistics requirements
>> for our biology/ecology majors. For example, should we require all majors
>> to take an entire semester of calculus?
>>
>>
>>
>> I have written an 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Change in linear dimensions of soft tissues in larval insect when fixed

[Malcolm McCallum]

Soft body parts will have signficant shrinkage.  This has been demonstrated
conclusively with vertebrates, specifically with larval and juvenile
fishes.  With vertebrates, as they get larger, the signficance of this
shrinkage tends to be less.  I would expect similar results with inverts,
except that there is actually a lot more softbody exoskeleton in most
inverts than we typically consider.  THere should be papers demonstrating
shrinkage in invertebrates, however, I would be pretty surprised if you
find much information on larviformes.  My expectation is that larvae are
going to have huge amounts of shrinkage.

I would expect adult coleoptera, particularly Scarabidae, Cuculionidae,
Carabidae, Erotylidae, Coccinelidae, and other typical beetle forms to have
minimal shrinkage
Stapholyindae  probably show much more as adults.
Orthoptera undoubtedly shrink in body length, I would not be surprised if
some shrink more than 10%.
Related Mantoidea (I think it is now an Order rather than family), and
other orthopteran like families will behave similarly.
Odonates may shrink a ton, Hemiptera are probably variable like Coleoptera,
ditto for the leafhoppers and cicadas
Hymenoptera and Diptera probably shrink a bit as adults, but some families
more so than others.
Larvae and nymphs will probably shrink pretty bad for all groups.

Crustaceans may not shrink much at all thanks to the calciferous
exoskeleton, but again this will depend as something like a hermit crab
sill show a lot of abdominal shrinkage.

I am sure the invertebrate biologists will know a lot more about this than
me.  These are largely wha

On Fri, Sep 16, 2016 at 2:43 PM, Jorge A. Santiago-Blay  wrote:

> Change in linear dimensions of soft tissues in larval insect when fixed
>
> Dear Ecolog-Listers:
>
> I have nearly ca. 200 museum specimens of aquatic larval insects (1-3 cm
> long) that I assume were killed by dumping them in (at the minimum) 70%
> ethanol. In the only one case that the label states anything about
> preservation method, it reads "KAAD --> 95%". I assume that several
> changes in ethanol 70% have taken place to refill vials, as needed, in the
> 48-77 years since the specimens have been dead.
>
>
> Question: While the hard body parts will barely change in dimension with
> time, does anyone know how does the softer body parts change in size? Is
> there any variation in size change whether the preservation took place
> early or late in the instar?
>
>
> If you have any constructive suggestions, please email me directly at
>
> blayjo...@gmail.com
>
> Apologies for potential duplicate emails.
>
> Gratefully,
>
> Jorge
>
> Jorge A. Santiago-Blay, PhD
> blaypublishers.com
>
> 1. Positive experiences for authors of papers published in *LEB*
> http://blaypublishers.com/testimonials/
>
> 2. Free examples of papers published in *LEB*: http://blaypublishers.
> com/category/previous-issues/.
>
> 3. *Guidelines for Authors* and page charges of *LEB*:
> http://blaypublishers.com/archives/ *.*
>
> 4. Want to subscribe to *LEB*? http://blaypublishers.com/subscriptions/
>
>
> http://blayjorge.wordpress.com/
> http://paleobiology.si.edu/staff/individuals/santiagoblay.cfm
>



-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Assistant Professor of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

Ratemyprofessor: http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=706874

*Confidentiality Notice:* This e-mail message, including any attachments,
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“*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, 

[ECOLOG-L] query about automated water quality instrumentation

[Malcolm McCallum]

Hi,
It has been a few years since I priced and looked at water quality
instrumentation.  However, I know find myself with a 50 pond aquaculture
facility.  I am planning a study that will involve 12, 1/4-acre ponds.  I
would really like to set up continuous water quality monitoring of "at
least" standard water quality measures (e.g. DO, pH, alkalinity,
conuctiviy, temperature, and if possible nitrate, nitrite, ammonia).  YSI
used to make a unit that did most of this, and it could be set up to record
and download to a computer.  Howeve, the models have since changed and I am
very interested in hearing people's exprience with different models, and
recommendations or private (off listserv) discussion of what options might
fill the needs within our budget.

Thank you in advance.

-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Assistant Professor of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma


Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

Ratemyprofessor: http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=706874

*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.

“*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!" Charleton Heston as Detective Thorn
2022: "People were always awful, but their was a world once, and it was
beautiful.' Edward G. Robinson as Sol Roth.

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

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Query on authorship

[Malcolm McCallum]

So then, you were not ultimately included as an author because the process
worked.
Had you been placed in the acknowledgements, and you were deserved of
co-authorship,
the paper would have gone to press without you finding out until it was too
late.
This is just one more reason why erring on the side of author rather than
being stingy generally
leads to better outcomes.   Note, I don't think you have held a grudge on
the matter!
Malcolm

On Sun, Aug 21, 2016 at 7:48 PM, Sappington, Thomas [ENT] <
tsapp...@iastate.edu> wrote:

> Hi Jorge and all,
>
>
>
> I had the recent experience of being included on a paper without my
> knowledge, but found out before it went out for review and was able to stop
> it in time.  I had never seen the data or manuscript before, nor had I been
> involved in the study in any way, except maybe asking a couple of questions
> once on a visit to their lab.  But the senior authors and I are active
> collaborators on several projects, they are from a different culture where
> such things (honorary authorships…) are not so frowned upon, and it was an
> over-enthusiastic grad student who put me on there and submitted
> prematurely without his mentor’s knowledge.  So it can happen, I would
> guess under quirky circumstances like that most of the time, but your case
> is obviously different.
>
>
>
> About 20 years ago, I included a suddenly deceased colleague as author on
> a paper I wrote on a study that he collected much of the data for.  I took
> over the study to bring it to conclusion and write up the results.  I
> included him as author based on my intuition of what I thought he would
> want and what seemed most fair – I even listed him as lead author, with me
> as corresponding author.  It seemed to me a matter of doing the honorable
> thing, and maybe it mattered to his family, who knows.  To put myself as
> lead author would have been taking more credit than deserved, and I
> couldn’t do it even though I was advised to (I was still young when
> building a publication record as fast as possible was important for my
> career).
>
>
>
> Anyway, your “lost” former student did give verbal permission years ago.
> I think that tilts the decision in the direction of including that person.
> Based on your knowledge of the person and what they wanted at the time, if
> there is no reason for you to suspect that he/she would object, then my
> advice is to err on the side of generosity and fairness.  If the person is
> that hard to find, then chances are he/she is not publishing in journals
> (unless the last name may have changed…), and would be happy to see their
> past work acknowledged in this way.
>
>
>
> You have made a good-faith effort to locate the person, had a verbal
> assent to the principle of inclusion in the past, have no reason to suspect
> an objection (I assume), and are willing to take responsibility if the
> person surfaces later and objects.  I’d say it is very likely not a
> problem, and if it is, it can be corrected via an erratum (your option b).
> Erring on the side of too much caution seems less likely to match the
> presumed desires or be in the interest of the person involved, and more
> likely to be hurtful if they are left off and discover it.  When in doubt,
> be generous….
>
>
>
> Best Wishes,
>
> --Tom
>
>
>
> *From:* Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:
> ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] *On Behalf Of *Loretta Fisher
> *Sent:* Sunday, August 21, 2016 6:44 PM
>
> *To:* ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
> *Subject:* Re: [ECOLOG-L] Query on authorship
>
>
>
> I'm glad this discussion was started.  I'm learning a lot from everyone's
> thoughtful answers.
>
> -Loretta, MS student
>
>
>
> On Sun, Aug 21, 2016 at 6:21 AM, Malcolm McCallum <
> malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> In all my life, I have met dozens if not dozens of dozens of people who
> were left off papers and felt they belonged on the manuscript.  In every
> case the situation caused problems.
>
>
>
> In all my life, I have NEVER, NOT ONE SINGLE TIME EVER, met someone who
> got irate because they were included as an author on a manuscript, period.
> In fact, I cannot recall a single time that someone held a grudge or was
> upset because they were included on a paper.   It is well understood that a
> manuscript's authorship is distributed in regard to effort, but it is also
> distributed according to responsiblity.  Anyone thing the 200th author on
> the Human Genome Project is remembered or targeted anymore than the 199th
> author?  I doubt most people will see those names beyond the first author,
> maybe the last.
>
>
>
> When a paper goes to press, easily 90% of the responsibl

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Query on authorship

[Malcolm McCallum]

In all my life, I have met dozens if not dozens of dozens of people who
were left off papers and felt they belonged on the manuscript.  In every
case the situation caused problems.

In all my life, I have NEVER, NOT ONE SINGLE TIME EVER, met someone who got
irate because they were included as an author on a manuscript, period. In
fact, I cannot recall a single time that someone held a grudge or was upset
because they were included on a paper.   It is well understood that a
manuscript's authorship is distributed in regard to effort, but it is also
distributed according to responsiblity.  Anyone thing the 200th author on
the Human Genome Project is remembered or targeted anymore than the 199th
author?  I doubt most people will see those names beyond the first author,
maybe the last.

When a paper goes to press, easily 90% of the responsiblity is born by the
lead author.  I get the distinct feeling there is nothing political or
otherwise warranting concern about protecting anyone in this case.

I personally feel that most people are over-whelmingly selfish/stingy with
distribution of effort, and most guidelines are simply provided by people
who are more concerned about other people's activity than there own.
Further, they put way to much weight on being 10th author on a 20 author
manuscript.

IF more people concerned themselves with publishing their own papers,
producing their own results, and actually contributing to science, then
this entire issue would be mute.

Do what you think is fair.


On Sat, Aug 20, 2016 at 11:19 PM, Jeff Houlahan  wrote:

> Hi Gary and all, this one's an interesting one.  Your position is one I
> have a lot of sympathy for - it's generous and gives credit where it's
> due.  What makes this tricky is that it also gives responsibility that
> somebody might not want to accept.  I know it's unlikely and not that
> common but there may be instances where somebody would prefer not to have
> their name on a paper where they've done enough work to warrant
> authorship.  If my name showed up on a paper without me ever being aware
> that it had been submitted I would be a little bothered.  If I read the
> paper and didn't agree with the interpretation I would be very unhappy.
> That said, the idea of not giving credit to somebody who deserves it just
> seems wrong.  This is a rock and a hard place. Best, Jeff Houlahan
> --
> *From:* Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news <
> ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU> on behalf of Gary Grossman <
> gdgross...@gmail.com>
> *Sent:* August 20, 2016 12:04 PM
> *To:* ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
> *Subject:* Re: [ECOLOG-L] Query on authorship
>
> Querido Jorge, this is a murky area of co-authorship except for one point.
> Coauthorship is *earned* and should not be taken away because of some other
> circumstance outside of the project responsibilities. Given that the second
> student completed the work while they were at your institution, the simple
> solution, given that they did indeed earn coauthorship, is to put them on
> the paper with your institutional address. If you're worried about someone
> contacting them then just asterisk their name and in the footnote put
> "current address unknown". !Eso!  g2
>
> On Fri, Aug 19, 2016 at 3:24 PM, Jorge A. Santiago-Blay <
> blayjo...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Query on authorship
>>
>> Dear Colleagues:
>>
>> I am writing a small paper resulting from research done with two
>> undergraduates many years ago (and, later on, involving several other
>> colleagues using cutting-edge technology). As the results became obvious,
>> both of the students agreed (orally, in person) with me that we should get
>> the research published. As far as I remember, there was no email or letter
>> documenting that and, there was no manuscript, only the data and the
>> methods we were using.
>>
>> The problem: I have located one of the former students (now a researcher
>> at a major research institution), who is excited about getting the research
>> published, but not the second student.
>>
>> Question: How to handle the contribution (including authorship) of the
>> other person? Here are some options I see.
>>
>> a. *Omit the name of the person that has not been located* and indicate
>> that another person was involved in the data collection but we were hot
>> able to locate him/her to get his/her approval to use his/her name as an
>> author.  Under these circumstances, would it be OK to name the person in
>> the Acknowledgments? Lately, I am asking permission to do that because
>> sometimes some people prefer to remain anonymous.
>>
>> b. *Include the name of the person I cannot locate as an author*, an act
>> of fairness and good faith on my part. If the person does not like the idea
>> (and the paper is published) retract the name of the person in an erratum,
>> later on, and assume responsibility for my error. A kind colleague did that
>> to me once and, subsequently, it has resulted a 

[ECOLOG-L] guidelines needed captive rearing

[Malcolm McCallum]

Hi,
I am in need of reports, publications, and annedotes on captive breeding
programs.  Although the focus is reptile and amphibian programs, any group
will be useful.  I am especially interested in BMPs, SOPs, biosecurity
procedures, and the like.  Especially interested in such materials for
turtles and frogs.

Thanks

-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Assistant Professor and Aquaculture and Water Quality Research Scientist
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma

Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

Ratemyprofessor: http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=706874

*Confidentiality Notice:* This e-mail message, including any attachments,
is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain
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review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited.  If you are not the
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“*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!" Charleton Heston as Detective Thorn
2022: "People were always awful, but their was a world once, and it was
beautiful.' Edward G. Robinson as Sol Roth.

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

[ECOLOG-L] Success rate for applicants from Chronicle of Higher Ed

[Malcolm McCallum]

Hi, I hope my belief that this will be of interest is not misplaced!
The Chronicle of Higher Education has a set of forums in which academics,
mostly liberal arts, discuss academic issues.

So, today I got on that forum and noticed this discussion about the number
of applications people submitted and the number of phone, conference,
campus interviews and offers they received.

Link here: http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,193969.0.html

It was pretty interesting to see the claims, and at first it was difficult
to make much sense out of it.  So, I sat down and put all the claims into a
spreadsheet.  I would think, despite most of the people be liberal arts
people, that the general trend should be true for us ecology types.

Its only 27 respondents, but check this out.

The averages superficially suggest it takes on average roughtly
8-9 applications to get one phone interview
11-12 applications to get one campus interview
32-33 applications to get one offer.
This tells you that if you send out 1-2 applications, your probability of
getting an interview or an offer is pretty low.

Effect of No. of applications on No. of phone interviews: R-sq = 0.81
(phone interviews = -1.19 + 0.15*[no. of applications])

Effect of No. of phone interviews on campus interviews: R-sq = 0.033.

Effect of No. of campus interviews on tenure track offers: R-sq = 0.294,
slope = 0.26.

Part of this probably relates to campus interviews w/o preliminary phone
interviews as it was not always clear how frequently this happened.
Regardless, I think one can see that the more applications you send,
the more likely you will get a phone interview, and the more phone
interviews you get should translate into ultimately more offers.  However,
just applying at random probably does little to increase your chances.

These were the results based on each post
(I only counted ones where they indicated the N of applications)

Number of applications submitted (27 respondents)
51.7 = mean number of applications submitted.
26.5 = median number of applications submitted.
68.6 = SD for N of applications.
3-331 = range
10-40 = quartile range

Number of Phone interviews from above applications submitted...
6.8 = mean phone interviews
0.5 = median phone interviews
11.7= SD
0-52 = range
0-9 = quartile range

Number of campus interviews from above pool
3.8 = mean number of campus interviews
4.0 = median number of campus interviews
3.8 = SD
0-15 = range
3-6 = quartile range

Number of non-tenure track offers from above pool
0.53 = mean number of non-tenure track offers
0.00 = median number of non-tenure track offers
1.80 = SD
0-8 = range
0-1 = quartile range

Number of tenure track offers from above pool.
1.58 = mean number of tenure track offers
1.00 = median number of tenure track offers
1.80 = SD
0-6 = range
0-3 = quartile range









-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP

Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

Ratemyprofessor: http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=706874

*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.

“*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!" Charleton Heston as Detective Thorn
2022: "People were always awful, but their was a world once, and it was
beautiful.' Edward G. Robinson as Sol Roth.

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

[ECOLOG-L] very good internship

[Malcolm McCallum]

I got this in my email today, figured it might help someonez
I cannot imagine a much better opportunity in conservation.

Intern - Biodiversity Assessment Unit
Vacancy #:   1295
Unit:   Global Species & Key Biodiversity Areas Programme
Organization:   International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Location:   IUCN Washington DC Office, Washington D.C., United States of
America
Reporting to:   Manager, Biodiversity Assessment Unit
Work percentage:   100%
Function group:   -
Expected start date:   01 July 2016
Type of contract:   Fixed-term (3 months)
Closing date:   30 May 2016
BACKGROUND
An intern is needed to prepare Red List extinction risk assessments and
digital species distribution maps as part of an ongoing review of the
conservation status of the worlds Crop Wild Relatives (CWR). This
internship will support work underway to assess ~150 species of plants
found in MesoAmerica.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Specific Objectives


• Identify and extract data from field guides and academic literature on
individual species’ distribution, population status, natural history and
threatening processes.

• Using IUCN’s Species Information Service database, in which training will
be provided, enter data into species accounts.

• Using ArcMAP software (in which training will be provided as necessary),
prepare digital maps for the ~150 plant species, and calculate estimates of
distributional extent.

• Providing additional support for ongoing Crop Wild Relative assessment
work as requested, including calculating distributional extent and
completing attribute fields for assessments and maps prior to final
publication on the Red List.

• There may be some opportunity to liaise with specialists (mainly authors
of academic papers) as necessary to follow up on issues that may be
uncertain from text or maps.

DURATION: 3 months

STIPEND: The Intern will be paid a stipend of USD 1,000 per month
REQUIREMENTS
  • A basic understanding of ecological science is desirable; familiarity
with scientific writing will be helpful

• Prior experience in using GIS software is advantageous, training will be
provided in the necessary mapping standards and software

• Good general knowledge of MesoAmerican geography will be helpful;
knowledge of the region’s plants will be particularly well-regarded

• Good Spanish language skills will provide a significant advantage for
candidates

• Good attention to detail
APPLICATIONS

Applicants are requested to apply online through the HR Management System,
by opening the vacancy announcement and pressing the "Apply" button.

Applicants will be asked to create an account and submit their profile
information. Applications will not be accepted after the closing date. The
vacancy closes at midnight, Swiss time (GMT+1 / GMT+2 during Daylight
Saving Time, DST).

Other job opportunities are published in the IUCN website:
http://www.iucn.org/involved/jobs/
--









*About IUCNIUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the
world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and
development challenges.IUCN works on biodiversity, energy, human
livelihoods and greening the world economy by supporting scientific
research, managing field projects all over the world, and bringing
governments, NGOs, the UN and companies together to develop policy, laws
and best practice.IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global
environmental organization, with more than 1,200 government and NGO members
and almost 11,000 volunteer experts in some 160 countries. IUCN’s work is
supported by over 1,000 staff in 45 offices and hundreds of partners in
public, NGO and private sectors around the world.www.iucn.org
*

-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP

Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

Ratemyprofessor: http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=706874

*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.

“*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.*
”

Re: [ECOLOG-L] The speed of peer-review

[Malcolm McCallum]

I have learned to expect that any large paper I submit will take a year to
get in print.
It doesn't matter where I send it.
The longest it took me with a paper was 6 years of baloney.
The shortest time was literally a month.



On Tue, Apr 26, 2016 at 10:08 AM, Neil Hammerschlag <
nhammersch...@rsmas.miami.edu> wrote:

> Edwin et al
>
> Here are two recent papers that evaluate author perspectives on review
> times and possible implications for conservation.
>
> Haddaway NR, Gutowsky LFG, Wilson ADM, Gallagher AJ, Donaldson MR,
> Hammerschlag N, Cooke SJ. (2015) How Long Is Too Long in Contemporary
> Peer Review? Perspectives from Authors Publishing in Conservation Biology
> Journals.
>  
> PLoS
> ONE 10(8): e0132557.
>
> Cooke SJ, Nguyen VM, Wilson AD, Donaldson MR, Gallagher A, Hammerschlag N,
> Haddaway NR. (2016) The need for speed in a crisis discipline:
> perspectives on peer review duration and implications for conservation
> science.  Endangered
> Species Research 30: 11-19
>
> Cheers
>
> Neil
>
>
>
>
>
> *Neil Hammerschlag, Ph.D.*  
> *Research Assistant Professor*
> Rosenstiel Marine School (RSMAS) | Abess Center (CESP)
> Predator Ecology Lab | Shark Research & Conservation Program (SRC)
> University of Miami
>
> *e: *nhammersch...@rsmas.miami.edu
> *o: *305.421.4356 | *c: *305.951.6577 | *t: *@DrNeilHammer
> 
>
> Lab Website: SharkTagging.com 
>
>
>
>
>
> On Apr 26, 2016, at 10:58 AM, Edwin Cruz-Rivera  > wrote:
>
> Dear All,
>
> I am very curious about the life cycle of manuscripts in
> online journals these days. I have been doing some numbers on PLOS One,
> which advertises as the journal “accelerating the publication of
> peer-reviewed” science. However, a quick look at the papers that have been
> published in the past few months reveals most of these were accepted 5-9
> months after submission. What strikes me as odd is that PLOS One gives you
> two weeks to review a manuscript, and they start pestering you with
> reminders even before the review is late…and may you not be late for 48
> hours! So how does a journal that expects such a fast turnaround from peer
> reviewers deal with authors at such glacial pace? To begin with, it is not
> as if publication comes cheap in this journal. Should 1250 USD not include
> a bit of expediency? The numbers here seem odd. We have had a paper stuck
> in limbo since November 2015 without a final answer yet, supposedly because
> they cannot find an editor (out of > 6000) who can manage the revised
> version of the paper.
>
> So the key question is, I suppose: Is this seemingly epic sluggishness the
> norm in open access/online publication these days?
>
> At this point, I am not really convinced PLOS One should be advertising as
> “the fast one”…or is it?
>
> Any thoughts?
>
>
>
> Edwin
>
> =
> Dr. Edwin Cruz-Rivera
>
> Visiting Associate Professor
>
> Department of Biological Sciences
> University of the Virgin Islands
>
> #2 John Brewers Bay
> St. Thomas 00802
>
> USVI
> Tel: 1-340-693-1235
> Fax: 1-340-693-1385
>
>
>
> "It is not the same to hear the devil as to see him coming your way"
>
> (Puerto Rican proverb)
>
>
>
>


-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP

Link to online CV and portfolio :
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
Google Scholar citation page:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lOHMjvYJ=en
Academia.edu:
https://ui-springfield.academia.edu/MalcolmMcCallum/Analytics#/activity/overview?_k=wknchj
Researchgate:
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malcolm_Mccallum/reputation?ev=prf_rep_tab

Ratemyprofessor: http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=706874

*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.

“*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 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Cuts everywhere...except a few states

[Malcolm McCallum]

Um, David,

Maybe if you just read the 30-40 emails I got, some from people whose
resumes are over-the-top good, and read their hopelessness and helplessness
after losing jobs or inability to obtain one, largely because a bunch of
politicians in multiple states are playing games with their lives, you
might not have such a cocky, blatantly uncaring, and largely insensitive
and cavalier view.
There are a lot of people who are on foodstamps right now, many of whom
have, frankly, better credentials than you, me, or many of the others who
are on this listserv.

#1 Making people aware that it is not just "their state" is not a.
complaining or b. throwing your hands up
#2 Those are all links sent to me from the listserv
#3 I guess you must be either a. securely employed with nothing to worry
about, or b. living in another country, or c. completely oblivious to what
is going on in the world.
#4 not sure what you mean by "why don't we hired an undergrad or two
#5 you are making a rash assumption that none of these things are being
done, advising people to do it.

Unfortunately, empathy is not a widely distributed quality in the human
race.





On Fri, Apr 8, 2016 at 4:13 PM, David Reed <david.edwin.r...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> So you've collected headlines from roughly half the states, of which some
> really don't paint a doom-and-gloom picture (Colorado, Minnesota ,Oregon,
> while Mississippi and Alabama are increasing funding to K-12 education),
> and then proceed to make some pretty sweeping claims. It's almost as is
> often repeated quip about states being the laboratories of democracy has
> some truth to it! If this was the draft thesis of an undergrad paper, I
> would return it and ask for more effort.
>
> Instead of complaining about it to each other in an echo chamber, how
> about we actively work to fix it! Those of us with budgets, why don't we
> hired an undergrad student or two for the summer. Those of us with elegant
> writing, send in a letter to the editor to your local paper. Those of us
> with a cell phone, call your elected Representative. Those of us teaching,
> get non-science majors exciting about what you (and the rest of us) are
> doing!
>
> Throwing your hands up and blaming it on a disinterested populace is a
> lazy excuse since we are the ones educating that populace. Saying there is
> a war on science is worse since it helps increase the amount
> of polarization in our society.
>
> david reed
>
> On Fri, Apr 8, 2016 at 1:21 PM, Malcolm McCallum <
> malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> THere are a few states with increased higher ed budgets, and the vast
>> majority being slashed and burned.
>> IF you read through these articles, you will find common threads in
>> regard to party-lines, common issues, etc.
>> Bottom line, there is a ware on higher education and science.  The excuse
>> is budgets; however, you can't milk a stone.
>> It all boils down to lack of creativity, an general unwillingness of
>> those benefitting form higehr education to do anything,
>> and largely a disinterested populace who believes whatever tripe is
>> shoved down their throat by part-sponsored news agencies.
>> I feel for the new graduates who are hoping to get a job, its hard enough
>> when you have been let go as a line item and
>> have some cv to shop around. These people just keep making things worse
>> through ineptitude and ignorance.
>>
>> *Some General responses*
>> Apparently, most states are increasing out-of-state enrollment an
>> decreasing in-state enrollment due to cuts.
>>
>> http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-04-01/colleges-look-to-out-of-state-students-amid-state-funding-shortages
>> <http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-04-01/colleges-look-to-out-of-state-students-amid-state-funding-shortages>
>>
>> another article on the topic of state budgets & higher ed
>>
>> http://www.dailytexanonline.com/2016/03/28/states-must-protect-higher-education-from-budget-cuts
>>
>> I keep hearing stories from certain family members that higher ed is a
>> waste of time based on fox news reports. I don't agree, but , I'm and
>> part-time employed PHD, and most of them are employed, about to retire or
>> retired highschool/college drop outs.  Maybe they are right?
>>
>>
>> https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/04/07/lincoln-project-report-offers-suggestions-public-research-universities-financial
>>
>> A report from the Lincoln Project, which has been studying public
>> research universities since 2013. Final report was issued yesterday, with
>> wide-ranging suggestions for financial futures of these institutions.
>>
>> Lawmak

[ECOLOG-L] Cuts everywhere...except a few states

[Malcolm McCallum]

THere are a few states with increased higher ed budgets, and the vast
majority being slashed and burned.
IF you read through these articles, you will find common threads in regard
to party-lines, common issues, etc.
Bottom line, there is a ware on higher education and science.  The excuse
is budgets; however, you can't milk a stone.
It all boils down to lack of creativity, an general unwillingness of those
benefitting form higehr education to do anything,
and largely a disinterested populace who believes whatever tripe is shoved
down their throat by part-sponsored news agencies.
I feel for the new graduates who are hoping to get a job, its hard enough
when you have been let go as a line item and
have some cv to shop around. These people just keep making things worse
through ineptitude and ignorance.

*Some General responses*
Apparently, most states are increasing out-of-state enrollment an
decreasing in-state enrollment due to cuts.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-04-01/colleges-look-to-out-of-state-students-amid-state-funding-shortages


another article on the topic of state budgets & higher ed
http://www.dailytexanonline.com/2016/03/28/states-must-protect-higher-education-from-budget-cuts

I keep hearing stories from certain family members that higher ed is a
waste of time based on fox news reports. I don't agree, but , I'm and
part-time employed PHD, and most of them are employed, about to retire or
retired highschool/college drop outs.  Maybe they are right?

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/04/07/lincoln-project-report-offers-suggestions-public-research-universities-financial

A report from the Lincoln Project, which has been studying public research
universities since 2013. Final report was issued yesterday, with
wide-ranging suggestions for financial futures of these institutions.

Lawmakers hiked tuition faster than schools did..
http://interactives.dallasnews.com/2016/tuition-costs/


*Alabama*
The $6.28 billion budget approved is the largest Education Trust Fund since
2008, before the Great Recession led to an ebbing of state revenues. The
2017 ETF is about $290 million higher than the current budget, an increase
of about 4.8 percent.
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/politics/southunionstreet/2016/03/08/ala-house-approves-education-budget-teacher-pay-raise/81437740/

*Alaska...*
Alaska is a good example - cuts have been proposed on the order of 10-20%
(and more, if you count cuts in the last couple years).  Programs have been
lost already - fairly grim.

Also look into the situation in Alaska. Here are some links:
http://www.adn.com/article/20160127/university-alaska-leaders-plan-restructure-campuses

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/14/alaskas-schools-face-cuts-at-every-level-over-oil-collapse.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/15/us/oil-collapse-drains-alaskas-wide-ranging-education-system.html?_r=0

*Arizona.*
http://tucson.com/news/local/education/college/tuition-rate-hikes-ok-d-for-arizona-universities/article_5b5b3e8d-925f-5738-9cdd-950f82a7c6b7.html

*Arkansas...*
facing $100M budget hole, some congressmen calling for $14B in higher ed
cuts
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/mar/19/analysis-arkansas-lawmakers-shop-competing-budget-/

*Colorado...*
Uncertain how this impacts universities...
http://gazette.com/skirmishes-over-proposed-25.8-billion-colorado-state-budget-continue-in-legislature/article/1573646

*Connecticut..*

The committee and Malloy proposed cutting UConn’s funding next fiscal year
by $15 million under the committee plan, and the UConn Health Center would
lose $6.4 million.The Board of Regents for Higher Education, which oversees
the four regional state universities, 12 the community colleges and the
online Charter Oak College, would lose $19 million in 2016-17. College
officials have said the governor's proposed funding levels would leave them
with sizeable shortfalls -- $18 milllion for the regents and $30 million
for UConn." source:
http://ctmirror.org/2016/04/06/budget-plan-offers-painful-cuts-but-remains-out-of-balance/
)

*Georgia.*

http://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/polkfishwrap/news/local/as-state-house-wraps-up-work-kelley-looks-to-the/article_c5bd3f46-fcd6-11e5-9612-bb9e3bec8df0.html

*Hawaii..*

Universe of Hawaii Manoa, the state's only research university, faces a $50
million cut. By a slight of hand, $50 M will be moved from operations of
research units to "maintenance". The budget will be 

[ECOLOG-L] state budgets and higher ed

[Malcolm McCallum]

I have been following the IL budget catastrophe with interest and I was
aware that PA had a similar fiasco going on.  Today, I discovered KS is
also still dealing with a budget fiasco.  I am just curious, and I am
almost sure most near grads and recent grads will be interested too, just
how many states are facing catestrophic budget, primarily due to political
ineptness?

Love to hear the responses.  If you like, send me your stories and I will
consolidate them into a single email for the listserv.

Malcolm

-- 
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.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] GPS recommendations

[Malcolm McCallum]

IN case anyone does not know, its Trimble not Tremble, as Trevor alerted me.
I was typing with a baby in my lap and did not notice thetypo.

On Tue, Apr 5, 2016 at 11:21 AM, Malcolm McCallum
<malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com> wrote:
> when using apps, if you are doing research-quality spatial analysis,
> it will be important for you to know whether the app is reporting an
> average or the first reading it gets.  I know that several of the
> hobby-grade GPS units report an average but do not provide an estimate
> of dispersion (e.g. SE, SD).  The Tremble units give you the
> individual points, then you can dump out the influential outliers and
> take the average yourself.  The advantage here is that if you need 95%
> CI data, this will allow you to hone in on the point much more
> accurately.  Usually, the outliers are LITERALLY a bird or plan flew
> over you while recording that individual point, or a key sat went
> behind a cloud while the other sats are in an less-than-ideal
> conformation in the sky.
>
> I suspect mos of what I am telling you is much more technical than you
> really need, but since I don't know for sure your needs, I figure I
> ought to try to help you out the best I can.  These details are
> ignored frequently in the literature, but a plan flying over while the
> other sats are in a bad conformation can cause you with a supposedly 1
> ft resolution GPS to record the point 10 m or more from its actual
> location.  When you are using a GPS and you notice the unit tells you
> your waypoint is say 5 m to the north, then you go 5 m to the north
> and it tells you its now 10 m to the east, then you follow thorugh,
> and it starts telling you its 5 m to the east, its because of the
> resolution ability + sat conformation + interference in the
> atmosphere.  IT was always interesting to me when I would average the
> points that there would be individual points that were plotted way
> outside the cluster.  Those instantaneous readings can be WAY off!  :)
>
> On Tue, Apr 5, 2016 at 9:17 AM, Trevor Middel <tmid...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Merav,
>>
>> Another app to try, depending on whether you have access to ArCGIS Online,
>> is Collector. It's available for Windows 10, Android, and iOS I believe.
>> It's from ESRI and is full featured, though maybe a little buggy still. It
>> allows use of custom basemaps, offline editing and synchronization of data
>> from multiple field crews. Also, I was looking into the accuracy of tablet
>> and phone based GPS vs consumer grade handheld GPS units and ran across a
>> few sources which suggested the comparison was quite favourable. I don't
>> have the references handy but found them relatively quickly using Google.
>>
>> We've used Garmin handhelds for years now in the field and have been quite
>> happy with their durability. I don't like how quickly they seem to retire
>> and change models, and change interfaces but we've managed to live with
>> that. We also just acquired a couple of rugged Android tablets from Cedar
>> Tree (CT7) to use as GPS/data logging devices. So far they seem quite good,
>> this field season will tell for sure though. They are not far off the price
>> of a consumer handheld GPS.
>> http://www.junipersys.com/Juniper-Systems-Rugged-Handheld-Computers/products/Cedar-Products
>>
>> Good luck,
>>
>> Trevor
>>
>> On Tue, Apr 5, 2016 at 7:17 AM, Howard, Tim G (DEC) <tim.how...@dec.ny.gov>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Merav,
>>> The open source app Geopaparazzi can do all those things for you. It is
>>> Android only so would work on the Nexus, not the iPhone. You can find it in
>>> the Play Store.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>> Tim
>>>
>>> > -Original Message-
>>> > From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:ECOLOG-
>>> > l...@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of Merav Vonshak
>>> > Sent: Monday, April 04, 2016 6:25 PM
>>> > To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
>>> > Subject: [ECOLOG-L] GPS recommendations
>>> >
>>> > ATTENTION: This email came from an external source. Do not open
>>> > attachments or click on links from unknown senders or unexpected emails.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > Hi all,
>>> > I would greatly appreciate your input on a handheld GPS device. I’m
>>> > looking
>>> > for a GPS device that would allow me to navigate to my field sites,
>>> > including
>>> > uploading plot locations from Google Earth or ArcGIS and viewing them in
>>> > the
>>> > field, over an aerial photo of th

Re: [ECOLOG-L] GPS recommendations

[Malcolm McCallum]

On Tue, Apr 5, 2016 at 2:48 PM, Thiago Silva  wrote:
> chips are enabling cheaper consumer products as well:
> http://bad-elf.com/pages/be-gps-3300-detail (I have no affiliation or
> previous experience with this specific product).
>


Your correction of terminology is much welcomed and correct!!!
I was not aware of the chips coming out, that will be a huge advantage
for a lot of folks, right?
Has to be way cheaper.

-- 
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
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Re: [ECOLOG-L] GPS recommendations

[Malcolm McCallum]

when using apps, if you are doing research-quality spatial analysis,
it will be important for you to know whether the app is reporting an
average or the first reading it gets.  I know that several of the
hobby-grade GPS units report an average but do not provide an estimate
of dispersion (e.g. SE, SD).  The Tremble units give you the
individual points, then you can dump out the influential outliers and
take the average yourself.  The advantage here is that if you need 95%
CI data, this will allow you to hone in on the point much more
accurately.  Usually, the outliers are LITERALLY a bird or plan flew
over you while recording that individual point, or a key sat went
behind a cloud while the other sats are in an less-than-ideal
conformation in the sky.

I suspect mos of what I am telling you is much more technical than you
really need, but since I don't know for sure your needs, I figure I
ought to try to help you out the best I can.  These details are
ignored frequently in the literature, but a plan flying over while the
other sats are in a bad conformation can cause you with a supposedly 1
ft resolution GPS to record the point 10 m or more from its actual
location.  When you are using a GPS and you notice the unit tells you
your waypoint is say 5 m to the north, then you go 5 m to the north
and it tells you its now 10 m to the east, then you follow thorugh,
and it starts telling you its 5 m to the east, its because of the
resolution ability + sat conformation + interference in the
atmosphere.  IT was always interesting to me when I would average the
points that there would be individual points that were plotted way
outside the cluster.  Those instantaneous readings can be WAY off!  :)

On Tue, Apr 5, 2016 at 9:17 AM, Trevor Middel  wrote:
> Merav,
>
> Another app to try, depending on whether you have access to ArCGIS Online,
> is Collector. It's available for Windows 10, Android, and iOS I believe.
> It's from ESRI and is full featured, though maybe a little buggy still. It
> allows use of custom basemaps, offline editing and synchronization of data
> from multiple field crews. Also, I was looking into the accuracy of tablet
> and phone based GPS vs consumer grade handheld GPS units and ran across a
> few sources which suggested the comparison was quite favourable. I don't
> have the references handy but found them relatively quickly using Google.
>
> We've used Garmin handhelds for years now in the field and have been quite
> happy with their durability. I don't like how quickly they seem to retire
> and change models, and change interfaces but we've managed to live with
> that. We also just acquired a couple of rugged Android tablets from Cedar
> Tree (CT7) to use as GPS/data logging devices. So far they seem quite good,
> this field season will tell for sure though. They are not far off the price
> of a consumer handheld GPS.
> http://www.junipersys.com/Juniper-Systems-Rugged-Handheld-Computers/products/Cedar-Products
>
> Good luck,
>
> Trevor
>
> On Tue, Apr 5, 2016 at 7:17 AM, Howard, Tim G (DEC) 
> wrote:
>>
>> Merav,
>> The open source app Geopaparazzi can do all those things for you. It is
>> Android only so would work on the Nexus, not the iPhone. You can find it in
>> the Play Store.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Tim
>>
>> > -Original Message-
>> > From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:ECOLOG-
>> > l...@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of Merav Vonshak
>> > Sent: Monday, April 04, 2016 6:25 PM
>> > To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
>> > Subject: [ECOLOG-L] GPS recommendations
>> >
>> > ATTENTION: This email came from an external source. Do not open
>> > attachments or click on links from unknown senders or unexpected emails.
>> >
>> >
>> > Hi all,
>> > I would greatly appreciate your input on a handheld GPS device. I’m
>> > looking
>> > for a GPS device that would allow me to navigate to my field sites,
>> > including
>> > uploading plot locations from Google Earth or ArcGIS and viewing them in
>> > the
>> > field, over an aerial photo of the site. I will also need to record data
>> > points.
>> > I’m considering using an iPhone 6 or a Google Nexus 9 device, wondering
>> > about the pros and cons of each options and the app I should use in case
>> > I
>> > choose the iPhone or the Nexus.
>> > Thank you!
>> > Merav
>
>



-- 
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 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] GPS recommendations

[Malcolm McCallum]

Choosing a GPS is not always a simple task.
It depends a lot on what you intend to do and the conditions under
which you are doing it.
Generally, the quality of GPS range from hobbiest to survey-quality devices.

For most stuff that does not require exact point accuracy and
precision, most of your hand-held garmins, and even some phones and
such will do fine. However, if you are needing 95% CI data for each
point, you will need to use a much more expensive unit (Say the old
Tremble XL or XM).  If you require surveyor-quality, you are getting
way up there.

Now, the side of the box will tell you the precision of the
instrument, however, that is the precision under the absolute best
situtation when there are no clouds/overcast, the satelites are
perfectly distributed in the 4 quadrants of the sky, and you are on a
flat plane with no birds, bugs, or planes flying over.  This is why I
mentioned the 95% CI data.  In that case, you would need to collect
something like 180 data points at each location to get to 95% CI.  You
can geocorrect your data using several methods, or you can use a
waystation to correct your information.  However, for most uses, a GPS
is intended for landscape studies and not microscale studies.  YOu log
the site, then you measure within the site using traditional methods.
OF course, you can use the GPS for these microscale measurements, but
if you under a lot of tree cover or have a lot of clouds, or yoru sats
are in weird positions you will find your data to be fuzzy, but still
usable (usually).

If you are just trying to get within a stone's throw of your site,
then I would just get a basic garmin used by geocachers and such.  IF
you need higher quality, then its time to talk to the sales people at
tremble and find out what suits your needs.  I used to have a nice
garmin GPS that was also a palm pilot, and it worked pretty nice.  ALl
the trembles are also handheld computers.  However, I am not
super-famliar with the new phone GPS as far as how accurate/precise
they are. My bet would be not very compared to the actual
research-grade unites.

I hope this is useful for you to make a decision.

On Mon, Apr 4, 2016 at 5:24 PM, Merav Vonshak  wrote:
> Hi all,
> I would greatly appreciate your input on a handheld GPS device. I’m looking 
> for a GPS device that would allow me to navigate to my field sites, including 
> uploading plot locations from Google Earth or ArcGIS and viewing them in the 
> field, over an aerial photo of the site. I will also need to record data 
> points. I’m considering using an iPhone 6 or a Google Nexus 9 device, 
> wondering about the pros and cons of each options and the app I should use in 
> case I choose the iPhone or the Nexus.
> Thank you!
> Merav



-- 
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.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Insect keys?

[Malcolm McCallum]

getting these down to genus should be doable with a key, however,
species might be very difficult.  Many beetles require you to use
scanning em to reveal microstructural variation.

http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/CAT93500709/PDF (chrysomelid key)
https://www.academia.edu/1538134/Drosophila_A_Guide_to_Species_Identification_and_Use
http://comp.uark.edu/~wetges/Heedkey2.pdf

https://books.google.com/books?id=GLWaIAAJ=PA32=PA32=phylloxeridae+key=bl=MXS4-SWPSf=b28_UIN5uZGoiZQ_tJsLYZyryjI=en=X=0ahUKEwj6gJHloevLAhWDsYMKHV2SAmcQ6AEIITAB#v=onepage=phylloxeridae%20key=false

http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/projects/cicada/simon_lab/peet_pages/10_Dmitriev_Cybertax.pdf

http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1653/024.097.0425

http://journals.fcla.edu/flaent/article/viewFile/83861/80752

http://aphid.aphidnet.org/

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/TOOLS/KEYAPHIDGRAIN/

http://ipm.ucdavis.edu/TOOLS/KEYAPHID/

http://influentialpoints.com/Gallery/Aphid_genera.htm

http://agspsrv34.agric.wa.gov.au/Ento/aphids/aphids2.htm

http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nurspest/woolyashaphid/introduction.htm

http://ipm.ncsu.edu/AG189/html/Key.HTML

On Thu, Mar 31, 2016 at 12:08 AM, Jason Hernandez
 wrote:
> I have a number of insect specimens I have been trying to identify. Borror
> et al 1989 has been useful in getting to family, but I would like to
> identify them to genus (and dare I hope, species?). I have not had much
> success on JSTOR or Google Scholar, so I am hoping the ECOLOG community can
> direct me to keys for the following taxa:
> Typhlocybine leafhoppers,
> Aphids,
> Woolly aphids,
> Phylloxerids,
> Drospohilid flies,
> Chrysomelid beetles.
> These specimens were collected in the Puget Sound basin of Washington, but
> broader regional keys should be useful, too. Can anyone help?
>
> Jason Hernandez



-- 
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.

[ECOLOG-L] help: cartogram software recommendations? (free better than $$!)

[Malcolm McCallum]

Does anyone have any recommendations regarding freeware that can be
used to make cartograms?  I have a variety of data for over 100
countries that I would like to express in a series of cartograms.  If
you can make a recommendation to me, that would be great.  :)

-- 
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.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] let's go corporate, publishing companies have!

[Malcolm McCallum]

Apparently the enjoyment is not sufficient for the majority, because
here has a been a long discussion going on for several years about the
difficulty getting qualified reviewers.  Then, over on the sports
side, a rapidly increasing number athletes in football are retiring
early (at least that was said on KC radio this week).

Having said that, I doubt paying reviewers would be much encouragement
for someone who is making over 70K.
I did not miss the point, I just think the point is losing relevance
in relation to the problem.

On Wed, Feb 17, 2016 at 9:59 AM, Steve Young <sl...@cornell.edu> wrote:
> You’re missing the point - athletes like to play sports and some
> scientists like to review manuscripts. It is the enjoyment that drives
> them, not the money.
> Steve
>
>
>
>
>
> On 2/17/16, 10:54 AM, "Malcolm McCallum"
> <malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>paying reviewers is in no way related to paying athletes.
>>The athletes are largely student.
>>Most reviewers are not students.
>>However, one could argue that reviewing is part of a scientist's job.
>>Yet, its a part that most institutions provide no credit for.
>>ITs a really screwed up situation.
>>
>>On Wed, Feb 17, 2016 at 7:57 AM, Steve Young <sl...@cornell.edu> wrote:
>>> And then there is the argument that some just enjoy reviewing papers –
>>>pro
>>> bono or payment is not something they consider. They like the
>>>opportunity to
>>> be involved in cutting edge science albeit the very periphery, before
>>>it is
>>> widely distributed. Interesting how this relates somewhat to the debate
>>> about paying college athletes
>>>
>>>(http://www.newyorker.com/news/sporting-scene/why-ncaa-athletes-shouldnt-
>>>be-paid).
>>>
>>> Steve
>>>
>>>
>>> From: ECOLOG <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU> on behalf of David Duffy
>>> <ddu...@hawaii.edu>
>>> Reply-To: David Duffy <ddu...@hawaii.edu>
>>> Date: Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 1:02 PM
>>> To: ECOLOG <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
>>> Subject: [ECOLOG-L] let's go corporate, publishing companies have!
>>>
>>>
>>>http://chronicle.com/article/Want-to-Change-Academic/134546?cid=trend_rig
>>>ht_h
>>>
>>> "So why not try this: If academic work is to be commodified and turned
>>>into
>>> a source of profit for shareholders and for the 1 percent of the
>>>publishing
>>> world, then we should give up our archaic notions of unpaid craft labor
>>>and
>>> insist on professional compensation for our expertise, just as doctors,
>>> lawyers, and accountants do."
>>>
>>> --
>>> David Duffy
>>> 戴大偉 (Dài Dàwěi)
>>> Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit/Makamakaʻāinana
>>> Botany
>>> University of Hawaii/Ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi
>>> 3190 Maile Way
>>> Honolulu Hawaii 96822 USA
>>> 1-808-956-8218
>>
>>
>>
>>--
>>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 contac

Re: [ECOLOG-L] let's go corporate, publishing companies have!

[Malcolm McCallum]

In regard to publishing, I do not agree with you, I agree with Sir
Peter Medawar.
Medawar won the Nobel Prize in Medicine and the Copley Medal.

The papers are the end-point of research.
IF you have not published it as some form of a communication (e.g.
Journals, proceedings, books, govt docs, internal-use docs, its not
research.  YOu did somethign, but you have not done research.

Publishing is part of research, not adjunct to it.

Having said that, this is my opinion and you have a right to yours
(obviously), however, one of the biggest failures as a scientist is
not finishing what you start by publishing what you spent all that
time doing. Young upstart scientists would be better to consider
publishing as part of their research, even if my opinion is completely
wrong, because they may feel pressure to finish what they start and
publish the results for potential the good of society.  While its
sitting in a lab drawer, there is no good to be had except
self-fulfilling gratification that you know or found something out
that no one else knows.
Mindset is everything when it comes to maintaining motivation.



On Wed, Feb 17, 2016 at 9:52 AM, Rodney J Dyer  wrote:
> Just two tangential points on this topic that I've been mulling about and
> bouncing off my local colleagues.
>
> 1. First, the papers we produce are not our research, they are but
> advertisements of our research.  We all know very highly cited papers whose
> underlying quality of data may not match the elegance of wordsmithery that
> got it published.  However, it is the data itself that is the fundamental
> component of our research, no?  Is there a possible future where data
> citation rankings will also be used to quantify research output?  The more
> people use my data, the more beneficial it is to the larger community...  We
> can already associate doi values for raw data.
>
> 2. Second, and perhaps more fundamental, we have historically chased
> particular journals in our discipline because they were the sole place to
> showcase our work.  We pay page charges, publication fees, or membership
> dues and do the reviewing pro bono as pointed out in the Chronicle article.
> However, there are increasingly large numbers of locations we can put our
> data, analyses, and interpretations outside just a handful of publications.
> Many of us no longer get the physical journals each month.  I used to thumb
> through them when they arrived to keep up with the latest and greatest work
> but now Google Scholar and Web of Science are my primary vectors towards
> research discovery.  The odd thing about this arrangement is that WE are the
> content creators, not the journals.  Without the content then the Chief
> Executive of Elsevier, Mr Engstrom, wouldn't have received the reported
> $4.6e6 compensation for 2010.  Is there a future where the magnitude of
> venues for our research results in competition among the journals for good
> science such that the journals chase the people who actually make content
> instead of the other way around?
>
> Just some thoughts,
>
> Rodney
>
>
>
> On Tue, Feb 16, 2016 at 4:31 PM, James Farlin  wrote:
>>
>> Some journals, such as the open access UC Journal Collabra are doing just
>> that, where a portion of publication fees are set aside for authors and they
>> can either use that money to compensate themselves ($/review done) or donate
>> it to a fund to offset those publication fees for other authors with less
>> funding (UGs, Grad, Post-docs).
>>
>> They have a very short video which explains the model on their website:
>> http://www.collabra.org.
>>
>> Encouraging to see from this young scientist.
>>
>> James
>>
>> On Feb 16, 2016 1:21 PM, "David Duffy"  wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> http://chronicle.com/article/Want-to-Change-Academic/134546?cid=trend_right_h
>>>
>>> "So why not try this: If academic work is to be commodified and turned
>>> into a source of profit for shareholders and for the 1 percent of the
>>> publishing world, then we should give up our archaic notions of unpaid craft
>>> labor and insist on professional compensation for our expertise, just as
>>> doctors, lawyers, and accountants do."
>>>
>>> --
>>> David Duffy
>>> 戴大偉 (Dài Dàwěi)
>>> Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit/Makamakaʻāinana
>>> Botany
>>> University of Hawaii/Ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi
>>> 3190 Maile Way
>>> Honolulu Hawaii 96822 USA
>>> 1-808-956-8218
>
>
>
>
> --
> Rodney J. Dyer, PhD
> Department of Biology
> Center for Environmental Studies
> Virginia Commonwealth University
> http://dyerlab.bio.vcu.edu



-- 
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 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] promoting Ecology course

[Malcolm McCallum]

If the AMA gets their way, then it will not be long until gross
anatomy is pushed out of the medical schools and made a requirement
for admission so they can spend more time on clinicals an
clinical-based courses in med school.  THis move, which is very
likely, is going to place an even higher premium on electives for
pre-med students.

So, whether it would be useful or not, unless the AMA decides to
require it, even fewer pre-meds will avoid ecology in the future,
regardless of efforts to attract them into courses.

My personal experience from teaching in the professional schools a few years.

On Tue, Feb 2, 2016 at 1:29 PM, K. Greg Murray  wrote:
> Good ideas.  I think there are lots of reasons that ecology needs to be in
> the background of pre-health professions students, and many of these reasons
> are similar to or the same as those promoted by Randolf  Nesse and others
> about the centrality of evolution to medical training.  Indeed, the many
> publications on “evolutionary” or “Darwinian” medicine are good starting
> points, since much of this field focuses on evolutionary arms races between
> humans and our pathogens.  For years I introduced my course on ecology and
> evolutionary biology (the third of 3 intro or core courses for all students
> intending to take any of our upper-level courses) with examples where
> ecology and evolutionary biology were important for understanding virtually
> all facets of human experience in addition to the things they usually think
> of as evolution and ecology.  I included examples from history, using some
> examples from Jared Diamond’s “Guns, Germs, and Steel.”  For human health, I
> used some of the usual suspects like antibiotic resistance and Lyme disease,
> but also some lesser-known examples like the most promising and effective
> approaches to malaria being low-tech ones like window screens and bed nets,
> that stomach ulcers (once thought to be a “lifestyle” disease) were actually
> caused by a bacterium, the intriguing connections between atherosclerosis
> and bacterial infection, between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and
> bacterial infection, the fact that most of epidemiology is really ecology,
> and on and on.  Several of these examples were cases in which medical
> science would have made more rapid advances had its practitioners been
> better trained in ecology and evolutionary biology.  I even threw in a
> damning quote or two (“The future of infectious diseases will be very dull”
> Dr. McFarlane Burnet, 1972 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine).  I
> also pointed out that the MCAT contained sections on population biology, and
> that these were not covered in any of the other intro courses.  It was still
> true that lots of our pre-professional students would prefer to focus their
> coursework on physiology, genetics, and cell and molecular biology, but I
> think most of them would have agreed that what we call ecology and
> evolutionary biology are very important to the study of human biology and
> the of management of human health.
> Our current curriculum has only two semesters of intro courses, but
> together, E & E still comprise fully one-third of the course material.  And
> our majors still have a distribution requirement to take at least one upper-
> level course that deals with biology at the population (or above) level of
> organization.  We do not experience much grousing about these requirements
> at all, to my knowledge.



-- 
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.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] promoting Ecology course

[Malcolm McCallum]

a freshman environmental science course is taught in almost every
community college in the united states is pretty close to waht Tam
stage is describing.  ONe textbook most use is Miller.  However, most
of the time, EVS is taught as a poor man's ecology course more than it
is a true interdisciplinary course crossing natural, physical and
social sciences.

On Tue, Feb 2, 2016 at 7:46 AM, Judith S. Weis
 wrote:
> Courses like that Ecology for citizens - including pollution,
> sustainablility etc. have been around for decades for non-majors - called
> environmental science or similar.
>
>
>
>> 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.
>> 
>> This
>> email has been sent from a virus-free computer protected by Avast.
>> www.avast.com
>> 
>> <#DDB4FAA8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>
>>
>> On Mon, Feb 1, 2016 at 7:03 PM, Emily Moran  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" >> > kay.yellowt...@gmail.com> 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
>>



-- 
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

Re: [ECOLOG-L] promoting Ecology course

[Malcolm McCallum]

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  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" > kay.yellowt...@gmail.com> 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.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] reference for students on citation

[Malcolm McCallum]

Neither.

https://www.lib.washington.edu/help/guides/42CBE.pdf
TheCBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, 6th. ed. 1994

I believe it has now been replaced by the CSE manual
http://www.councilscienceeditors.org/publications/scientific-style-and-format/

Many journals have their own independent style, or make changes to the
general style.

Malcolm




On Thu, Jan 14, 2016 at 12:59 PM, Olyssa Starry  wrote:

> Dear group,
> I teach in an interdisciplinary program. My students in the humanities
> always ask me about the most commonly used citation style in the
> sciences.
> Forgive my ignorance, but is there a scientific version of the "MLA"
> or "APA"? Is there a standard format agreed upon in ecology, and does
> it have a name?
> Thanks,
> Olyssa
>



-- 
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.

[ECOLOG-L] Research experience for undergrads

[Malcolm McCallum]

Someone on here was asking about REU opportunities.
here is one with the MIchigan biological station.
DO NOT CONTACT ME!!! I am just a messenger!

Follow the below link, this looks like a spectacular oppotunity for a
driven and interested unergraduate.
http://www.indeed.com/rc/clk?jk=9b6373ce4bdb211c



-- 
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.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in Ethiopia

[Malcolm McCallum]

If you are an undergraduate student I figured I would alert you that REU's
are outstanding opportunities for learning and figuring out what direction
you want to go with your career/future.

I participated in an REU at Illinois State as an undergraduate and it 100%
convinced me what I wanted to do.  A friend of mine also did undergraduate
research of this sort, and after 6 weeks decided he never wanted to do
research again, today he is a pharmacist and perfectly happy.  That really
is the point of an REU, pay an undergrad to experience what a career in
research is about.

I loved it, my friend hated it.  But neither of us would have had a clue
had we not done it.

Just a thought for the undergrads who might have read the advertisement
from Travis and wondered about it.

On Sun, Nov 22, 2015 at 9:47 PM, Travis Reynolds  wrote:

> In December we will begin accepting applications for the Summer 2016 NSF
> Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program based at Colby
> College
> and in South Gondar, Ethiopia. This REU provides eight American
> undergraduate students from diverse academic backgrounds an opportunity to
> conduct path-breaking interdisciplinary research on the ecological,
> economic
> and cultural roles of church forests. Church forests are patches of
> Afromontane forest surrounding Ethiopian Orthodox churches. Preserved for
> centuries by church leaders and communities as religious sanctuaries,
> church
> forests are, in many parts of Ethiopia, the only indigenous forests left.
> Under the eight-week summer REU program students will receive training at
> Colby College in ecological field methods, spatial analysis using
> Geographic
> Information Systems (GIS), social survey research, and written and oral
> communication. They will then travel to South Gondar, Ethiopia to conduct
> hands-on fieldwork with mentors from Colby College, the California Academy
> of Sciences, and local academic and government institutions. Applications
> will be accepted beginning December 1, 2015. The application deadline is
> February 15, 2016 via the REU-in-Ethiopia webite:
> http://www.colby.edu/reu-in-ethiopia.
>



-- 
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.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] plant science vs. botany

[Malcolm McCallum]

I cannot tell you how many peopel have brought up "The Martian."
I guess I will need to see it! :)

I have a LOT of responses, I will try to post some kind of synopsis in a
few days, after I am sure that everyone has spoken who wants to say
something.  Superficially, it sounds like sematics with reasonable
rationale for the change.


On Wed, Nov 18, 2015 at 7:27 PM, Sue Nichols <nich...@msu.edu> wrote:

> Ah!! Alexandra, that’s just what I wondered about The Martian!
>
> This is such an interesting discussion, because how people describe what
> they do is so informative (if you’re brave enough to pick and poke).
> Because there’s a reason for it, right?
>
>  I do wonder… have we lost anything by overshadowing “botany?”  And how
> does this change how scientists explain their work, and how important are
> titles and labels?
>
> ~
> Sue Nichols
> Assistant Director/Strategic communications
> Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability
> Michigan State University
> (517) 432-0206
>
> CSIS homepage <http://csis.msu.edu/>
> CSIS on Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/MichStateCSIS>
> @suegnic
>
>
>
> On Nov 18, 2015, at 7:30 PM, Alexandra Thorn <m...@alexandrathorn.com>
> wrote:
>
> It's an interesting question.
>
> I think of "botany" as being specifically about phylogeny and
> characterizing how different plant species are different from one
> another and why.  Other plant sciences have other domains in my mind,
> e.g. "plant physiology" is about the functional attributes of plants
> that might translate among species (just as in animal physiology humans
> and mice have basically the same organs), and "plant ecology" is about
> the relationships among plant species and between plant species and
> other organisms.
>
> My biology doctorate drew heavily on plant physiology and I feel fine
> saying that my degree was in plant biology, plant ecology, or plant
> physiology, but if somebody calls me a botanist I tend to think they're
> attributing credentials to me that I really don't have.
>
> Alexandra
>
> P.S. I am bothered by how the term "botany" is used in the novel "The
> Martian."  I'm pretty sure that "horticulture" would be a better job
> description, but I haven't looked up whether words are just used
> differently by NASA and friends...
>
> On Wed, 18 Nov 2015 16:26:04 -0500
> Thomas Wentworth <twen...@ncsu.edu> wrote:
>
> Hi Chris,
>
> Our Department at NC State University changed its name from Botany to
> Plant Biology (not Plant Science) a number of years ago. We did so
> primarily because of a perception that the public sees "botany" as an
> antiquated term, not inclusive of the vibrant programs in our
> department, which cover the plant realm from molecules to ecosystems.
> We also believed that prospective student searching for "botany"
> programs were more likely to use keywords like "plant" and "biology."
> We avoided "Plant Science" because we thought that too inclusive of
> ALL plant studies, given that at NC State (a Land Grant university)
> we still have departments of Crop Science, Horticulture, Plant
> Pathology, Forestry, etc.
>
> Tom Wentworth
>
> On 11/18/2015 1:00 PM, Christopher Graham wrote:
>
> Hi Malcolm,
>
> Interesting question. I studied in the plant biology department at
> the University of Georgia, which until recently had been the botany
> department. My understanding (and I think this was corroborated by
> certain faculty members) was that the change reflected the gradual
> shift from "traditional" botanists, who studied plants at a
> macroscopic or organismal level and thus were facile with (at least
> some members of) the regional flora; to academics who focused at
> the cellular or molecular level to such a degree that many of them
> do not particularly know or care about the real, wild plants
> growing around them. I don't doubt that these plant scientists do
> important things, but it's a shame to me that the former type, the
> traditional botanist, has been largely displaced by them.
>
> chris
>
>
> - Original Message -
> From: "Malcolm McCallum" <malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 12:52:32 PM
> Subject: plant science vs. botany
>
>
> Over the past several years I have noticed a trend that
> plant-focused vacancies will refer to the vacancy as plant science
> and less frequently what used to be typically referred to as
> zoology will be instead referred to as animal science. When I was
> an undergraduate, agronomy, pomology, 

[ECOLOG-L] plant science vs. botany

[Malcolm McCallum]

Over the past several years I have noticed a trend that plant-focused
vacancies will refer to the vacancy as plant science and less frequently
what used to be typically referred to as zoology will be instead referred
to as animal science.
 When I was an undergraduate, agronomy, pomology, forestry, and course
related to agriculture were designated plant science.  Agricutlure courses
like dairy science, feedlot management, swine management, animal nutrition
and the like were designated animal science.

The current widespread lack of distinction between zoology vs. animal
science, and botany vs. plant science creates a lot of confusion, and
doesn't really make any sense to me.

Is there a reason that people have stopped using the term zoology/botany
and in its stead began using animal science/plant science?   It seems like
an inappropriate muddying of the academic waters to me.

A Plant Scientist and a Botanist are not the same thing, nor is an animal
scientist and a zoologist the same thing.  Although some people might cross
these fields (a ruminant ecologist might cross these areas for example).

I know most people probably couldn't care less about this, but I feel it is
a pretty important issue.  If we are not consistent with terminology, why
should we expect students and others to take it seriously?

Please feel free to contact me off list because some members of the ECOLOG
discussion list get annoyed when it actually involves discussion, so be it.

-- 
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.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Preschool field class

[Malcolm McCallum]

I used to do extension type teaching at an aquarium.
At five years some students know a little more than you expect, but others
will understand little.
It is usually best to emphasize very very basic stuff.

For example, collecting leaves off the ground, then placing the leaves
behind a piece of paper and coloring with a crayon on the paper.
This will create an impression of the leaf as the crayon will be darker
where the leaf veins are.  The kids will be pretty impressed with this.
YOu can teach them some basic things about leaves.  Some are round, some
are jagged, some are smooth.  And I mean basic.  Touching
leaves with their fingers to notice some are rough and soe are smooth.

Emphasize texture (feel), color, shapes.  Very very basic.

With animals, watch an episode of the Crocodile hunter and up the tone
about 200%.
There is a bird, isn't it beautiful?  Birds have feathers and a beak and
scaley legs.

At this age, bird, mammal, is a very advanced concept, and frankly some
won't grasp it.  THen again, I guess some adults don't grasp it either!
(hehe).
Most kids this age will recognize cow, monkey, pig, mouse.  But if you try
to go deeper say, dairy cow, beef cow, spider monkey, rat, mouse, shrew,
they can't handle it.  They are just learning to identify the things around
them.  Even identifying differnet trees from the leaves might be too much.
They don't understand different kinds of trees, just that trees have
leaves, and leaves can be different shapes.

Also, it is best to be over-the-top enthusiastic about trivial things.

At that age, gaining appreciation is vital, but the content will be very
very shallow, repetative, and you have to be over-the-top enthusiastic.
A point worth noting is that the over-the-top enthusiasm sometimes helps
with undergrads and grads too.  :P

Here is a video of me with my daughter this spring with seeds.
She is 4.5 yrs here, and can already read and do some basic addition and
multiplication.
However, this is close to how you need to deliver stuff.  I'm showing her
the different seeds we are planting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiZW8SnT_OQ

Its kind of funny, because in a way teaching little kids is so darn
applicable to teaching undergrads it is funny, you are just going faster
and more in depth with the higher students! (well, that depends too!
Ok, I better stop this line of comedy or I'll get in trouble!).  There is
huge development in capacity to learn differences between things from about
3 to 5.  Real concepts, even good and bad, are difficult for them even at
5.

I went ahead and posted this response to the listserv because it might
elicit more responses from teh environmental education folks on here.  They
surely can send you to some resources.  A lot of this stuff is already done
by others and you can just adapt them.  There is a lot of 4-H,
boyscout/girlscout/brownie badge stuff, and various programs like Project
WET out there.  I designed a number of education programs while at the
aquarium focused on aquatics.  Heck, I set up this one program that was
teaching preschoolers about the ocean world by making crafts.  I coined it
the Art-Sea Craft-Sea Program.  The kids would make an octopus out of a
marshmallow and whip licorice (Made that up myself), there were a butt-load
(and industry term there) of different things I pretty much cranked out in
an afternoon from scratch.  I just made them up and wrote them down.  IT
was very successful.  That was done for pre-schoolers.  Making things fun,
or remembering what you saw are good activities.  Briing them outside, let
them touch a snail, then, bring them back in and spend an hour drawing
snails if they can draw.  Or, making snails out of clay.

KEEP IT REALLY SIMPLE.

On Fri, Nov 13, 2015 at 3:56 AM, J C Voltolini  wrote:

> Dear friends,
>
> I am a University teacher and education coordinator in Brasil and our
> Departament is testing a new Biology curriculum with courses like teaching
> ecology, botany, zoology, microbiology.
>
> The idea is to develop methods to teach these areas in public secondary
> schools but now I was invited to teach a field class for preschool kids (5
> years).
>
> I would to share ideas because the school is near a rainforest fragment
> with howler monkies, a very good place to teach! I am thinking in an
> practice about observation of plants to understand the structure of the
> rainforest comparing herbs, brushes and trees. Any ideas?
>
> Some pictures of my teaching ecology activities:
> https://www.facebook.com/ecotrop/media_set?set=a.10207129950628258.1073741841.1266679242=3=83
>
> Prof. Dr. J. C. VOLTOLINI
> Biology Department
> Universidade de Taubaté
>



-- 
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, 

[ECOLOG-L] 1900s women wear Anoles on leashes on lapel photos???

[Malcolm McCallum]

I am desperately trying to find a picture of the fashion trend for the turn
of the century in which women would place an Green Anole (Anolis
carolinensis) on their lapel.  The lizards were marketed as bugs or
chameleons at different times starting around the turn of the century.
Later, the fashion trend switched to the pet trade at side shows and
circuses targeting children.

In both cases, the lizard was wearing a small collar with a chain that was
attached to lapel with a safety pin in the case of children, or a lapel pin
in the case of the women's fashion.  I have found photos of the bug boxes
in which the lizards were sold (in fact, as a child I had one of these
boxes, woh is me that it is now gone!).

There was also a fashion trend in Louisiana and other parts of the
Southeast at least into the 1920s in which women/girls would wear a lizard
in their hair.

Believe it or not, the marketing ploy was that the lizard would change
colors to match your outfit!!!  Granted, a REAL Chameleon is capable of
remarkable color and pattern matching often nearly instantaneoulsy, but the
Anoles they were marketing go from Green to brown and the color has more to
do with temperature, stress and mood (do lizards have moods?  Maybe i'm
being anthropomorphic there, but you get the vibe!) than to do with their
surroundings.

Anyway, any images or help would be greatly appreciated!

Malcolm

-- 
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.

[ECOLOG-L] Anyone work with or have peacocks?

[Malcolm McCallum]

I have an inquiry for anyone who works on or just happens to own peafowl.
email me directly please!
Thanks in advance.

-- 
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.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] On research process in ecology

[Malcolm McCallum]

Hypothesis testing is derived from the statistical field called decision
theory.
Modern statisticians to not subscribe to decision theory as it is an
artificial an arbitrarily subscribed notion.
Having said that, most biologists are 50 years out of date in this respect
even under circumstances where hypothesis testing may be useful, most
people boil it down to 2 competing hypotheses when, in fact, there are
easily seen to be 3, 4, or dozens of alternatives (see approaches in .
Standard statistical approaches to hypothesis testing clearly provide
options for multiple competing hypotheses, but these approaches are seldom
used and regularly ignored.  Here is a short list of citations, I think I
have represented both sides of the argument, but the list is probably
biased against hypothesis testing. THis is not nearly complete, the issue
has been beat to death in the literature.

Gardner and Altman. 1986. Confidence intervals rather than P-values:
estimation rather than hypothesis testing. British Medical Journal
292:746-750

Anderson et al. 2000. Null hypothesis testing: Problems, prevalence, and an
alternative. J of Wildlife Man 54:912-923.

Shaffer. 1995. Multiple hypothesis testing. Annual Rev of Psychology
46:561-584.

Quinn and Dunham. 1983. On hypothesis testing in ecology and evolution. Am
Nat 122:602-617.

Stephens et al. 2005. Information theory and hypothesis testing: a call for
pleuralism. J Applied Ecology 41:4-12.

Landy 1986. Stamp collecting versus science: validation as hypothesis
testing. Am Psychol 41:1183-1192.

Frick. 1996. The appropriate use of null hypothesis testing. Psychological
Methods 1:379-390.

Klayman adn Young-won. 1989. Hypothesis testing in rule discovery:
strategy, structure, and content. J Exp Psych: Learning, Memory and
Cognition 15:596-604.

Steiger. 2000. Point estiation, hypothesis testing, and interval estimation
using the RMSEA: some comments and a reply to Hayduk and Glaser. Structured
Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary JOurnal 7:149-162.

Gigerenzer et al. 1991. ON the tyranny of hypothesis testing in the social
sciences. Contemporary Psychology 36:102-105.

Hobbs, N. Thompson, and Ray Hilborn. "Alternatives to statistical
hypothesis testing in ecology: a guide to self teaching." *Ecological
Applications* 16.1 (2006): 5-19.

Loftus 1993. A picture is worth a thousand p values: On the irrelevance of
hypothesis testing in teh microcomputer age. Behavior Research Methods,
Instruments, & Computers 25:250-256.

Lawson et al. 2000. Development of scientific reasoning in college biology:
do two general hypothesis-testing skills exist? J of Res in Sci Teaching
37:81-101

Savin. 1984. Multiple hypothesis testing. Handbook of Econometrics Vol II..
Eds: Griliches and Intriligator. Elsvier Science Publishiers.

Loehle. 1987. Hypothesis testing in Ecology: Psychological aspects and the
importance of theory maturation. Quart Rev Biol 62:397-409.

On Mon, Oct 5, 2015 at 8:17 PM, Manuel Spínola  wrote:

> Dear list members,
>
>
>
> A few years ago I was having a discussion on this list on
> hypothesis-driven research and the hypothetico-dedcutive method as “the
> scientific method” in ecology.  It seem to me (may be I am wrong) that many
> universities in the US are teaching this approach to do research in
> ecology.  I am wondering if there are other approaches (and references) on
> the research process in ecology more suitable to scientists working on
> wildlife ecology and conservation.  I am teaching a thesis seminar to
> master students in wildlife ecology and conservation in Latin America and I
> would like to discuss other approaches with them.
>
>
> Many thanks in advance,
>
>
>
> Manuel Spínola
> --
> *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 
>



-- 
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: 

[ECOLOG-L] jobtracker on Chronicle's Vitae system

[Malcolm McCallum]

Hi,
I thought I woudl point out that the Chronicle of Higher Education has
introduced a system called Job Tracker.  It can be used to see how
positions were filled in previous years, how long it took things like
that.  In any case, 91% of the ecology vacancies have no data in regard to
who filled them.  This suggests that either 91% were not filled, or that
91% are not using the system.  It would be neat if more biology types
filled out the survey

http://jobtracker.chroniclevitae.com/

I will also post this on the biology  job wiki site which, btw, has
~200-300 vacancies currently being tracked as an fyi.  the job wiki is here

https://sites.google.com/site/wikibiologypostings/home
-- 
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.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Gaining Experience in Molecular Biology

[Malcolm McCallum]

This is long, and I am posting it to Ecolog because, frankly, I guarantee a
ton of people are asking the same question as you!

the only realistic way you will get this is to take some classes.
When I graduated with my BS most bio programs only required a genetics
class.  Then, I attended an MS program where most of the courses were more
field-based or traditional ecology (biogeography, evolution, etc.).  The
molecular tools became a dominant tool requirement became a common request
in the 90s.  When I did my PHD everyone already knew them.  I took lab
courses that taught specifically how to do methods I had not done (or was
shaky on).  Now, anyone with a BS should have run an elisa and done some
basic things like PCR (heck, they were teaching basic PCR in freshman
biology at the community college in the mid-1990s.  THese students did not
"KNOW" it, but they had a clue at least about what was going on.  Check
your local community college, they might teach biotech courses.  It is
increasingly common for community colleges to have some form of biotech
classes and programs.  I lived near SIUE after my MS and had no molecular
experience/training.  I did not know a PCR from a blot test.  So, I
attended a recombinant DNA course and a molecular genetics course at that
school through a neat adult learner program they offered at the time.  YOu
could take any course for a small fee (in 1995 I think it was $15).  So, I
enrolled in grantsmanship, molecular genetics, recombinant DNA, entomology,
insect morphology, field botany, and a few other courses.  There were no
transcripts but you could keep your receipt which would show what course
you paid to take.  There may be similar programs at universities near you.

There is also the option to earn an MS or graduate certificate at a nearby
institution specifically in molecular biology.  However, I will tell you
that although every student should know the basics of these molecular
tests, most graduates with a BS at least are not fluent in their usage.
THey are kind of like the kid who drove a car for the first time in drivers
ed.  The real skill with these techniques is understanding what jels to
use, and the amazing number of specialized molecular methods tht now
exist.  IF you are truly interested in learning molecular techniques, I
suggest you find a class and take it.  However, it is generally true that
permanent jobs in which biology students get hired break up loosely into
lab techs, desk jobs, and teaching.

Many testing labs hire biology majors.  These positions may be doing
chemical testing (I was once interviewed to test the viscosity of paint in
a paint factory!), forensic tests, or environmental tests (using standard
test organisms or methods with instrumentation).  Often, these jobs have
nothign to do with biology, but your understanding of laboratory "life" is
essential.  Some places may hire you for clinical testing, but generally
these jobs go to people who have a back ground in medical technology.  I
remember once being interviewed for a field chemist job in which I was to
collect soil and water samples around chemical factories.  I live in Kansas
City and there are a surprising large number of environemntal testing labs
around here.  At least one in Overland Park, another over in Columbia
Missouri that I am aware of.  They pay darn well too.  I have seen their
job ads on Indeed.com.  Clin ical testing labs tend to hire people with
education in med tech.  THings like medical technologist, clinical
laboratory tech, serologist, hematologist, etc., these are all med tech
jobs and most biology majors just will not qualify.  Likewise, there has
been a movement for biotech AA degrees and you may see jobs for gel
technicians, and such wich are mostly filled by people with simple training
via such degrees and training programs.

Federal and state jobs with the department of the interior and US EPA tend
to be desk jobs where you do a lot of permit approvals denials.  THese are
very important jobs and from the outside sound kind of dry, but they can be
amazingly interesting.  Most of these jobs are multi-tasking of sorts with
say 50% permits, 20% NEPA EIS reviews, 20% Endangred species paperwork, 10%
research.  The research part is largely assisting biologists when needed.
The other kinds of jobs are few in number by comparison so there is WAY
more competition for things like a wildlife biologist doing direct wildlife
studies. I was offered a really neat job like this with the US EPA many
years ago. It was a PHD level job, but it involved pesticide policy for the
entire US and was stationed in Washington DC.  FOr me, visiting the city is
one thing, living in city that goes on forever was too much!  I turned it
down.  This is another thing you HAVE to consider when applying for jobs
and training for potential careers...is the job and the place you have to
live to do it compatable.  It is hard to be a Forester in the great plains,
an arctic surveyor in Nevada, or a 

[ECOLOG-L] adjunct in Chicago area

[Malcolm McCallum]

I saw this ad, and thought it might help someone out who is in that area..
Best regards and good luck!  (Don't contact me, I don't know anything about
it!)

Adjunct Professor, Biology
Institution:
Prairie State College 
Location:
Chicago Heights, IL
Category:
Faculty - Science - Biology
Posted:
09/21/2015
Application Due:
Open Until Filled
Type:
Adjunct/Part-Time
Job Description: Prairie State College seeks to fill available spots
immediately:

BIO 111 (Cell and Molecular Biology) MW Lecture: 8:00 - 9:20 Lab:
9:30-10:50 am

BIO 100 LS (General Education Biology) TTH Lab: 7:00 - 8:20 pm

BIO 108 (Essential Anatomy and Physiology for Surg. Tech) - MW Lecture:
3:30 - 5:20 pm

Please note in your cover letter which section(s) you are available to
teach.

Minimum Qualifications:
Master of Science with minimum of 18 graduate credit hours in biology or
closely related area.
Experience in teaching in one of the above listed areas at college level.
Experience in conducting biology lab activities in the above listed areas
at college.
Excellent communication skills.
Please note in your cover letter which section(s) you are available to
teach.

Preferred Qualifications: PhD. in Biology or closely related area

-- 
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.

[ECOLOG-L] Fwd: [CTURTLE] Unidentified organism in Olive ridley digestive tract

[Malcolm McCallum]

See below message if you have a clue!

-- Forwarded message --
From: Alessandra Bielli 
Date: Tue, Sep 1, 2015 at 3:08 PM
Subject: Re: [CTURTLE] Unidentified organism in Olive ridley digestive tract
To: ctur...@lists.ufl.edu


Thanks Jesus,

Here's the link with the pictures, let me know if it works.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-8JenCf0YOmUWhJVEpaOHpQdVE

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-8JenCf0YOmUjJxRDhXaUVsTlk

*Alessandra Bielli*
*Volunteers coordinator *
*Parque El Hawaii*

*Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Association (ARCAS)*

*www.arcasguatemala.org (502) 40306067*

On Tue, Sep 1, 2015 at 12:29 PM,  wrote:

> Hi
>
> Cturtle does not allow attachments. Can you please send a link
> addressing to the pictures?.
>
> Cheers
>
> J
>
>
>
> > Dear CTurtlers,
> >
> > I am currently working in Olive ridley conservation in Hawaii, Santa
> Rosa
> > on the Pacific coast of Guatemala.
> >
> > We have had several strandings and during the necropsy we have found
> an
> > unknown organism in the digestive tract of 3 different turtles. In 2
> cases
> > the organism was in the esophagus, while in the other case it was in
> the
> > stomach.
> > It has a spongy texture externally and, internally, a lot of soft
> spines,
> > like big cilia. It made me think about a tunicate but I am not sure
> about
> > their internal anatomy.
> >
> > I add a picture, unfortunately not very good; can anyone help me in
> > identifying the species? We were wondering if that could be the
> reason of
> > their death.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > *Alessandra Bielli*
> > *Volunteers coordinator *
> > *Parque El Hawaii*
> >
> > *Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Association (ARCAS)*
> >
> > *www.arcasguatemala.org (502)
> 40306067*
> >
> > <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
> > To leave the CTURTLE list, send a message to:
> >  lists...@lists.ufl.edu
> > with the message:  signoff CTURTLE
> >
> > If you experience difficulty, send an email to:
> >  cturtle-requ...@lists.ufl.edu
> > <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
> >
>
>
> --
> ___
>
> Jesús TOMÁS
> Unidad de Zoología Marina
> Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología  Evolutiva
> Universitat de València
> Apdo. 22085
> E-46071-Valencia
> SPAIN
>
> e-mail: jesus.to...@uv.es
> webs:
> http://www.uv.es/zoomar
> http://www.grupojaragua.org.do/nidificacion.htm
> tel.  +34 963544549fax +34 963543733
> +
> NOTE! For shipments by EXPRESS COURIER use
> "Catedrático José Beltrán 2, 46980 Paterna (Valencia),
> Spain" instead of postal address above.
> +
> _
>
>
>
>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> To leave the CTURTLE list,
send a message to: lists...@lists.ufl.edu with the message: signoff CTURTLE

If you experience difficulty, send an email to:
cturtle-requ...@lists.ufl.edu
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>



-- 
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.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] bibliometrics

[Malcolm McCallum]

I think we should just change the nomenclature.

Instead of calling them "highly ranked" journals or other similar names, we
should call them by what they really are "broad-interest journals."  or
something similar.

The original rational for citation ratings in particular was for librarians
to choose journals that were of interest to the most readers, so they could
spend funds more efficiently.

Over time, the concept of them being of broad interest versus specialized
and of interest to a small sector.

In fact, the journas with the broadest interest, are of course Science,
Nature and PNAS.  They are clearly publishing very important work too.
However, at least in the case of Science and Nature, interest of a broad
audience is more critical than the level of importance assigned to an
article.  Many landmark papers do not land in Science and Nature.  PNAS is
a different kind of journal of course.

However, this concept of broad interest versus high importance got garbled.


At one point, Immunological Reviews had the largest JIF of all journals
rated by Thomson-Reuters.  By that assessment, we should all dump our
reserach and start writing review articles about immunology because that
journal had a higher ranking than Science or Nature.

Currently, we infer that the most important articles are published in
Science and Nature, but this is with the caveat that roughly 10% of all the
papers in those two journals are responsible for roughly 90% of all the
citations.  In 2007, the last time I looked, roughly a third of the papers
in Science had not been cited a single time.  There is also the caveat that
the impact rating is also a better predictor of whether a paper will get
retracted than it is a predictor of getting cited.  IN fact, it is a VERY
VERY poor indicator of likelihood of getting cited.  Still, those that do
get cited, tend to get cited a ton.  THis makes sense because of the goal
to serve a BROAD AUDIENCE and to publish THE MOST IMPORTANT Papers.  Often,
the most important papers within a field, however, are not of broad
interest to the general population of scientists, let alone the general
public.

Which brings us to my suggestion.

Papers get cited because the attract attention, whether that be for good or
bad reasons, although it is usually good reasons.  I had a Chair who had an
endowed position at a medical school.  He had been publishing all of his
papers in 1-2 journals for years, specific to his field.  They were VERY
IMPORTANT.  He had previously published in Science, nature, as well as
PNAS.  He told me he quit that game because he was more interested in
getting material out than playing popularity contensts.  This guy had a
damn good record, tons of grants, etc.  IN my personal opinion, that is
what our goal in research should be in regard to publishing.  It should be
to publish the material where the right people will see it, not to publish
it where we get some kind of popularity contest won.  Its nice to be
popular, but it seems like striving for popularity is almost always a
street we have seen before in highschool.  People who are popular early,
but wane into the sunset as they get older.  A few stay popular for their
life, adn a few of those actually do stuff that matters.  However, a ton of
less popular people end up more popular as the age, lead happier lives, and
frankly make a larger contribution to society by not seeking to be popular.


I am not suggesting anyone should not strive to get in science, nature or
PNAS.  There is a difference between what SHOULD BE and WHAT IS.  YOu have
to work within the bounds of reality, but that does not mean you should try
to contribute to reality in a meaningful way so that maybe it will function
more ideally.

If we abandon calling them high impact ratings, and start calling them
large impact ratings, the context is different.
Highly ranked vs. Broad interest
low ranked vs specialized field
Best vs. broadest readership
journals from high-impact fields vs journals from fields with many
researchers.

Another option is to devise quartile rankings within disciplines based on
impact ratings.
I think this is valid too.

For example, in herpetology, our journals line up roughly like this by
impact rating, last time I looked.  It is far from a complete list

Journal of Herpetology
Herpetological Journal
Herpetologica
Herpetological Conservation & Biology
Amphibia-Reptilia
Copeia (I think this has bounced back to the top 3).
Acta Herpetologica
J African Herpetology,
J SA Herpetology
Unrated: Herp Review, Herp Notes, Bull British HErp SOc, Bull of Maryland
HErp Soc, BUll of Chicago Herp Soc, Alytes, Amphib & Rept Cons.

PRetending this were a complete list, it would be easy to assess the field
by quartile ranking.
There are 16 journals listed.

Top 25%: JH, HJ, Herp,
Middle 50%: A, Copeia, HCB, AH, JAH, JSAH
Bottom 25%; HR, HN, BBHS, BMHS, BCHS, Alytes, ARC

This is sensible, and it certainly is more meaningful that messing around
with worrying 

[ECOLOG-L] job wiki

[Malcolm McCallum]

This is a reminder that the job wiki is again active this year with roughly
230 jobs currently posted.  the site can be sorted by date, status,
specialty, school, etc.  There are also provisions for additing discussion
pages for specific positions. Most positions are either ecology, organismic
or closely related areas, although there are posts for other areas of
biology and environmental studies.

Although Anyone can access it, to make edits to the content, you must
contact one of the site members to give you access.  You can do this
anonymously or via your regular email address.  For more info, feel free to
contact me.  Google no longer allows wide open sites that anyone can edit.
Many of the functions are now using pull down menus so there should be
fewer problems, in fact, we should not have a lot of major errors because
of the way data is put into the page now via a nice popup fill in page.  :)
 Any questions, feel free to ask!

https://sites.google.com/site/wikibiologypostings/home/2015-2016-wiki-biology-jobs

-- 
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.

[ECOLOG-L] Biology jobs wiki online

[Malcolm McCallum]

Introduction..
For those of you on the job market for the first time, you might be
interested in the biology jobs wiki.  This wiki page is available for you
to communicate with other job seekers the status of positions as you find
out.  Search committee members typcically are not allowed reveal much about
the progress of a search, and this leaves the applicants waiting for news
before they make decisions for their next step.  The Wiki page allows you
and others to update the progress so that you are more informed.
Obviously, in the past search committee members sometimes updated it too.
It is generally useful, but hardly complete.  I encourage you to look into
the wiki page and contribute.  Instructions and links are below.

History
In 2002 I became aware of the Academic Jobs Wiki that was serviced by the
Chronicle of Higher Education.  At that time, there was a link for biology,
but no one was using it.  I and several others circulated the site around
the life scieces to make people aware of its existence.  I managed it
through 2008 and then others took it over.

In the past, the wiki page was on Wikia, but we moved it because of
mischief and difficulties some had editing the site.  We then moved it to a
Google Spreadsheet.  This worked well most of the time, but occassionally
two people editing or sorting things at the same time would mess things
up.  Also, we regularly had problems with columns getting misaligned.
However, the site remained popular and last year was probably the largest
participation I can remember.

New Wiki Page.
In order to TRY to eliminate a lot of the problems with the previous wiki
pages, and to make it more user friendly the wiki has been moved onto a
Google Site.  It is still linked from the Academia Wiki Page of the
Chronicle.  However, from this single site you can now link to all the
previous years' pages for historical references (except for ones that were
lost due to technical issues).  There is a page for postdocs and
non-academic jobs, and a page for academic faculty jobs. Currently, all
academic biology jobs go on the same page.  There are instructions for how
to post, sort, etc. on the website.  Further, if people feel inclined to
discuss a position, those people can add a link to the master page and then
place discussions on the link.  There are also pages for general
discussions, etc. like in the older versions.  Contributors can also set
the webpage to notify them when changes are made, so they will not find
themselves sitting on the wiki for hours wasting time! :)  The new wiki
page was created with feedback from numerous people who were on the job
search last year.  Further ideas to improve it are welcomed.

Accessing the new Wiki Page
Anyone can view the content of the wiki page.  However, Google has made it
impossible to have open-editing on Google sites.  To be added as an editor,
send me an email with the email address you would like used.  If you are
concerned about anonymity, create an anonymous email address using Google
or Yahoo or what-have-you and I can insert that one, I don't need to know
who you really are! When you send me your email address, I will add it on
giving you full editorial priveledges.  Also, once you are added, you will
be able to invite and add others to the system too. YOu are welcome to add
your contact to the home page to assist others in gaining access.

The new wiki and complete instructions on its use are located
at: https://sites.google.com/site/wikibiologypostings/home

Hopefully, the new site wil be as useful as the previous versions and will
remain an important resource for those seeking employment in the biological
sciences for a long time.

If you have any questions or comments, please email them to me directly,
unless they are intended to be directed at the entire listserv community.

Have a nice day.

-- 
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 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] teaching evolution in ecology courses

[Malcolm McCallum]

I think the value of what you just mentioned is that most people don't know
that there is no issue with their own religion and evolution.

However, where I was coming from is a step different from that, because
most whose religion have no issue, end up having no issue.
However, there is a serious risk of the student thinking you are
criticizing their religion, which will literally cause tons of grief.  When
you say, plenty of religions have no problem with it, SOME (not all or even
most) will interpret that more like other religions have no problem, so
what is wrong with yours? or other sorts of imagined criticisms.  Its a
real tight rope with some of the extreme religious views.  Also, I suspect
that teh approach you take is going to be very dependent on the kind of
student you are dealing with.  I suspect that the students you get at Ole
Miss are significantly more prepared than a open (wide-open) enrollment
university. The approaches to students are completely different.  I learned
this going from LSUS to TAMUT to UMKC.  At UMKC students largely knew
exactly why they were in school ad how to be their.  They were more
prepared, but by NO MEANS were they on average smarter.  However, your
approach would have worked well with most of them, I suspect.  IF students
have poor academic backgrounds (in attainment or in exposure) their ability
to interpret your motives are also poorly developed.  At least that is my
experience.  I'm sure others have plenty of other views.

On Sun, Jul 5, 2015 at 2:32 PM, wresetar wrese...@olemiss.edu wrote:

  While care needs to be taken to avoid seeming confrontational, it may
 also be worth pointing out to students, if the issue arises, that even in
 this country a large majority of the populace belong to religions that do
 not consider their doctrine and the theory of evolution to be incompatible.
  http://www.pewforum.org/2009/02/04/religious-groups-views-on-evolution/

  This is true even among the Christian population – so not everyone
 considers religion and evolution at odds.  I doubt many of those who reject
 evolution are remotely aware of this.

  Then there is my personal favorite for mainstreaming evolution…  Sigh.
 http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_U7QmAM2W0g/UVFm9wyrWSI/jFg/EzTKrMO7nOg/s1600/DarwinTenPoundNote.jpg

  *William J. Resetarits, Jr.*
  *Professor of Biology *and
 *Henry L. and Grace Doherty Chair in Freshwater Research*
 Department of Biology
 The University of Mississippi
 P.O. Box 1848
 University, MS 38677-1848
 Phone: (662) 915-5804
 Fax: (662) 915-6554
 http://www.olemiss.edu/resetaritslab

  *Experiments are only experience carefully planned in advance. *  R. A.
 Fisher

  *You can’t step twice in the same river. *  Heraclitus

   From: Malcolm McCallum malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com
 Reply-To: Malcolm McCallum malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com
 Date: Sunday, July 5, 2015 at 12:07 PM
 To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
 Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] teaching evolution in ecology courses

   I have no doubt that many who are from firm, literalistic religions
 have this problem.

 Early on when I was a student, I struggled with the conflict I thought
 existed between religion and evolution. After taking a pile of evolution
 coures I slowly transitioned.  IT was not a sudden lightbulb coming on.
  I think everyone deals with it differently when confronted with the logic
 of evolution and how it sometimes conflicts with the dogma of some
 religions.  I concluded as an instructor that I was not going to change in
 a semester, a set of beliefs that this person has evolved over 18 or more
 years of life.  I also kinda believe that many of the most intelligent are
 the most stubborn to accept contrary views. So, my goal was not to
 challenge those beliefs, but avoid the entire issue via a cop out.  Rather,
 get the student to learn the facts they need to know and understand them.
 For the most part, I was able to do this.

  1) Most of my classes are entrenched in evolutionary biology as I often
 bring it up even in AP, but seldom ever have any problems, even though I
 have taught it in some very bible beltish areas.  However, when I teach
 ecology its there from day one, they know it is going to be there and I use
 an abbreviated version of my introduction from general bio shpeal.  IN
 general bio, I tell them, I am not trying to change your beliefs, or turn
 you into an athiest.  You have a right to believe whatever you want, I'm
 not here to change what you believe.  I'm here to teach you biology, and
 evolution is central to biology.  Whether you believe in evolution or not,
 if you are in biology, you must understand it and you must know how it
 works.  Besides, learning what it is and what it is not can only
 strenghthen your beliefs because you are not blindly saying you don't
 believe in something, instead you know what it is you don't believe.
 Regardless, if you are going to be a biologist, MD, Nurse or dentist, you
 must

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Dissertation defense in Sweden vs. USA

[Malcolm McCallum]

That was a REALLY INTERESTING read.

I think some aspects of the Swedish defense would scare the bajeezes out of
doctoral candidates. The use of an opponent and the committee members all
from outside your university is very interesting.  IT doesn't sound like,
in the grand scheme of things, that means do much to change the ends.
However, it mentions that in Finland you have to wear tails if your a guy
and a long dress if a woman.  It always amazes me how differently people do
things in different places.  It is a good reminder that when you walk over
the tracks, you might have to adjust because the other side isn't going to
adjust to you! :)

M

On Tue, Jun 9, 2015 at 10:47 AM, David Inouye ino...@umd.edu wrote:

 Opportunities for graduate research in Europe are posted not infrequently
 on ECOLOG-L. If you're considering such an opportunity in Scandinavia, you
 might be interested in this comparison of the dissertation defense process
 between Sweden and the US, from a friend who recently participated in
 defenses in both countries.
 https://boggslab.wordpress.com/2015/06/08/a-good-dissertation-defense-is/

 David Inouye




-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
Environmental Studies Program
Green Mountain College
Poultney, Vermont
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.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Graduate School Advice

[Malcolm McCallum]

I am here offering an observation I had a few years back in regard to
postdocs and advisors.

i have a friend who was workig as a hard-money postdoc at a middle tier
R1.  This guy was incrediblely talented.  the area of research he did was
kinetics of proteins.  essentialy, his advisor's lab was being fueled to a
large degree (at times up to 100%) by this single postdocs' efforts.  the
advisor was enormously supportive of him.  And this guy did get interviews.
 he had the restriction that his research area required access to cerrtain
high-ticket instrumentation, so he really could only apply to the
mega-universities with big budget start ups.  One day I walked into the
dept head's office for business, and he was writing a reference letter for
this pd.  i mentioned that i found it amazing he had been locked into a PD
for so long.  The Head remarked that it was hard writing the letter
because, on one hand he liked the guy and he really wanted him to do well.
On the other hand, he was so valuable to the department, he really did not
want him to gobut hiring him is not an option.

today, it occurred to me that this scenario might be more widespread than
this single instance.  think about it.  You are a doctoral/postdoctoral
advisor, the chair of a dept or whatever, and the most valuable PD asks you
for a reference.  You can kill that applicant completely unintentionally
simply due to the internal bias arising from personal gain.  A conflict of
interest of sorts.

To avoid this, i wonder if any advisors ever ask a third party to read over
their letter for accidental inclusions that are unintentionally damaging to
the candidate?  Then, from an applicant's perspective, I wonder how many
people use the exact same three references on every application?

I would love for someone to comment on this.  Also, it might be good advise
for advisors to ask someone they trust to read over a letter to make sure
it sounds the way you intend.  I also advise applicants to rotate through
4-5 or more letter writers. For applicants, this would reduce workloads on
your references and it would also help to water down the effects of
possible mis-speak, conflicts of interest, and even deliberate trashing.
 from the letter writer's perspective, it will help make sure the person
you are writing for gets the due diligence you intend to deliver.

I would really like to hear the thoughts about this, because I really can
believe that indeliberate actions in all areas of life are more damaging
than the sum total of deliberate actions that people take.  Its kind of
like non-verbal cues during communication.  More information is delivered
unintentionally than intentionally.

Malcolm

On Fri, May 29, 2015 at 9:13 AM, Stephen L. Young sl...@cornell.edu wrote:

 Not so. Aaron continues to make the point that all of academia is corrupt
 and headed in the wrong direction based on his own troubling experience.
 This broad stroke approach gets the debate going, largely because it has a
 personal attack on all, regardless of whether guilty or innocent of the
 charges that all academic mentors have taken advantage of graduate
 students. I find this to be a gross oversight by Aaron and would prefer
 that he present a more balanced argument and acknowledge that there are
 good, trustworthy, and Œdecent¹ mentors in academia that have genuine
 concern for students. To not do so brings into question his entire
 argument and credibility at any level.

 Steve





 On 5/28/15, 1:47 PM, Jonathan Colburn col...@gmail.com wrote:

 Aaron's response does not extend past conversations being had on this
 listserv regarding the predatory nature of the sciences upon graduate
 students, postdocs, tenure-seeking professors, and end-of-career tenured
 professors.  While Aaron clearly generalizes, his is a practical warning
 about the dangers of being naive, and the listserv has openly discussed so
 many of these issues over the past few years:
 
 - There are many scientists on the lower levels who are being taken
 advantage of as cheap labor while not having legitimate opportunities to
 enter their chosen career.
 
 - There is not much funding to match the needs of as many of the
 scientists
 as in the past.
 
 - Career prospects are delayed, and are fewer than in the past.
 
 - A very large percent of graduate students are not exercising enough
 brilliance to be relevant in academia.
 
 To have such discussions commonly on the listserv, then act towards Ms.
 Mydlowski as if Aaron's note is unusual is indicative of ignorance, or
 worse, intentionally misleading.  Shouldn't we regularly inform incoming
 graduate students of the systemic issues in STEM fields - the ones that
 we're all talking about here on the ecology listserv, alongside offering
 them guidance on how to navigate the system?  It's fine to call Aaron on
 his one-sided evaluation.  However, he is reframing the debate on whether
 choosing a career involving higher academia is something that a person who
 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Graduate School Advice

[Malcolm McCallum]

 successful,
 they really help to formulate your thoughts.

 Dave

 On Thu, May 28, 2015 at 5:17 AM, Malcolm McCallum 
 malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com wrote:

  If you want to know what to do in graduate school, how to go about being
 in
 graduate school, and how to be a success in graduate school, and
 successfully find a job after graduate school,

 Read this:
 P.B. Medawar, Advice to a Young Scientist


 http://www.amazon.com/Advice-Scientist-Alfred-Foundation-Series/dp/0465000924

 It will be the best $5 (used) you ever spent.

 or, read a free online copy and spend your $5 to get lunch and read the
 entire thing while eating
 http://evolbiol.ru/medawar_advice/medawar.htm

 Now, I will say that some of the advice after graduation is more attune
 to
 someone in a research school or research-focused department.  That fish
 won't bite in a teaching school, or a non-research school/department.

 The guy won a Nobel Prize, he probably has a clue.

 In any case, the bottom line is no two lives follow the same road.  Take
 yours, and hopefully it will be fruitful.

 On Wed, May 27, 2015 at 11:14 PM, Malcolm McCallum 
 malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com wrote:

  If you want to know what to do in graduate school, how to go about being
 in graduate school, and how to be a success in graduate school, and
 successfully find a job after graduate school,

 Read this:
 P.B. Medawar



 http://www.amazon.com/Advice-Scientist-Alfred-Foundation-Series/dp/0465000924

 It will be the best $5 (used) you ever spent.

 Now, I will say that some of the advice after graduation is more attune

 to

 someone in a research school or research-focused department.  That fish
 won't bite in a teaching school, or a non-research school/department.

 In any case, the bottom line is no two lives follow the same road.  Take
 yours, and hopefully it will be fruitful.

 malcolm

 On Wed, May 27, 2015 at 1:21 PM, Emily Mydlowski 

 emilymydlow...@gmail.com

 wrote:
 Hello all,

 I'm delving into the graduate school search (MS and PhD programs) quite
 heavily and am seeking advice regarding approaching faculty with a
 research
 project. The system I'm interested in working on is that which has many
 unanswered, interesting questions I would love to pursue. From a
 faculty
 perspective, is proposing a project topic (too) bold of a move to a
 potential advisor?

 Any advice would be much appreciated.

 All the best,

 Emily Mydlowski
 Northern Michigan University



 --
 Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
 Environmental Studies Program
 Green Mountain College
 Poultney, Vermont
 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.



 --
 Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
 Environmental Studies Program
 Green Mountain College
 Poultney, Vermont
 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

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Graduate School Advice

[Malcolm McCallum]

If you want to know what to do in graduate school, how to go about being in
graduate school, and how to be a success in graduate school, and
successfully find a job after graduate school,

Read this:
P.B. Medawar, Advice to a Young Scientist
http://www.amazon.com/Advice-Scientist-Alfred-Foundation-Series/dp/0465000924

It will be the best $5 (used) you ever spent.

or, read a free online copy and spend your $5 to get lunch and read the
entire thing while eating
http://evolbiol.ru/medawar_advice/medawar.htm

Now, I will say that some of the advice after graduation is more attune to
someone in a research school or research-focused department.  That fish
won't bite in a teaching school, or a non-research school/department.

The guy won a Nobel Prize, he probably has a clue.

In any case, the bottom line is no two lives follow the same road.  Take
yours, and hopefully it will be fruitful.

On Wed, May 27, 2015 at 11:14 PM, Malcolm McCallum 
malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com wrote:

 If you want to know what to do in graduate school, how to go about being
 in graduate school, and how to be a success in graduate school, and
 successfully find a job after graduate school,

 Read this:
 P.B. Medawar

 http://www.amazon.com/Advice-Scientist-Alfred-Foundation-Series/dp/0465000924

 It will be the best $5 (used) you ever spent.

 Now, I will say that some of the advice after graduation is more attune to
 someone in a research school or research-focused department.  That fish
 won't bite in a teaching school, or a non-research school/department.

 In any case, the bottom line is no two lives follow the same road.  Take
 yours, and hopefully it will be fruitful.

 malcolm

 On Wed, May 27, 2015 at 1:21 PM, Emily Mydlowski emilymydlow...@gmail.com
  wrote:

 Hello all,

 I'm delving into the graduate school search (MS and PhD programs) quite
 heavily and am seeking advice regarding approaching faculty with a
 research
 project. The system I'm interested in working on is that which has many
 unanswered, interesting questions I would love to pursue. From a faculty
 perspective, is proposing a project topic (too) bold of a move to a
 potential advisor?

 Any advice would be much appreciated.

 All the best,

 Emily Mydlowski
 Northern Michigan University




 --
 Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
 Environmental Studies Program
 Green Mountain College
 Poultney, Vermont
 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
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 contain confidential and privileged information.  Any unauthorized
 review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited.  If you are not
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 destroy all copies of the original message.




-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
Environmental Studies Program
Green Mountain College
Poultney, Vermont
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

[ECOLOG-L] Vertebrate biodiversity losses point to 6th mass extinction

[Malcolm McCallum]

Biodiversity and Conservation has released my paper Vertebrate
biodiversity losses point to 6th mass extinction today.  If you would like
a reprint, email me.

Abstract: The human race faces many global to local challenges in the near
future. Among these are massive biodiversity losses. The 2012 IUCN/SSC Red
List reported evaluations of *56 % of all vertebrates. This included 97 %
of amphibians, mammals, birds, cartilaginous fishes, and hagfishes. It also
contained evaluations of about 50 % of lampreys, about 38 % of reptiles,
and about 29 % of bony fishes. A cursory examination of extinction
magnitudes does not immediately reveal the severity of current biodiversity
losses because the extinctions we see today have happened in such a short
time compared to earlier events in the fossil record. So, we still must ask
how current losses of species
compare to losses in mass extinctions from the geological past. The most
recent and best understood mass extinction is the Cretaceous terminal
extinction which ends at the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) border, 65 MYA.
This event had massive losses of biodiversity (*17 % of families, [50 % of
genera, and [70 % of species) and exterminated the dinosaurs. Extinction
estimates for non-dinosaurian vertebrates at the K–Pg boundary range from
36 to 43 %. However, there remains much uncertainty regarding the
completeness, preservation rates, and extinction magnitudes of the
different classes of vertebrates. Fuzzy arithmetic was used to compare
recent vertebrate extinction reported in the
2012 IUCN/SSC Red List with biodiversity losses at the end of K–Pg.
Comparisons followed 16 different approaches to data compilation and 288
separate calculations. I tabulated the number of extant and extinct species
(extinct ? extinct in the wild), extant island endemics, data deficient
species, and so-called impaired species [species with IUCN/

IT is availale online first via Springer at:
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10531-015-0940-6.

If you don't have access, just shoot me an email and I'll send you the pdf
of the 22 page manuscript + 68 pages of supplementals. :)


-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
Environmental Studies Program
Green Mountain College
Poultney, Vermont
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.

[ECOLOG-L] Am. Competes Reauthorization Act 2015 passed by house

[Malcolm McCallum]

So what will the Senate do with this?
From AIBS: On May 20th, the House of Representatives passed a bill that
would cap funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Department
of Energy Office of Science for the next two years and make deep cuts to
environmental, geosciences, and social science research.

After consideration of a dozen amendments, the chamber voted 217 to 205 in
favor of the *America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015*, H.R. 1806.

The manger’s amendment offered by the bill’s sponsor, Representative Lamar
Smith (R-TX), reduced authorization levels for the Biological Sciences,
Computer and Information Science and Engineering, and Engineering
directorates within NSF in order to restore proposed cuts to the EPSCoR
program and Graduate Research Fellowship.  Other amendments that were made
to the legislation include encouraging female entrepreneurs, a program to
incorporate robotics in K-12 education, and science education grants for
Hispanic serving institutions.

All members of the Democratic Caucus who were present for the vote along
with twenty-three Republicans voted against H.R. 1806.  Although some votes
from the majority party may have been motivated by concerns about the
fiscal impact of the bill, some of the dissenting votes came from
Representatives who have a research university in their district.  The
latter group includes Representatives Rodney Davis (R-IL, University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE, University of
Nebraska-Lincoln), Lynn Jenkins (R-KS, University of Kansas), and Glenn
Thompson (R-PA, Penn State).

The fight over NSF authorizations now moves to the Senate, where Senator
Thune (R-SD) is drafting his own version of the bill.  A bipartisan group
of seven Senators recently introduced legislation to reauthorize the
Department of Energy Office of Science.  S. 1398 is drastically different
from the energy provisions of H.R. 1806 and does not include limitations on
climate research.

Please take a minute to thank your Representative for voting against H.R.
1806.
http://policy.aibs.org/app/take-action?engagementId=103953ep=C2Flc0NpcGhlcjAxNwT_busCUXVHQcx6KEKl-Sbx8tlcuXe6Riw0EAujWHPjpXSdEHOWdJwmbHuF7srng8rhWYbtmNJ-CqmkrvxEyhj9SOZzPQBJpBhXS2K1koIlp=0

-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
Environmental Studies Program
Green Mountain College
Poultney, Vermont
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.

[ECOLOG-L] news article on how Luxury journals are destroying science

[Malcolm McCallum]

Thought this might be of interest to some of you.  It was published last
year, but I had not seen it until today.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/09/how-journals-nature-science-cell-damage-science

Thought for the day, despite Science and Nature both being several decades
old when he started his career, Albert Einstein did not publish a single
paper in either one.  He is not alone! :)



-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
Environmental Studies Program
Green Mountain College
Poultney, Vermont
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.

[ECOLOG-L] Fwd: [Nhcoll-l] UMMZ Mammals-Suspending Operations July 1st!!!

[malcolm McCallum]

thought some people might want to know.

-- Forwarded message --
From: Cody Thompson cwth...@umich.edu
Date: Tue, May 12, 2015 at 7:46 AM
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] UMMZ Mammals-Suspending Operations July 1st!!!
To: nhcol...@mailman.yale.edu
Cc: Priscilla Tucker pt...@umich.edu, Philip Myers pmy...@umich.edu


In preparation of the relocation of our collections to a new facility, the
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Mammal Collection will suspend its
operations beginning July 1, 2015!  After July 1st, we will not be able to
fill loan requests, accept loan returns, or receive visitors until further
notice.  We hope to be back in operation sometime in 2016.  We apologize
for the inconvenience.

Sincerely,
Priscilla Tucker, PhD
UMMZ Director  Mammal Curator

Cody W. Thompson, PhD
Mammal Collections Manager
 Assistant Research Scientist

University of Michigan
Museum of Zoology
1109 Geddes Avenue
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
Office: (734) 615-2810
Fax: (734) 763-4080
Email: cwth...@umich.edu
Website: codythompson51.wordpress.com

Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.
-Aldo Leopold

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http://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l

___
NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of
Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose
mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of
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society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information.
Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate.




-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Department of Environmental Studies
Green Mountain College

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.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Built in GPS unit in Point and shoot cameras

[Malcolm McCallum]

Remember that you GPS signal is going to be affected by many things other
than the internal electronics. Things like over-story, cloud cover,
position of the satelites will all influence the data.  This is why when
people are doing stuff that requires solid datasets, they will place down
the GPS and let it record a series of points without moving it.  Then, you
put the points into the GIS and you are able to get an idea of the
precision.  It is also possible for you to geocorrect the coordinates.

I suggest that if you are seriously concerned about accuracy of less than a
meter that you use a model comparable to a Trimble XM or higher.  If your
accuracy can be within a hundred feet, its less serious.  I am not sure how
good garmins are these days, but all the GPS units are increasingly better
than only five years ago.

One option you could use is to take the GPS camera and take maybe a dozen
pictures of the exact same waypoint.  Do this at each of your study sites.
More pictures would be better.  Then, you take the coordinates for each
picture at each site, and average them.  This will give you a mean with SD
or SE.  This way, you will know the actual accuracy and precision of the
unit under the weather conditions at the site where you were collecting
data.  You can also check this against a better GPS unit if desiered.  By
doing this at one point, then moving about your site, you will know the
error and can report some kind of confidence in regard to the location of
each point where vegetation is photographed.  It will probably have pretty
consistent precision on any given day within a specific site.  This is a
fair assumption, but some testing at home or on campus should be conducted
to verify it.

one thing to also remember is that what is reported in the paperwork is
best case scenario.  The model will almost never reach this
precision/accuracy in teh field.  The high-dollar GPS units will be more
consistently close than the cheap toy models.

How important your accuracy and precision are in thsi study shoud be
critical in deciding whether to go with one of these models or going with a
genuine research grade unit. A geoexploer XM or higher is a few thousand
dollars last Iooked.

On Sun, May 3, 2015 at 1:52 PM, Jacob Hadle jjha...@gmail.com wrote:

 Hello,

 I have a question for those of you who are familiar with point and shoot
 digital cameras that have built-in GPS units. A project I have acquired
 this summer involves a plant inventory on a ~7,000 acres site (open and
 dense canopy areas). In part, the protocol requires us to take a picture
 of each plant species and document their latitude and longitude
 coordinates. To optimizes my time effectively, using a camera that
 geotags each picture would seem to work well.

 The main interests I have in the point and shoot camera in not so much
 how the quality the picture takes, but how accurate the camera will pick
 up coordinates. I have spent a considerable amount of time online, and
 calling local camera stores researching which point and shoot camera
 would have the best GPS quality; however, I have found very little
 information about the accuracy and performance in these built-in GPS
 units. I am currently looking into the Canon PowerShot D20 or the Ricoh
 G700 SE-M.

 If anyone has experience using digital cameras with built-in GPS units
 in the field, I would truly appreciate your thoughts.

 Most grateful,

 Jacob




-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
Environmental Studies Program
Green Mountain College
Poultney, Vermont
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.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] guidance on editor conduct

[Malcolm McCallum]

A SHORT GUIDE TO ETHICAL EDITING FOR NEW EDITORS
http://publicationethics.org/files/short%20guide%20to%20ethical%20editing%20for%20new%20editors.pdf

COPE Guidelines
http://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines

In regard to editor responsibilities, when I handle a paper, I feel it is
my responsibility to screen out comments that are inappropriate, or ignore
clearly biased reviews.  Further, as an editor, the peer reviews are
recommendations and the journal need not be bound to the comments the
reviewers provided. Truthfully, after handling peer review for hundreds of
papers, most peer reviews seem to be pretty professional undertakings.
However, I have seen my fair share of comments that were clearly personal
biases based not on the substance of the article.  As the editor, if they
were trite comments, I frankly deleted them.  Insults and incendiary
comments have no place in a peer review.  IF the reviewer was clearly
biased, I tossed the review and got a new one.  THere have been a handful
of papers (and I am talking maybe 5-6 in my 10 years of editing in which
2-3 reviewers all agreed on something that was just plain wrong.  I
attribute this to random chance.  In each of these cases, the author was
instructed to confront the comment and defend in their article their
approach in light of the comment, which was frankly VERY EASY to do.  I
have also noticed that often, reviewers will make statements like, how is
this possible? or this makes no sense where a second person will find it
very difficult to infer what the problem is.  In such cases, the comment
could be directed at writing (cumbersome prose that is difficult to
interpret) or criticism of the underlying deductions or theories.  In most
cases, however, the response by the author really needed to involve
clarification of what they mean.  There is a very delicate balance between
conciseness and lack of details.  As an editor, I feel it is important to
clarify for the author/s how the journal would like the author/s to handle
the peer review comments.  I recall one (shall remain nameless) friend of
mine who once advised me that the editor needs to use common sense with
reviews.  This individual told me of a paper that was submitted to big
name top tier journal and when the reviews came back, the editor handed my
friend the reviews and told him basically, Reviewer #2 can be largely
ignored, but I'm giving you the review because you might want to confront
some of the comments in the manuscrpt.  I would have simply deleted the
garbage and sumarized the review based on what was needed.  It is equally
important to make sure the author sees the compliments too.  It is good for
a reviewer to approach articles with a list of what is good about it, what
is bad about it, and what is borderline.  The same thing with editors.

Before I was an editor, I used to think that editors should follow the
recommendations of the reviewers 100% of the time.  My views changed after
doing it.  The comments from reviewers can be quite amazing.  The editors
control what is published, not the peer reviewers.  WHy?  Because it is
his-her reptuation on the line if a paper gets published that was just
plain bad.  An editor should be choosing peer reviewers for a reason.  For
example, if I recieve a paper on spatial modeling of cricket frog
pathologies in the United States (a completely made up example), I want to
know if the spatial modeling and pathologies have been approached
properly.  Having done my doctoral work on cricket frogs, and published a
lot of papers on them, so it might not be necessary to use a cricket frog
biologist.  I would snag a GIS scientist and an amphibian pathologist to
review it, and if necessary a cricket frog bioologist as the third
reviewer.  Such an approach really reduces the probability of biases and
conflicts within a small field/group.  GIS and pathology are pretty big
areas, whereas, there are not really that large of a group of cricket frog
experts on the planet! :)

The number of reviews can be inadequate simply because obtaining reviewers
can be so difficult.  Some editors might feel your manuscript would not
benefit from a review by someone who simply has no background in anyway
related to the paper.  Others will.  Imagine a scenario (actually happened
in a generalized impact rating  4 journal!) where you submit a paper on
developing microsatellites to Journal X, the editor sends it to two random
reviewers the reviews who perform legit well-thought-out reviews but one's
career pre-dates the use of microsattelites, and the other is a physicist.
  One good review is worth a hundred reviews-for-the-sake-of-reviews.  With
a lot of people refusing to review paper, it can sometimes be a task just
to get one solid reviewer.  Remember, reviewers are more a kind of SOP for
QA/QC than they are police.  They don't really guard much, but they do
reduce the chances of a mess up in the process.



On Sat, May 2, 2015 at 12:07 PM, Robert Stevenson 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] advice for disabled student seeking grad program in wildlife biology?

[Malcolm McCallum]

accidentally tried to post this with attachments...dumb!
Clearly this individual will find working out in the field a challenge,
however, this need not exclude her from persuing a widlife degree.

From an employment perspective, most wildife jobs are not fieldwork-based,
they are office-based.  These jobs involve a lot of pushing paper and
evaluating issues and policies in consort with designated proposed
actions.  Therefore, I see no reason the student should be concerned from
an employment perspective, whether that be with a consultancy, state or
federal government.

If the student desires to pursue a research-career, this disability should
not hamper her either so long as she makes sensible choices in what
direction she takes.  Certainly, the theoretical underpinings that drive
conservation and management decisions would be no more difficult for this
student than for any other student of similar intellectual capacity,
devotion and drive.

If the student is more interested in working with the wildlife directly it
will require careful budgeting to include techs, postdocs, etc. who are
physically able to perform the duties which her disability prevents her
form doing directly.  Obviously, there are some things this student would
find a serious challenge.  However, the field itself is not that shallow
that a person with mobility issues cannot contribute in an important and
viable manner.

Consider this, I know of several collaborations among individuals where one
does almost 100% of the field work, and the other does almost 100% of the
labwork. I also know a few partnerships in which one person writes grants
and papers while the other person performs the lab and field work.  None of
these cases involve disabled persons, but there is no reason that a
disabled person could not develop such collaborations to move his/her ideas
forward.

I personally, having advised a few graduate students and having taught
plenty of doctoral students as doctoral faculty (though not advised
doctoral students), I would have zero problem taking a physically disabled
student as a graduate student in the field of conservation or environmental
science providing they had the intellectual skills, drive and focus to
perform as expected as a doctoral student.  In fact, I have been working on
several studies over the past few years that are specifically wildlife
conservation related and yet involve little to no fieldwork.

 Graduate school is about how good a head you have on your shoulders and
how good you are at problem solving.  IF you have the brains, the
dedication and the drive to do the work, I don't think this disability will
be at all a problem.

There are also numerous studies that can be formed by watching and
observing in which mobility is less of a factor.  IF confined to a
wheelchair, there are even field studies that could be implemented.
Obviously, adjustments and contrivances would be , but it can be done. With
today's technological tools available (GPS, cameras, and even drones) why
should she be concerned?  Our jobs are becoming increasingly arm-chair
activities whether in policy or on-the-ground consevation.

Tell her to go for it.
I am not currently with a grad program, but feel free to have her contact
me for further ideas and info.
I spent a ton of time around disabled students while in school, and the one
thing I learned is that there are a ton of things she can do.

Here are some reprints of wildlife conservation studies I did.  some are
pretty important, three are VERY important and most are minor.
They are all 100% doable by a person in a wheelchair.

Here is an interesting article worth reading:

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/17250/title/Scientists-With-Disabilities-Must-Confront-Societal-As-Well-As-Physical-Challenges/

Malcolm


On Tue, Apr 21, 2015 at 1:42 PM, Malcolm McCallum 
malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com wrote:

 Clearly this individual will find working out in the field a challenge,
 however, this need not exclude her from persuing a widlife degree.

 From an employment perspective, most wildife jobs are not fieldwork-based,
 they are office-based.  These jobs involve a lot of pushing paper and
 evaluating issues and policies in consort with designated proposed
 actions.  Therefore, I see no reason the student should be concerned from
 an employment perspective, whether that be with a consultancy, state or
 federal government.

 If the student desires to pursue a research-career, this disability should
 not hamper her either so long as she makes sensible choices in what
 direction she takes.  Certainly, the theoretical underpinings that drive
 conservation and management decisions would be no more difficult for this
 student than for any other student of similar intellectual capacity,
 devotion and drive.

 If the student is more interested in working with the wildlife directly it
 will require careful budgeting to include techs, postdocs, etc. who are
 physically able

Re: [ECOLOG-L] advice for disabled student seeking grad program in wildlife biology?

[Malcolm McCallum]

Even fieldwork is possible if you make the proper plans and preparation.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2162085/Disabled-man-legs-climbs-Mount-Kilimanjaro-Spencer-West-scales-mountain-using-HANDS.html

On Tue, Apr 21, 2015 at 5:33 PM, Catheline Froehlich 
catheline.froehl...@gmail.com wrote:

 Although field work might be very hard for her to complete, several jobs
 do not require that component. Malcolm made some very good arguments as to
 why a wheelchair is not a limiting factor for pursuing her jdream.

 A lot of information is being collected through transmitters to track
 animals. Often times, the whole data might not get processed. It takes a
 lot of manpower to go through such data. Such a job would be perfect for
 someone who might not be able to go into the field.

 Here is an interesting MS position where the interested student could be
 analyzing data on walrus presence and absence in the last 5 years. The
 position does not include a field work component. She might be interested
 in applying to it:
 http://www.mail-archive.com/marmam@lists.uvic.ca/msg06421.html

 Cheers,
 Catheline

 -Original Message-
 From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:
 ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] On Behalf Of Malcolm McCallum
 Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2015 13:52
 To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
 Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] advice for disabled student seeking grad program
 in wildlife biology?

 accidentally tried to post this with attachments...dumb!
 Clearly this individual will find working out in the field a challenge,
 however, this need not exclude her from persuing a widlife degree.

 From an employment perspective, most wildife jobs are not
 fieldwork-based,
 they are office-based.  These jobs involve a lot of pushing paper and
 evaluating issues and policies in consort with designated proposed
 actions.  Therefore, I see no reason the student should be concerned from
 an employment perspective, whether that be with a consultancy, state or
 federal government.

 If the student desires to pursue a research-career, this disability should
 not hamper her either so long as she makes sensible choices in what
 direction she takes.  Certainly, the theoretical underpinings that drive
 conservation and management decisions would be no more difficult for this
 student than for any other student of similar intellectual capacity,
 devotion and drive.

 If the student is more interested in working with the wildlife directly it
 will require careful budgeting to include techs, postdocs, etc. who are
 physically able to perform the duties which her disability prevents her
 form doing directly.  Obviously, there are some things this student would
 find a serious challenge.  However, the field itself is not that shallow
 that a person with mobility issues cannot contribute in an important and
 viable manner.

 Consider this, I know of several collaborations among individuals where
 one does almost 100% of the field work, and the other does almost 100% of
 the labwork. I also know a few partnerships in which one person writes
 grants and papers while the other person performs the lab and field work.
 None of these cases involve disabled persons, but there is no reason that a
 disabled person could not develop such collaborations to move his/her ideas
 forward.

 I personally, having advised a few graduate students and having taught
 plenty of doctoral students as doctoral faculty (though not advised
 doctoral students), I would have zero problem taking a physically disabled
 student as a graduate student in the field of conservation or environmental
 science providing they had the intellectual skills, drive and focus to
 perform as expected as a doctoral student.  In fact, I have been working on
 several studies over the past few years that are specifically wildlife
 conservation related and yet involve little to no fieldwork.

  Graduate school is about how good a head you have on your shoulders and
 how good you are at problem solving.  IF you have the brains, the
 dedication and the drive to do the work, I don't think this disability will
 be at all a problem.

 There are also numerous studies that can be formed by watching and
 observing in which mobility is less of a factor.  IF confined to a
 wheelchair, there are even field studies that could be implemented.
 Obviously, adjustments and contrivances would be , but it can be done.
 With today's technological tools available (GPS, cameras, and even drones)
 why should she be concerned?  Our jobs are becoming increasingly arm-chair
 activities whether in policy or on-the-ground consevation.

 Tell her to go for it.
 I am not currently with a grad program, but feel free to have her contact
 me for further ideas and info.
 I spent a ton of time around disabled students while in school, and the
 one thing I learned is that there are a ton of things she can do.

 Here are some reprints of wildlife conservation studies I did.  some are
 pretty

[ECOLOG-L] Fwd: [SANET-MG] Fw: [permaculture] Monsanto knew of glyphosate / cancer link 35 years ago | GM-Free Cymru Special Report | gmfreecymru.org

[Malcolm McCallum]

Got this email from the SANET listserv.  Thought it would interest those of
you who, like me, have interests/foci in ecotoxicology and environmental
heath.

If all this is legit, maybe we get a tobacco settlement type response for
environment?
It is worth pursuing.
-- Forwarded message --
From: sal schettino salsp...@hotmail.com
Date: Sun, Apr 12, 2015 at 8:40 AM
Subject: [SANET-MG] Fw: [permaculture] Monsanto knew of glyphosate / cancer
link 35 years ago | GM-Free Cymru Special Report | gmfreecymru.org
To: sanet...@lists.ifas.ufl.edu









From: Lawrence London
Sent: ‎Saturday‎, ‎April‎ ‎11‎, ‎2015 ‎6‎:‎56‎ ‎PM
To: permaculture





Monsanto knew of glyphosate / cancer link 35 years ago | GM-Free Cymru
Special Report | gmfreecymru.org
http://www.gmfreecymru.org/documents/monsanto_knew_of_glyphosate.html

Monsanto knew of glyphosate / cancer link 35 years ago

GM-Free Cymru Special Report

8th April 2015

According to evidence unearthed from the archives of the EPA (Environmental
Protection Agency) in the United States, it has been established that
Monsanto was fully aware of the potential of glyphosate to cause cancer in
mammals as long ago as 1981.

Recently the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
issued a statement in which glyphosate (the main component of Roundup
herbicide) was classified as probably carcinogenic to humans and as
sufficiently demonstrated for genotoxicity in animals (1). This
announcement of a change to toxicity class 2A was given vast coverage in
the global media, causing Monsanto to move immediately into damage
limitation mode. The corporation demanded the retraction of the report,
although it has not yet been published! Predictably, there was more fury
from the industry-led Glyphosate Task Force (2). This Task Force also
sponsored a rebuttal review article (3) from a team of writers with
strong links with the biotechnology industry; but because of the clear bias
demonstrated in this paper (which suggests that glyphosate has no
carcinogenic potential in humans) it is best ignored until it has been
carefully scrutinized by independent researchers (4).

With Monsanto continuing to protest that glyphosate and Roundup are
effectively harmless (5) if used according to instructions, in spite of
accumulating evidence to the contrary, we undertook a search through
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) records with a view to finding out
what was known about glyphosate at the time of its initial registration.
This followed up earlier investigations by Sustainable Pulse which
highlighted a sudden change in the EPA view on toxicity in 1991. What was
discovered was very revealing. There were many animal experiments (using
rats, mice and dogs) designed to test the acute and chronic toxicity of
glyphosate in the period 1978-1986, conducted by laboratories such as
Bio/dynamics Inc for Monsanto and submitted for EPA consideration. Two of
these reports relate to a three-generation reproduction study in rats (6)
(7), and another is called A Lifetime Feeding Study Of Glyphosate In Rats
(8); but like all the other older studies they were and still are treated
as Trade Secrets and cannot be freely accessed for independent scrutiny.
That in itself is suggestive that the studies contain data which Monsanto
still does not wish to be examined by experts in the toxicology field. It
is also deeply worrying that EPA acceded to the routine Monsanto requests
for secrecy on the flimsiest of pretexts.

However, archived and accessible EPA Memos from the early 1980's do give
some indications as to what the rat studies contain (9). Although the
studies predate the adoption of international test guidelines and GLP
standards they suggest that there was significant damage to the kidneys of
the rats in the 3-generational study -- the incidence of tubular dilation
in the kidney was higher in every treated group of rats when compared to
controls. Tubular dilation and nephrosis was also accompanied by
interstitial fibrosis in all test groups and in some of the lumens the
researchers found amorphous material and cellular debris. Less than a third
of the control rats showed signs of tubular dilation. In the rat study
results, the changes in the bladder mucosa are significant because
metabolites, concentrated by the kidneys, have led to hyperplasia that
could be considered as a very early and necessary step in tumour
initiation. EPA was worried in 1981 that these indications were sinister,
and at first declined to issue a NOEL (no observed adverse effect level) --
it asked for further information and additional research. In its 1982
Addendum, Monsanto presented evidence that minimised the effects and
confused the data -- and on that basis EPA accepted that glyphosate was
unlikely to be dangerous. But Monsanto knew that scrutiny of the data in
the studies would potentially threaten its commercial ambitions, and so it
asked for the research documents concerned to be withheld and treated 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Question for the Professionals

[Malcolm McCallum]

(not targeting Ben here, just replying to thread)

I know there has been talk about the cellular level and how it seems
tangent or outside the realm of ecology, but it is not.
Much of ecotoxicology deals with cellular elements.  Stress responses can
be read in immunofunction, antioxidant levels, and heatshock protein up
regulation.  Genetic technology is increasingly important, in fact, I have
seen a growing number of genomics-wildlife vacancies in recent years.
Further, many of the wildlife problems are pathogenic leading to the need
for a firm understanding in the microscopic and submicroscopic world.
Never under-estimate the value of what you can learn, always shoot to learn
as much as you can, and continue to learn new things even after you are in
school.  If you do this, you will continue to grow as a person, a
professional, and as a scientist.  Unfortunately, most people really do
stop learning the moment the leave school (some stop earlier than this).
The stagnation that results will gradually lead to an array of phenomena
that are neither healthy nor productive.  You can never know too much, and
the one thing in life that is certainly true is that the more you learn,
the more easily you learn who is full of it, and who is not! :)  Stepping
outside of your comfort zone and learning crazy new stuff often leads to
the biggest and neatest results.  When you take ideas from one field and
apply them to another where they have not been introduced, it can be pretty
amazingly enlightening.  So, don't be afraid of getting stuck in a course
on membranes!  It just turns out that one of the easiest ways to detect
stress is to detect free radical attack on lipid membranes, and these tests
constitute very important stress markers in all organisms!  And, of course
stress is fundamental to what drives evolutionary change, population
stability and change, and ultimately ecosystem function.

So, its not all that distantly related to the big picture! :)



On Wed, Apr 8, 2015 at 10:03 AM, Ben Fertig fer...@marine.rutgers.edu
wrote:

 Hi Matt,

 To answer your question: Yes, you probably can become a successful
 ecologist or wildlife biologist with either environmental studies or
 biology. A Masters and possibly a PhD would also likely give you helpful
 credentials, depending on your interests and the degree to which you want
 your career to be based in hard science.

 My two cents is that undergraduate years are what one makes of them. While
 the focus of a department may influence a student’s interests, I believe
 self-motivation is ultimately critical in pursuing science. While maybe not
 the norm for a small liberal arts university such as Brandeis, I graduated
 in 2003 with a BA in Biology and an Env. Studies minor (there was no major
 at that time). After internships and working for a few years I went to U.
 of Maryland for my Ph.D. (2010) in Marine, Estuarine and Environmental
 Science with an Ecology area of specialization. I have always felt that the
 rigor of the (essentially pre-med) Biology major at Brandeis has been
 extremely helpful beyond college despite that my interests lay outside the
 cellular level.

 Cheers,
 Ben Fertig
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Benjamin_Fertig

 On Apr 8, 2015, at 8:21 AM, Judith S. Weis jw...@andromeda.rutgers.edu
 wrote:

  I haven't looked at it lately, but last I knew, the Bio Dept at Brandeis
  was not interested in anything outside the cell membrane - which would
  explain some of these policies. I would suggest transferring to a school
  that appreciates ecology.
 
 
  Dear Matt,
 
  What a crazy biology department you must have! Studying abroad,
 enrolling
  in a SFS program (or, better, helping conduct scientific research in a
  more formal setting, or taking an Organization for Tropical Studies
  course) is EXACTLY what you should be doing! Students without research
  experience in ecology will always have a hard time getting into top
  ecology departments.
 
 
  In my experience, environmental studies programs can weak in the hard
  sciences ... and you do need to know some physics and chemistry,
  certainly math (calculus, linear algebra, probability) and statistics
  (means and variances, t-tests, ANOVA, MANOVA, regression, multiple
  regression) and ... some real biology - get to know the ecology and
  systematics (and physiology) of at least one group very well, and it
 will
  serve as an inspiration and strength forever.
 
 
  Cheers, Tom
 
 
  Thomas J. Givnish
  Henry Allan Gleason Professor of Botany
  University of Wisconsin
 
  givn...@wisc.edu
  http://botany.wisc.edu/givnish/Givnish/Welcome.html
 
  On 04/07/15, Matt Smetana  wrote:
  Hey Everyone!
 
  My name is Matt Smetana, and I’m a current sophomore at Brandeis
  University out near
  Boston. I have been subscribed to this listserve for a few months and
  have been
  applying to various summer internships within the ecological/biological
  field. I am certain
  this is the career path I 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Question for the Professionals

[Malcolm McCallum]

Rather than switch majors, why not double major?
When I was an undergrad, I was triple majoring in biology, agriculture and
chemistry until course conflicts made it impossible to fulfill all the
requirements for all three.  Then, I dropped chemistry (which I fully
regret!) and graduated in five years with a double major in bio and ag.
A LOT of students were double majors at UMKC when I was there in a temp
position.

If you are in environmental studies, it will largely depend on the focus of
the program.
some are focused on social sciences (Policy and sustainablity) whereas
others are focused on the science end (bio-chem-geol).

If you are going to go into the science end, you need to have a science
background.
I don't think it is so important whether your major in bio or env studies
if you plan to go to grad school.
But, if you don't, you need to cover your bases now.

Your options are
Major in env studies, minor in bio
major in env studies, major in bio
major in bio, minor in env studies.

There are also other options you might consider.
if you are specifically interested in env studies, you might even consider
minoring in public administration.
However, a minor in chemistry might be more valuable.

IN general, I personally think a double major is far superior to a major
with multiple minors.  Not everyone agrees with this, but it is my opinion.
Depending on your situation, my opinion may be wrong.  Without seeing your
transcript, nowing your grades, understanding the programs you are
comparing, it is pretty hard to give GOOD advice.  HOWEVER, the advice you
have received with the options they provide in the series of emails from
various people are all pretty darn good.  YOu need to read through it,
maybe contact the people individually offline and discuss more intimately
your situation.  Then, maybe you can hammer down yoru options.

I'ld be glad to correspond with you further off-line, and I know from
experience some of the others would be glad to help you out too.  You
should probably talk to your advisor too.  I suspect that you will find
them very helpful in that he/she will have a much better grasp on your
situation and the programs you are speaking of.  For example, had I
realized early on that it would be impossible for me to complete a triple
major in my three fields, I might have dropped one early and taken up
geology instead, or a math/computer minor (man would that have been
useful!)

YOU REALLY NEED TO DEFINE WHAT IT IS YOU ARE TRYING TO DO, WHAT ARE YOUR
GOALS IN YOUR EDUCATION?
I get a vibe you sorta have these hammered out, but not exactly.  That
might refect more directy your problem than which major to take!

Malcolm McCallum

On Tue, Apr 7, 2015 at 5:36 PM, Matt Smetana smetana.m...@gmail.com wrote:

 Hey Everyone!

 My name is Matt Smetana, and I’m a current sophomore at Brandeis
 University out near
 Boston. I have been subscribed to this listserve for a few months and have
 been
 applying to various summer internships within the ecological/biological
 field. I am certain
 this is the career path I want to take but am unclear of the skill set
 required to be
 successful in this field.

 My current degree is Environmental Studies, but I am also highly
 interested in Ecology,
 Wildlife Biology, and Forestry.  I am most drawn to internships and jobs
 pertaining to the
 biological field but enjoy my course work and have a real passion for the
 environment.
 My question is, can I become a successful ecologist or wildlife biologist
 with a degree in
 environmental studies or must I switch my major in order to obtain the
 necessary skills
 for the career that I want.

 My main concern with choosing biology is that it inhibits me from taking
 many desired
 courses, studying abroad at a School for Field Studies programs,
 participating in
 independent research opportunities, and possessing an internship this
 summer (I would
 need to enroll in Chemistry this summer).

 I will have already taken all of the requirements for the biology degree
 such as the
 introductory courses, biology lab, one semester of general chemistry and
 lab, and all
 required electives. But I have not finished general chemistry, organic
 chemistry, or
 physics. As ecologists, do you think it is more important to go for the
 biology degree or
 stay with environmental studies and gain experience through research,
 study abroad,
 and internships?

 Any input would be very helpful and could potentially change the course of
 my future!

 Best,
 Matt Smetana




-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
Environmental Studies Program
Green Mountain College
Poultney, Vermont

 “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

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Question for the Professionals

[Malcolm McCallum]

Emily brings up a great point, many are not that concerned about the name
on the degree, especially if going to grad school.
Getting a pub by way on UG research goes a long way too.  Afterall, the
currency of science is the publication as my doctoral advisor has said!

On Wed, Apr 8, 2015 at 2:12 PM, Emily Moran emor...@ucmerced.edu wrote:

 It sounds like the problem is being able to fit in all the requirements
 while still having time for research and study-abroad, right?

 Generally speaking, the specific name of the degree matters less than your
 experience when you are applying to jobs or grad school.  Having research
 experience in a relevant area looks WAY better than having the right title
 but no experience.  So, if you don’t want to change schools and you think
 the environmental studies major would give you more “wiggle room” - stay in
 that program, and beef up the “science” part with whatever science classes
 are most relevant for your future career/education interests.  I would
 recommend chemistry and probably organic chemistry, as well as genetics,
 evolution, and some ecology classes.  Some of these you can do as part of a
 study-abroad if your program allows you to transfer the credits: I did
 wildlife biology and plant physiology in Australia, for example.  Check
 with the biology program - you might be able to do with them this as well.

 You could also double major or get a minor, as Malcolm suggests, but that
 might increase your scheduling problems rather than alleviating them!  Of
 course, if the requirements for a bio minor are fairly, well, minor…it
 wouldn’t hurt!

 Emily Moran
 UC Merced

 On Apr 8, 2015, at 11:35 AM, Malcolm McCallum 
 malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com wrote:

  Rather than switch majors, why not double major?
  When I was an undergrad, I was triple majoring in biology, agriculture
 and
  chemistry until course conflicts made it impossible to fulfill all the
  requirements for all three.  Then, I dropped chemistry (which I fully
  regret!) and graduated in five years with a double major in bio and ag.
  A LOT of students were double majors at UMKC when I was there in a temp
  position.
 
  If you are in environmental studies, it will largely depend on the focus
 of
  the program.
  some are focused on social sciences (Policy and sustainablity) whereas
  others are focused on the science end (bio-chem-geol).
 
  If you are going to go into the science end, you need to have a science
  background.
  I don't think it is so important whether your major in bio or env studies
  if you plan to go to grad school.
  But, if you don't, you need to cover your bases now.
 
  Your options are
  Major in env studies, minor in bio
  major in env studies, major in bio
  major in bio, minor in env studies.
 
  There are also other options you might consider.
  if you are specifically interested in env studies, you might even
 consider
  minoring in public administration.
  However, a minor in chemistry might be more valuable.
 
  IN general, I personally think a double major is far superior to a major
  with multiple minors.  Not everyone agrees with this, but it is my
 opinion.
  Depending on your situation, my opinion may be wrong.  Without seeing
 your
  transcript, nowing your grades, understanding the programs you are
  comparing, it is pretty hard to give GOOD advice.  HOWEVER, the advice
 you
  have received with the options they provide in the series of emails from
  various people are all pretty darn good.  YOu need to read through it,
  maybe contact the people individually offline and discuss more intimately
  your situation.  Then, maybe you can hammer down yoru options.
 
  I'ld be glad to correspond with you further off-line, and I know from
  experience some of the others would be glad to help you out too.  You
  should probably talk to your advisor too.  I suspect that you will find
  them very helpful in that he/she will have a much better grasp on your
  situation and the programs you are speaking of.  For example, had I
  realized early on that it would be impossible for me to complete a triple
  major in my three fields, I might have dropped one early and taken up
  geology instead, or a math/computer minor (man would that have been
  useful!)
 
  YOU REALLY NEED TO DEFINE WHAT IT IS YOU ARE TRYING TO DO, WHAT ARE YOUR
  GOALS IN YOUR EDUCATION?
  I get a vibe you sorta have these hammered out, but not exactly.  That
  might refect more directy your problem than which major to take!
 
  Malcolm McCallum
 
  On Tue, Apr 7, 2015 at 5:36 PM, Matt Smetana smetana.m...@gmail.com
 wrote:
 
  Hey Everyone!
 
  My name is Matt Smetana, and I’m a current sophomore at Brandeis
  University out near
  Boston. I have been subscribed to this listserve for a few months and
 have
  been
  applying to various summer internships within the ecological/biological
  field. I am certain
  this is the career path I want to take but am unclear of the skill set
  required

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Nonprofit publishers of ecology related journals

[Malcolm McCallum]

I dont' see a problem with a for-profit journal, its the principle of
soaking researchers for the value of the publication that is out-of-whack.
When publication costs for an online outfit are priced at over $1,000 for
an article, it is largely undefendable.  I have been publishing a journal
for a decade with a group of herpetologists.  I know how much things cost
and how much automata is available.  I seriously doubt that total costs per
article for a given journal that is online open-access exceed 10% of that
for the big corporate publishers.  Like I alluded to earlier, if HCB were
to adopt all of the services for its one journal, the cost would be to high
to defend due to economy of scales.  However, it becomes exceedingly cheap
for large publishers for the same reasons.  The online jouranl is a very
lucrative business for these publishers, and they know 90% of who are using
their services have no clue how little they will really spend on any new
adopted publication.

On Fri, Apr 3, 2015 at 4:07 PM, James Browne ecoj...@gmail.com wrote:

 A different way to look at the question of getting a list of
 not-for-profit publishers is to ask for a list of ones that are the
 best value in which to be published.  I would like that one.

 Even if you have access to pay-walled papers, simple impact factor is
 not the only consideration if you don't have much funding to cover
 page costs. Some knowledge of the costs to researchers and others who
 would like to read you work is a consideration, but choosing a journal
 can be daunting.

 Another thought is the business model and longevity of open access
 journals. It will not help to publish but not accessible a few years
 or even months later, neither on library shelves nor a server farm.
Jim

 On Fri, Apr 3, 2015 at 12:00 AM, ECOLOG-L automatic digest system
 lists...@listserv.umd.edu wrote:
  There are 13 messages totalling 875 lines in this issue.
 
  Topics of the day:
 
1. Landscape Ecology of Pollination Postdoc
2. Postdoc and 2 PhD positions at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
3. M.S. Graduate Research Assistantship in Landscape Connectivity
 Modeling,
   University of Illinois at Springfield
4. Field Technicians - Osprey Recovery in Illinois
5. Nonprofit publishers of ecology related journals (2)
6. Dear Colleague Letter - Stimulating research using NEON data
7. Job: COORDINATOR OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
8. Grad Assistantships in Forest Nutrient Cycling:  May or June 2015
9. Harmful Algal Bloom Research Scientist Position
   10. Summer REU coordinator (temporary position)
   11. WA DNR Northwest Region Engineer Job Opening
   12. Field assistant positions in pollination ecology - CLARIFICATION
 
  --
 
  Date:Wed, 1 Apr 2015 23:17:49 -0400
  From:=?windows-1252?Q?Rufus_Isaacs?= isaa...@msu.edu
  Subject: Landscape Ecology of Pollination Postdoc
 
  Michigan State University=92s Department of Entomology seeks a
 post-docto=
  ral=20
  research associate to study pollination in agricultural landscapes. The
 i=
  nitial=20
  focus of this position will be on understanding and developing models
 for=
   how=20
  local and landscape manipulations affect pollinators and pollination
 serv=
  ice=20
  provisioning, with plans to integrate additional ecosystem services into
 =
  the=20
  framework as the research develops. This position will be based in
 Rufus=20=
 
  Isaacs=92 laboratory and will work closely with Doug Landis=92
 laboratory=
  . The=20
  preferred candidate will hold a Ph.D in environmental biology,
 conservati=
  on=20
  science, entomology or ecology, and will have experience with spatial=20
  statistics, GIS, mechanistic and empirical modelling, and R and/or
 Python=
  =20
  programming. Detailed knowledge of insect biology would be useful.
 Experi=
  ence=20
  in modelling ecosystem services from a variety of domains (e.g., insect-
  mediated services, water quality, cultural services) would be an asset.
 T=
  he=20
  full position description and application information are available
 at:=20=
 
  www.ent.msu.edu and application materials are due April 29.=20
 
  --
 
  Date:Thu, 2 Apr 2015 16:40:56 +1100
  From:Ascelin Gordon ascelin.gor...@rmit.edu.au
  Subject: Postdoc and 2 PhD positions at RMIT University, Melbourne,
 Australia
 
  *Postdoc and 2 PhD positions at RMIT University, Melbourne *
 
  We are looking for one postdoctoral fellow and have scholarships
  available for 2 PhD students to work on two ARC funded projects at RMIT
  University, Melbourne. Both projects will be based at RMIT (city campus)
  within the Interdisciplinary Conservation Science Group
  
 http://www.rmit.edu.au/about/our-education/academic-schools/global-urban-and-social-studies/research/research-centres-and-groups/interdisciplinary-conservation-science/
 
  with the potential for 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Nonprofit publishers of ecology related journals

[Malcolm McCallum]

Most open access journals are archived in any number of locations, not the
least of which is the INternet Archive.

The idea that things on the internet disappear is actually more a myth than
reality.  Anything of merit tends to get archived somewhere by libraries or
other organizations.

On Fri, Apr 3, 2015 at 4:07 PM, James Browne ecoj...@gmail.com wrote:

 A different way to look at the question of getting a list of
 not-for-profit publishers is to ask for a list of ones that are the
 best value in which to be published.  I would like that one.

 Even if you have access to pay-walled papers, simple impact factor is
 not the only consideration if you don't have much funding to cover
 page costs. Some knowledge of the costs to researchers and others who
 would like to read you work is a consideration, but choosing a journal
 can be daunting.

 Another thought is the business model and longevity of open access
 journals. It will not help to publish but not accessible a few years
 or even months later, neither on library shelves nor a server farm.
Jim

 On Fri, Apr 3, 2015 at 12:00 AM, ECOLOG-L automatic digest system
 lists...@listserv.umd.edu wrote:
  There are 13 messages totalling 875 lines in this issue.
 
  Topics of the day:
 
1. Landscape Ecology of Pollination Postdoc
2. Postdoc and 2 PhD positions at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
3. M.S. Graduate Research Assistantship in Landscape Connectivity
 Modeling,
   University of Illinois at Springfield
4. Field Technicians - Osprey Recovery in Illinois
5. Nonprofit publishers of ecology related journals (2)
6. Dear Colleague Letter - Stimulating research using NEON data
7. Job: COORDINATOR OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
8. Grad Assistantships in Forest Nutrient Cycling:  May or June 2015
9. Harmful Algal Bloom Research Scientist Position
   10. Summer REU coordinator (temporary position)
   11. WA DNR Northwest Region Engineer Job Opening
   12. Field assistant positions in pollination ecology - CLARIFICATION
 
  --
 
  Date:Wed, 1 Apr 2015 23:17:49 -0400
  From:=?windows-1252?Q?Rufus_Isaacs?= isaa...@msu.edu
  Subject: Landscape Ecology of Pollination Postdoc
 
  Michigan State University=92s Department of Entomology seeks a
 post-docto=
  ral=20
  research associate to study pollination in agricultural landscapes. The
 i=
  nitial=20
  focus of this position will be on understanding and developing models
 for=
   how=20
  local and landscape manipulations affect pollinators and pollination
 serv=
  ice=20
  provisioning, with plans to integrate additional ecosystem services into
 =
  the=20
  framework as the research develops. This position will be based in
 Rufus=20=
 
  Isaacs=92 laboratory and will work closely with Doug Landis=92
 laboratory=
  . The=20
  preferred candidate will hold a Ph.D in environmental biology,
 conservati=
  on=20
  science, entomology or ecology, and will have experience with spatial=20
  statistics, GIS, mechanistic and empirical modelling, and R and/or
 Python=
  =20
  programming. Detailed knowledge of insect biology would be useful.
 Experi=
  ence=20
  in modelling ecosystem services from a variety of domains (e.g., insect-
  mediated services, water quality, cultural services) would be an asset.
 T=
  he=20
  full position description and application information are available
 at:=20=
 
  www.ent.msu.edu and application materials are due April 29.=20
 
  --
 
  Date:Thu, 2 Apr 2015 16:40:56 +1100
  From:Ascelin Gordon ascelin.gor...@rmit.edu.au
  Subject: Postdoc and 2 PhD positions at RMIT University, Melbourne,
 Australia
 
  *Postdoc and 2 PhD positions at RMIT University, Melbourne *
 
  We are looking for one postdoctoral fellow and have scholarships
  available for 2 PhD students to work on two ARC funded projects at RMIT
  University, Melbourne. Both projects will be based at RMIT (city campus)
  within the Interdisciplinary Conservation Science Group
  
 http://www.rmit.edu.au/about/our-education/academic-schools/global-urban-and-social-studies/research/research-centres-and-groups/interdisciplinary-conservation-science/
 
  with the potential for national and international travel.
 
  *Evaluating environment policy that has immediate costs but long-term
 gains*
 
  PhD and postdoctoral fellow opportunity
 
  A fundamental challenge for environmental policies is the different
  timescales over which ecological and financial costs and benefits occur.
  For example, whilst revegetation to offset land clearing incurs
  immediate costs, it can take decades for it to become suitable habitat
  for wildlife. These long time lags can lead to inefficiencies in
  spending and poor environmental outcomes. This project will develop
  novel approaches for evaluating the future impacts of environmental
  policies and new methods for improving their 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Looking for books to read this summer

[Malcolm McCallum]

if you have not read it, The Selfish Gene.


On Tue, Mar 31, 2015 at 10:23 PM, Jake Melichar melic...@iastate.edu
wrote:

 Hey Ecologers,

 I am currently an undergraduate student in biology at Iowa State University
 and I am trying to create a reading list for this summer over books
 regarding botany, natural history, ornithology, mammology, mycology,
 herpetology, ecology, and entomology. I am fascinated with learning more
 about the environment all around me as well as understanding important
 components that affect such environments. If anyone has any suggestions
 regarding the reading list feel free to email me at melic...@iastate.edu

 Thank you for your time.

 Sincerely,
 Jake Melichar




-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
Environmental Studies Program
Green Mountain College
Poultney, Vermont

 “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.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] fabricated reviews lead to retractions of papers

[Malcolm McCallum]

This sounds similar to Pearage of Science.
I occassionally do things for them.

On Mon, Mar 30, 2015 at 10:47 AM, Stefano Liccioli liccioli...@yahoo.it
wrote:

 Good morning,
 in regards to the reviewing issue and the fact that so many people
 decline to do reviews these days,I was wondering how many of the
 Ecologgers (at least, those of you who are reviewers) are registered on
 Poblons
 https://publons.com/
 I was recently invited to do so and I haven't done yet (perhaps waiting to
 hear on it from colleagues) - but maybe it could help to actually get a
 credit for the reviewing work, and who knows, perhaps making it more
 official and less prone to fraud?
 Thanks for your input.
 Stefano




  Il Sabato 28 Marzo 2015 22:06, Stephen L. Young sl...@cornell.edu
 ha scritto:


  It is interesting that we tend to look at how things were and reminisce
 about how good it was then, yet I wonder if we were thinking similarly at
 that time? The same things have been said regarding formula funding and
 IDC rates and while comparison with the past is good, there needs to be a
 balance with what kinds of creative solutions we can come up with for the
 future.
 Steve


 
 
 On Sat, Mar 28, 2015 at 9:39 AM, Martin Meiss mme...@gmail.com wrote:
 
 What ever happened to the scholarly journal being a pet sideline of a
  working professor, struggling by on subscription fees and small
 allotments
  from the university's research foundation, with high-level graduate
  students doing some of the editorial work as part of a stipend deal?
  Perhaps not the best of all possible governance models, but it seems to
 me
  like a better recipe for scientific integrity than being a
 profit-center of
  a corporate machine.
 
  Your thoughts, please...
 
  Martin M. Meiss
 
  2015-03-27 23:29 GMT-04:00 Stephen L. Young sl...@cornell.edu:
 
   There is little incentive other than prestige, but then how does that
 get
   you any more sleep or time to do research? Probably would help to
 offer
   honoraria, like they do for most review panels or invited seminars.
   Steve
  
  
  
  
  
   On 3/27/15, 10:17 PM, Judith S. Weis jw...@andromeda.rutgers.edu
   wrote:
  
   The system is falling apart - so many people decline to do reviews
 these
   days (well, maybe for Science or Nature..) that editors have to keep
   looking for more. And lots of the folks who decline to do reviews
 don't
   recommend another potential reviewer.
   
   
I usually do a Google Scholar search and find 2-3 people who have
 done
work
that crosses over.
For example, lets say the paper was toxicology of amphibian larvae
 in
  an
agronomic landscape.
I might get one reiewer who is versed in amphibians and one who is
   versed
in ecotox (especially involving agrochemicals), then maybe a third
 who
does
amphibian tox.  When I solicity the reviewer, I always ask him/her
 to
recommend someone else if they are unable to do it.  This is
  INCREDIBLY
productive and successful.  We don't take reviewer recommendations
 at
   HCB.
I always get really flustered when a journal asks for reviewers
 too.
   I'm
always concerned about the balance between naming someone who I
 think
  is
well-qualified and someone who is not connected to me in some way.
  It
gets
really hard because as a journal editor, you rapidly start to know
 a
  lot
of
people and you also tick off your fair share.  Also, if you are
 doing
research in a particular area, it is almost assured you are going
 to
  end
up
communicating with others who do similar stuff.  It isn't long, and
everyone knows everyone.
   
Malcolm
   
On Fri, Mar 27, 2015 at 5:34 PM, Menges, Eric
emen...@archbold-station.org
wrote:
   
As an editor, I rarely choose reviewers that authors suggest.
 When I
   do,
it is because I know the person is capable of giving a serious,
   unbiased
review
   
Eric S. Menges
Editor, Natural Areas Journal

From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [
ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] on behalf of David Mellor [
mellor.da...@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, March 27, 2015 3:51 PM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] fabricated reviews lead to retractions of
   papers
   
It appears to be an issue with fraudulent “translation
 servicesâ€
that pose
on behalf of the foreign language researcher and use the
 “suggested
reviewer† feature in the submission process to mislead editors
 into
contacting reviewers who aren’t who they claim to be. The BMC
 blog
post
   
   
  
 http://blogs.biomedcentral.com/bmcblog/2015/03/26/manipulation-peer-revi
   ew/

   
   
  
 http://blogs.biomedcentral.com/bmcblog/2015/03/26/manipulation-peer-revi
   ew/
explains the fraud. My insight is that this could be happening
elsewhere,
and that BMC is doing the right thing to 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] fabricated reviews lead to retractions of papers

[Malcolm McCallum]

I don't know, I enjoy doing peer reviews.  But, I don't treat peer review
like editing a journal.  If the paper is ripe with bad writing, I might
correct a paragraph and tell them to do the whole paper.  Mostly, I dwell
on did they miss citations, cover the literature, approach the problem
properly, analyze it correctly, explain what they did adequately, Report
the results fully, and discuss the implications logically.  Then, make
recommendations to improve the paper. I don't re-write it and I don't think
anyone else hould either.

I don't know how many peer reviews I have done in teh past 10 years, I list
80 or so on my CV, but its actually well over 150.  This week, I for the
first time recommended a paper be rejected due to plagiarism, not
self-plagiarism either (which is really an issue of copyright violation,
not plagiarism anyway), but blagiarism verbatim right off of Wikipedia.
How lazy are you that you copy and past your intro material off of
wikipedia?  ITs bad enough when students do it in class, but in a
scientific manuscript?  Wow

On Fri, Mar 27, 2015 at 10:29 PM, Stephen L. Young sl...@cornell.edu
wrote:

 There is little incentive other than prestige, but then how does that get
 you any more sleep or time to do research? Probably would help to offer
 honoraria, like they do for most review panels or invited seminars.
 Steve





 On 3/27/15, 10:17 PM, Judith S. Weis jw...@andromeda.rutgers.edu
 wrote:

 The system is falling apart - so many people decline to do reviews these
 days (well, maybe for Science or Nature..) that editors have to keep
 looking for more. And lots of the folks who decline to do reviews don't
 recommend another potential reviewer.
 
 
  I usually do a Google Scholar search and find 2-3 people who have done
  work
  that crosses over.
  For example, lets say the paper was toxicology of amphibian larvae in an
  agronomic landscape.
  I might get one reiewer who is versed in amphibians and one who is
 versed
  in ecotox (especially involving agrochemicals), then maybe a third who
  does
  amphibian tox.  When I solicity the reviewer, I always ask him/her to
  recommend someone else if they are unable to do it.  This is INCREDIBLY
  productive and successful.  We don't take reviewer recommendations at
 HCB.
  I always get really flustered when a journal asks for reviewers too.
 I'm
  always concerned about the balance between naming someone who I think is
  well-qualified and someone who is not connected to me in some way.  It
  gets
  really hard because as a journal editor, you rapidly start to know a lot
  of
  people and you also tick off your fair share.  Also, if you are doing
  research in a particular area, it is almost assured you are going to end
  up
  communicating with others who do similar stuff.  It isn't long, and
  everyone knows everyone.
 
  Malcolm
 
  On Fri, Mar 27, 2015 at 5:34 PM, Menges, Eric
  emen...@archbold-station.org
  wrote:
 
  As an editor, I rarely choose reviewers that authors suggest. When I
 do,
  it is because I know the person is capable of giving a serious,
 unbiased
  review
 
  Eric S. Menges
  Editor, Natural Areas Journal
  
  From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [
  ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] on behalf of David Mellor [
  mellor.da...@gmail.com]
  Sent: Friday, March 27, 2015 3:51 PM
  To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
  Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] fabricated reviews lead to retractions of
 papers
 
  It appears to be an issue with fraudulent “translation servicesâ€
  that pose
  on behalf of the foreign language researcher and use the “suggested
  reviewer† feature in the submission process to mislead editors into
  contacting reviewers who aren’t who they claim to be. The BMC blog
  post
 
 
 http://blogs.biomedcentral.com/bmcblog/2015/03/26/manipulation-peer-revi
 ew/
  
 
 
 http://blogs.biomedcentral.com/bmcblog/2015/03/26/manipulation-peer-revi
 ew/
  explains the fraud. My insight is that this could be happening
  elsewhere,
  and that BMC is doing the right thing to bring it to light, given the
  potential tarnish it creates.
 
  David Mellor
  Center for Open Science http://centerforopenscience.org/
  (434) 352-1066 @EvoMellor
 
   On Mar 27, 2015, at 2:29 PM, Martin Meiss mme...@gmail.com wrote:
  
   I wonder if part of the problem is that one publisher, BioMed
 Central,
   http://www.biomedcentral.com/about puts out 277 journals.  That
  seems
   like a lot of concentration of power.
  
   Martin M. Meiss
  
   2015-03-27 12:46 GMT-04:00 David Inouye ino...@umd.edu:
  
   I hope this hasn't been an issue in ecology.
  
   http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/03/
   27/fabricated-peer-reviews-prompt-scientific-journal-to-
   retract-43-papers-systematic-scheme-may-affect-other-journals/
  
 
 
 
 
  --
  Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
  Environmental Studies Program
  Green Mountain College
  Poultney, Vermont
 
   “Nothing is more 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] fabricated reviews lead to retractions of papers

[Malcolm McCallum]

Herpetological Conservation and Biology is still published by researchers
without a publishing house.
There is a very good reason you don't see this much anymore, and it is not
cost.
.
If the journal is run as an online outfit, keeping its presence on the web
can move forward for as little as $5 a mo.
You can do all page layouts in a multitude of ways.
We started out simply re-formatting the layout in Word.
Journal of North American Herpetology (CNAH) still does it this way.
This works find while you are publishing 10 or so articles per issue, many
of which are only 3-5 pages long.
But, there are numerous problems using word that can cause individual
papers to be really finicky to layout.
The bottom line is the program was never intended for this.
We did this from 2006-2010, but by 2010, we were getting a lot of articles
that were 10 pages or more, and started getting some
monographic pieces.  IT went from the early days of formatting all the
papers in 1-2 days to taking 1-2 weeks (all day).

In 2011, I invested in a copy of Quark Express (~$200).  IT automatee some
of the functions and spits out a pdf that is very nice.
THis dropped back the time investment to 1-2 days again.  However, since
then, we have doubled our papers (~15-20/issue).  THis
means tht one person can no longer do all the formatting/page layouts,
which I have done most of since 2006.  The licence for Quark
Express allowed 2 copies.  So, I went through the process of training half
a dozen people, and in every case, when they learn what
is involved, they drop out.  Honestly, I don't blame them.  Editing
articles is a lot of work, doing all the minutia involved in a layout is
a lot more work.  I wanted us to train about 5-6 people to do layouts, then
no one would be stuck with tons of layout work.  Howevr, to do
this with Quark Express (or similar alternative programs), we would have to
buy about five copies of QE. That is not possible.

As of this year, we are using LaTex to do layouts.  It automates almost
everything, but you have to go in and do LaTex programming which
a lot of people in the life sciences don't know.  I paid out ~$200 for a
consultant to write us a template page, and you pretty much copy and paste
into the template.  Then, you have to go through and re-italicize, bold,
correct special characters, things like that.  Tables are written in code
fairly
easily, as are figures.  I plan to have 5-6 of our copy editors trained on
this so that the bottle neck (me) does not exist.  The best part about
this, is that
technically, an author could take their own final copy and the template,
load it onto Overleaf.com (or download texStudio and ProTex for free), do
the layout on their own, and send it back to the editor.

This procedure is a place holder until we are able to adopt PLoS One's open
jouranl systems that is written in xml and autogenerates layouts.  The
problem is, thus far, I know html, but I am not fluent in XML and there are
soem server-type computer stuff that must be done, and I cannot do that.
So far, we don't know or have not found anyone who can, short of a
consultant for in excess of $1,000.  So, we will continue with LaTex, which
frankly I like a lot after getting used to it.

So, if you sit down and do the math, when I was fully employed at a
university, I spent my 40-50 hr a week working with students, sitting on
committees, teaching, and that stuff.  Then, for the last year I have
literally spent about 20 hrs a week on layouts...essentially continuous
journal work from issue to issue.  Then, I need to crap my research in
there somewhere and apply for jobs!  Can you see why we don't have profs
running a journal anymore?  Scorpius is the only other one run like this
that I am aware of, and lets face it, the submission rate for scorpion
papers is pretty small.  We are international, and publish more page(s and
articles than any of the other herpetology journals published elsewhere,
and our impact rating has grown every year.  IT is currently a little lower
than Jherp/Herpetologica/Copeia, though last year was higher than Copeia.
This year's impact rating is wrong, because like several other journal,
they did not add in a year's worth of citations (same thing happened to
Copeia and several other journals), they were told but have yet to fix it.
When you are an independent journal, you do not have the backing of an
Allen Press or Blackwell to breath down their necks.  In fact, getting our
first impact rating required me to threaten a lawsuit, which immediately
resulted in a rating (the year I threatened them was the year prior to our
first rating.  Had we got one then, when we should of, we would have had
the highest impact rating among herpetology journals that year).  The
growth after getting an impact rating was so strong that it has suppressed
our rating.  However, it appears we are now at an assymptote and the rating
should rise pretty quick here.  This is a phenomena you see with PLoS ONe,
due to a large 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] fabricated reviews lead to retractions of papers

[Malcolm McCallum]

In some fields the group of investigators is so small it makes conficts of
interest virtually impossible to avoid.  I have often wondered if a
particular lab has had dozens or more graduates how hard it would be to
avoid these things.  Further, the opportunity to allow something through
that is questionable, even if unintentiona is pretty high when the
community is small enough a large chunck of qualified reviewers are from
teh same group or lab.  So much dishonesty in so many areas today.  If
peope can subconsciously suppress racial and gender groups, why could they
not subconsciosly promote or supress people and/or groups of investigators
whom they know.  I can see this happening in peer review, interview
processes, grading, whatever.  I am not saying it does happen, just that
the large number of subconscious prejudices each of us must be very
difficult to entirely suppress.  This peer review scandal need not be
deliberate, but wow, does it look that way!

On Fri, Mar 27, 2015 at 11:46 AM, David Inouye ino...@umd.edu wrote:

 I hope this hasn't been an issue in ecology.

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/03/
 27/fabricated-peer-reviews-prompt-scientific-journal-to-
 retract-43-papers-systematic-scheme-may-affect-other-journals/




-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
Environmental Studies Program
Green Mountain College
Poultney, Vermont

 “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.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] fabricated reviews lead to retractions of papers

[Malcolm McCallum]

I usually do a Google Scholar search and find 2-3 people who have done work
that crosses over.
For example, lets say the paper was toxicology of amphibian larvae in an
agronomic landscape.
I might get one reiewer who is versed in amphibians and one who is versed
in ecotox (especially involving agrochemicals), then maybe a third who does
amphibian tox.  When I solicity the reviewer, I always ask him/her to
recommend someone else if they are unable to do it.  This is INCREDIBLY
productive and successful.  We don't take reviewer recommendations at HCB.
I always get really flustered when a journal asks for reviewers too.  I'm
always concerned about the balance between naming someone who I think is
well-qualified and someone who is not connected to me in some way.  It gets
really hard because as a journal editor, you rapidly start to know a lot of
people and you also tick off your fair share.  Also, if you are doing
research in a particular area, it is almost assured you are going to end up
communicating with others who do similar stuff.  It isn't long, and
everyone knows everyone.

Malcolm

On Fri, Mar 27, 2015 at 5:34 PM, Menges, Eric emen...@archbold-station.org
wrote:

 As an editor, I rarely choose reviewers that authors suggest. When I do,
 it is because I know the person is capable of giving a serious, unbiased
 review

 Eric S. Menges
 Editor, Natural Areas Journal
 
 From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [
 ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] on behalf of David Mellor [
 mellor.da...@gmail.com]
 Sent: Friday, March 27, 2015 3:51 PM
 To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
 Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] fabricated reviews lead to retractions of papers

 It appears to be an issue with fraudulent “translation services” that pose
 on behalf of the foreign language researcher and use the “suggested
 reviewer” feature in the submission process to mislead editors into
 contacting reviewers who aren’t who they claim to be. The BMC blog post
 http://blogs.biomedcentral.com/bmcblog/2015/03/26/manipulation-peer-review/
 
 http://blogs.biomedcentral.com/bmcblog/2015/03/26/manipulation-peer-review/
 explains the fraud. My insight is that this could be happening elsewhere,
 and that BMC is doing the right thing to bring it to light, given the
 potential tarnish it creates.

 David Mellor
 Center for Open Science http://centerforopenscience.org/
 (434) 352-1066 @EvoMellor

  On Mar 27, 2015, at 2:29 PM, Martin Meiss mme...@gmail.com wrote:
 
  I wonder if part of the problem is that one publisher, BioMed Central,
  http://www.biomedcentral.com/about puts out 277 journals.  That seems
  like a lot of concentration of power.
 
  Martin M. Meiss
 
  2015-03-27 12:46 GMT-04:00 David Inouye ino...@umd.edu:
 
  I hope this hasn't been an issue in ecology.
 
  http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/03/
  27/fabricated-peer-reviews-prompt-scientific-journal-to-
  retract-43-papers-systematic-scheme-may-affect-other-journals/
 




-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
Environmental Studies Program
Green Mountain College
Poultney, Vermont

 “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.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] peer review

[Malcolm McCallum]

Not an article, but when I taught Genetics, in order to lighten up the
tests and to avoid various issues, I uses mythical creatures as problems.
I recall one, alled the bonacum (I think I spelled it right) in which the
animal would release toxic gas as a defense.  I set up a screwy genetics
problem with epistasis, co-dominance, and lethal alleles in which under
certain circumstances the bonacum would inherit a lethal allele in which it
could not release its gas, so the gas would build up internally until the
animal exploded raining fetid pesulance on its surroundings.

Yes, I frequently do this kind of thing on tests.  Hard to pull the I read
in book X that this particular animal does Y if you use an example that
simply does not exist and the a scenario that is complete BS.  :)

Not sure if it would be helpful to you or not, but there it is.

Malcolm

On Tue, Mar 24, 2015 at 9:54 AM, Gary Grossman gross...@uga.edu wrote:

 I'm looking for funny articles published and a few come to mind that I
 can't remember citations for so I thought I'd ask here.  I don't really
 want to page through J. Irreproducable Results or Worm Runner's Digest but
 there are a few I'm hoping someone can help me with (vice vis pdfs)

 In either the late 70's or 80's there was a note in Nature that comprised
 the poem and reviewers comments on Shelley's *Ozymandias*

 Then at about the same time someone published a paper in Limn.  Ocean.
 estimating the biomass of the Loch Ness monster.

 And also at some point someone published a satirical paper on if no one
 heard it, did the tree in the forest really fall?

 Of course any other humorous gems would be appreciated.
 Please remember the list doesn't allow attachments, so please respond to my
 university email.

 TIA, g2




 --
 Gary D. Grossman, PhD

 Professor of Animal Ecology
 Warnell School of Forestry  Natural Resources
 University of Georgia
 Athens, GA, USA 30602

 http://grossman.myweb.uga.edu/ http://www.arches.uga.edu/%7Egrossman

 Board of Editors - Animal Biodiversity and Conservation
 Editorial Board - Freshwater Biology
 Editorial Board - Ecology Freshwater Fish




-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
Environmental Studies Program
Green Mountain College
Poultney, Vermont

 “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.

[ECOLOG-L] Epoch Times: Wildlife Is Being Lost at an Alarming R ate—Here’s Why You Should Care

[Malcolm McCallum]

I thought some of you might be interested in this article written in
response to the WWF Living Planet Report.  They questioned several
biologists as to why the report was important. I was happy to contribute,
but the comments by Ken Norris (Zool. Soc. of London), Chris Nagy (Mianus
River Gorge), Rolf Skar (GreenPeach USA), Tim Caro (UC-Davis), Arne Mooers
(Simon Fraser U), Doug McCauley (UC-Santa Barbara), Malin PInsky (Rutgers),
and Laurel Sutherlin (Rain Forest Action Network) paint it pretty black and
white.  Might be an article worth showing your undergrads in particular! :)

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1291828-wildlife-is-being-lost-at-an-alarming-rate-heres-why-you-should-care/

Malcolm

-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
Environmental Studies Program
Green Mountain College
Poultney, Vermont

 “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.

[ECOLOG-L] anyone familiar with the journal Nature and Culture?

[Malcolm McCallum]

Anyone know have a general perception or experience with the journal,
Nature and Culture?

-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
Environmental Studies Program
Green Mountain College
Poultney, Vermont

 “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.

[ECOLOG-L] postdoc question ea

[Malcolm McCallum]

When I was an undergraduate and masters student, we were always told that
postdocs were taken by people right out of the doctorate to provide
additional training in specific areas, and that mid-career scientists also
take postdocs to gain skills in new areas.  However, I have noticed that
many many postdocs now have limits for eligibility based on years
post-phd.  When did this become commonplace?  Do mid-career people just not
do it anymore?  Or, is it tha tthe nature of the postdoc has changed since
then?

Thanks for the feedback and opinion.

PS=this is not intended to start an argument about the importance of
postdocs, abuse of postdoctoral scientists (or lack thereof).  I also
encourage you to answer to me directly, if anyone wants me to post the
comments, I will.

-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
Environmental Studies Program
Green Mountain College
Poultney, Vermont

 “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.

[ECOLOG-L] Fwd: Herpetology Tech for BS/BA grad in Louisiana

[Malcolm McCallum]

-- Forwarded message --
From:


I saw this, and immediately felt I should forward it out there to the
masses.
(Contact Hardin Waddle for more info wadd...@usgs.gov)

Student Research Experience Opportunity: Herpetology

U.S. Geological Survey, National Wetlands Research Center

We anticipate hiring a current undergraduate student or recent B.A./B.S.
graduate to work on various projects investigating amphibian and reptile
ecology and population biology at sites in Louisiana and Texas. This
position is temporary, and will begin as early as February and last until
the end of the field season, which is usually around August.

We expect this Student Services Contractor to help with various project
activities including but not limited to: nighttime and daytime surveys for
amphibians and reptiles; daytime trips to service froglogging devices;
accurate and neat data collection and data entry; data management and
summaries; literature searches; field gear organization and maintenance.

The student must be able to travel on a regular basis, as much of our work
involves overnight (Mon-Thurs) travel to east Texas and southeast
Louisiana. Individual trip duration will vary from 1 night to 4 consecutive
nights. The student will be exposed to year-round field conditions
including extremes of temperature, humidity, and rain. In addition, field
work involves long days/nights traversing through swamps, streams, and
other wetlands. Many field work days are in excess of 8 hours, sometimes
not returning to the hotel/Wetlands Center until 2 a.m. or later. Many
field locations are in remote areas with snakes, alligators, bees, wasps,
mosquitos, and spiders. The student must be comfortable with catching
amphibians and reptiles (excluding venomous snakes and alligators). The
student must also be comfortable riding in boats and canoes, and wading in
waist-deep waters. Previous experience with identification of southeastern
amphibians and reptiles by sight and call (frogs and toads) is helpful, but
not required.
Qualifications
In order to be eligible, applicants must be currently enrolled as an
undergraduate student OR have graduated with an undergraduate degree within
the past year.

To apply for this position, please send the following information to Hardin
Waddle via email (wadd...@usgs.gov):
1. A cover letter explaining your interest in the position
2. A resume
3. The contact information for two professional references

Please send this information in an attachment via email with the following
subject line: Application - Student Research Opportunity. A single
attachment is preferred.

Review of applications will be ongoing and continue until the position is
filled.

For questions, contact Hardin Waddle (wadd...@usgs.gov)
Contact Person
Hardin Waddle
Contact eMail
wadd...@usgs.gov


-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
Environmental Studies Program
Green Mountain College
Poultney, Vermont

 “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.



-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
Environmental Studies Program
Green Mountain College
Poultney, Vermont

 “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:  

[ECOLOG-L] Is it that rare that schools promote to assoc prof w/o tenure?

[Malcolm McCallum]

I am curious because at a prevous job I was promoted to associate professor
three years early, but was not provided tenure.  I have this written on my
CV, and certainly, I'm not hiding it.  Yet, I continue to get regular
questions such as, why did I leave a tenured position, or What happened
with your tenured position?  I really have to wonder how frequently people
assume I was tenured when I never was.  In fact, I was going up for tenure
when the school was slammed with over 20% in budget cuts.

Any thoughts on how I might communicate this better?  Its in my letter and
on my CV, heck, I have even included the promotion document in my portfolio
that shows promotion without tenure.

I cannot tell you how often the subject comes up.

-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
Environmental Studies Program
Green Mountain College
Poultney, Vermont

 “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.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] New misinformation campaign against End Sp Act

[Malcolm McCallum]

/click?u%3Da2886d199362c2554974f78af%26id%3D72088a3921%26e%3D6708ed45cfk=dpQisR3avULHgiNaNeY%2Btg%3D%3D%0Ar=Cj4FMI2iDPlEjbn4EXNux4WH0ww1pUvJZ5NUtLyPOEs%3D%0Am=DYjxR%2FWVLmEoEEE8j92pcUW6r7ZeS0VblVM91b0T17Y%3D%0As=aa690d377a4ba2dc3f4e0e2e525ca6bf62866b6052d95857f9769a3cc574f5a8
.

*Our mailing address is:*
American Institute of Biological Science
1444 I St., NW, Ste. 200
Washington, DC 20005
*Copyright (C) 2014 American Institute of Biological Sciences All rights
reserved.*

On Tue, Jan 6, 2015 at 8:43 AM, Malcolm McCallum 
malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com wrote:

 It needs to be headed off.
 IF we wait for sh*t to hit the fan, its going to blow up in our face.
 Folks need to be activist NOW before their foundations are set.

 On Mon, Jan 5, 2015 at 8:16 PM, Peter Morrison pe...@pacificbio.org
 wrote:

 Malcolm,
  Thanks for bringing this to our attention once again. This is very
 serious and needs to be countered by scientists like those on this
 listserve.  And there will probably be many more attempt to dismantle
 government programs that focus on biodiversity, conservation and
 environmental protection by the new Congress. All hands on deck!  There's a
 big storm headed our way.
  Peter Morrison,  Executive Director - Pacific Biodiversity Institute

 On Tue, 30 Dec 2014 10:44:12 -0600, Malcolm McCallum 
 malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com wrote:
 Specific findings of the report
   http://naturalresources.house.gov/UploadedFiles/ESA_
 Peer_Review_Science-Staff_Report.pdf

   include:
  
   The FWS does not have clear or consistent policies and procedures in
 place
   across all Regions to ensure that peer reviewers with potential
 conflicts
   of interest are identified and screened;
  
   The FWS generally seeks peer review of its proposed listing decisions
 at
   the same time they are made available for public comment, rather than
   earlier in the process when the peer reviewers may have more meaningful
   input;
  
   The FWS regularly recruits the same scientists on whose work a listing
   decision is based to serve as peer reviewers, including those who have
   known policy positions or affiliations with advocacy groups that
 support
   the listing decision, rather than truly independent scientists;
  
   The FWS uses scientists as peer reviewers who have received grants or
 other
   financial assistance from the Department of the Interior and its
 bureaus
   and other agencies; and
  
   The FWS routinely withholds from the public the identities of peer
   reviewers, qualifications of peer reviewers, and details about their
   comments.  
   On Tue, Dec 30, 2014 at 10:41 AM, Malcolm McCallum 
   malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com wrote:
  
Remember when I posted links to a widespread planned attack on
environmental legislation that will take place in the next
 Congressional
period? No one really discussed it or anythign.   
Well, the misinformation campaign has begun to set the foundation
 for the
attack. Herein they use the govt internal review process and its
 problems
to attack the external peer review process. No doubt its
 deliberate.   
   
http://naturalresources.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?
 DocumentID=397998
   
   
   
--
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
   
   
“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.   
  
  
  
   --
   Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
  
  
   “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

Re: [ECOLOG-L] New misinformation campaign against End Sp Act

[Malcolm McCallum]

Specific findings of the report
http://naturalresources.house.gov/UploadedFiles/ESA_Peer_Review_Science-Staff_Report.pdf
 include:

The FWS does not have clear or consistent policies and procedures in place
across all Regions to ensure that peer reviewers with potential conflicts
of interest are identified and screened;

The FWS generally seeks peer review of its proposed listing decisions at
the same time they are made available for public comment, rather than
earlier in the process when the peer reviewers may have more meaningful
input;

The FWS regularly recruits the same scientists on whose work a listing
decision is based to serve as peer reviewers, including those who have
known policy positions or affiliations with advocacy groups that support
the listing decision, rather than truly independent scientists;

The FWS uses scientists as peer reviewers who have received grants or other
financial assistance from the Department of the Interior and its bureaus
and other agencies; and

The FWS routinely withholds from the public the identities of peer
reviewers, qualifications of peer reviewers, and details about their
comments.

On Tue, Dec 30, 2014 at 10:41 AM, Malcolm McCallum 
malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com wrote:

 Remember when I posted links to a widespread planned attack on
 environmental legislation that will take place in the next Congressional
 period?  No one really discussed it or anythign.

 Well, the misinformation campaign has begun to set the foundation for the
 attack. Herein they use the govt internal review process and its problems
 to attack the external peer review process.  No doubt its deliberate.


 http://naturalresources.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=397998



 --
 Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP


  “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.




-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP


 “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.