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SCB workshop at the World Conservation Congress, Amman, Jordan

CONSERVATION EDUCATION

Update: Committee structure and upcoming meetings

After the first education column appeared in the February 2000 newsletter, many people expressed interest in joining the education committee. The response was gratifying, because it showed how much interest there is in education. It also prompted a survey and decision by committee chair Steve Trombulak on how membership should be handled. We plan to take two steps to improve organization as the committee grows. First, new members will be added once each year following the annual meeting (when most people express interest). There will be a reminder in the May newsletter (here it is!) to contact Steve at or around the time of the meeting if you want to join.

Second, we have formed work or interest groups within the committee. This organization is loose, designed to keep bureaucracy under control. Current groups are K-12, undergraduate, and graduate education; literacy standards; SCB publications and meetings; workshops and short courses; and inter-society interactions. Each includes between two and 12 members, with considerable overlap among participants. Hopefully, the energy expended to create this organizational structure will result in greater efficiency and output.

There will be several education-related discussions at the upcoming meeting in June. The Santa Barbara Chapter will host an organized discussion (already on the agenda) to produce a set of guidelines for outreach by SCB members. We are also scheduling several complementary round table discussions to delve into conservation literacy and undergraduate education.

Software review: Conserving Earth's Biodiversity

Since February, I have used the interactive CD Conserving Earth's Biodiversity (E.O. Wilson and D. Perlman, Island Press). The software is available for either Windows or MacOS for about $40. An instructor's guide also is available.

I have not been a big user of interactive technology, but I found the CD to be highly informative. Its format makes in-depth information easy to process. Different levels of knowledge, addressed through video clips, reading, links to web sites, interactive exercises, graphs, maps, and photographs, make the material accessible for students of all ages and abilities. The video clips are good for more relaxed viewing, the text for serious extraction of data. The interactive exercises encourage thinking and learning. While seasoned academics will not find much new content, they may be inspired by the presentation, and may discover some new internet resources.

The educational philosophy embodied in Conserving Earth's Biodiversity - biological information is accessible to all ages and backgrounds, such knowledge is important, and technology can bridge the literacy gap - is inspiring in and of itself. I believe that this CD will be a particularly great resource for K-12 and undergraduate educators, editors of magazines, activist groups, and individuals. It also could be used in a graduate program as a cogent, comprehensive overview of material pertinent to conservation biology, especially for students who want to refresh their knowledge or come from disciplines other than biology.

Rob Baldwin (rbaldwin@hypernet.com)

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SCB workshop at the World Conservation Congress, Amman, Jordan