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Discussion Abstracts These abstracts provide general descriptions of the objectives and content of each organized discussion. Applying for academic jobs at undergraduate teaching institutions organized by Steve Trombulak (Middlebury College, Vermont) A large number of the academic positions that become available each year in fields that encompass conservation biology are at institutions with an expectation of commitment to and excellence in undergraduate education. Not surprisingly, evidence of such commitment and excellence is part of the recruitment process, and can make the difference between having an application receive serious consideration or being rejected out of hand. After more than 20 years of experience chairing search committees at such an institution, it is clear to me that the vast majority of graduate students and postdoctoral associates do not know how to apply for such positions in a way to maximize their chances of success. This is not surprising, given that applicants for academic positions are largely coming from research institutions where few have mentors who are familiar with institutions where the primary focus is on education. Yet I have seen far too many good applicants fail to rise in the rankings because of poor choices in how they presented their interests and abilities in their cover letters and curricula vitae. This discussion will focus on how to avoid these mistakes and develop a strong application for an academic position at an undergraduate teaching institution. Breaching educational borders: teaching conservation biology to non-majors organized by Peter Hodum (Juan Fernandez Islands Conservancy) and Michael Marchetti (California State University, Chico) With the continued growth of conservation biology as an academic discipline, an increasing number of colleges and universities are beginning to offer non-majors courses focusing on biodiversity and conservation. For students who may only take a single biology course during their college career, biodiversity and conservation can provide effective unifying themes with which to link together and apply a number of fundamental biological concepts. Given that the vast majority of college students are not science majors and will not work as professional scientists, conservation-themed courses for non-majors can provide an effective means of creating a more informed and scientifically savvy public. The purpose of this round-table discussion is to share ideas, thoughts, experiences, and pedagogical tools about how to effectively develop a non-majors college course based on the themes of conservation biology/conservation of biodiversity. The discussion initially will focus on identifying (1) fundamental biological concepts that need to be addressed before one can discuss the biology of conservation and how they are most effectively conveyed, (2) conservation biology concepts that should be included in a non-majors course, (3) how laboratory and field activities can enhance a lecture course, and (4) educational resources that exist for non-majors conservation biology courses. Leading across borders: a dialogue on conservation science leadership organized by Jim Manolis (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources), Scott Stephens (Ducks Unlimited), Cara Nelson (University of Washington), and Mike Dombeck (Smith Conservation Research Fellowship Program) The goal of the 20th annual SCB meeting is to "transcend boundaries of ecology, sociology, geography, and politics that impede conservation science and its application." The need for transcending these boundaries has never been greater. New conservation challenges continually emerge that are larger in scale and scope than ever imagined. We contend that effective leadership is essential for meeting these challenges. However, little has been written on conservation science leadership, and developing effective leadership skills is often by trial and error or trial-by-fire. Successful conservation leaders are often too busy to reflect on, document, and share insights about what works and why. This two-hour discussion aims to bring conservation science leadership insights out of the closet and onto the table by (1) convening scientists and practitioners interested in the topic, including representatives from major conservation leadership development programs, (2) presenting a brief but pithy set of conservation leadership propositions, (3) allowing a small panel of experienced leaders to respond (including Mike Dombeck, Jamie Rappaport Clark, and Barry Noon), (4) following up with general discussion, and, finally, (5) discussing a proposal for a longer-term leadership project that will document conservation leadership insights and make them widely accessible. Using evolutionary hotspots to identify important areas for conservation in California organized by Rick Rayburn (California State Department of Parks and Recreation) and Craig Moritz (University of California, Berkeley) A primary purpose of California State Parks (CSP) is to protect representative examples of California ecoregions and outstanding natural resources, which may include areas that exhibit unusually high species evolution. Such lands would be managed primarily to protect natural evolutionary processes (and their products), including opportunities for research and public education. In November 2005, CSP and University of California, Berkeley hosted a workshop where attendees determined that evolutionary hotspot candidates included biogeographic suture zones (hybridization areas), areas with steep environmental gradients and/or high topographic or geological complexity, areas where the extremes of multiple species' ranges overlap, and areas subject to recent colonization and adaptive divergence or strong co-evolutionary selection pressure. The group determined that the next steps are to fund exploratory work to develop a conceptual model, identify and gather existing data sources, and perform spatial analysis to identify evolutionary hotspots in California. The expected outcome of this organized discussion is to further refine the approach to the study that is being conducted. The ultimate goal is to identify areas of priority for State Parks or other agency acquisition and identify existing protected areas that are valuable for evolutionary processes, where management should be focused, and where evolution can be a part of public interpretation. | |||||||||||||||||
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